Timebound

Timebound is an educational game first released by Children's Computer Workshop, Inc. in 1983 for the TRS-80 Color Computer; versions were also released by CBS Software in 1984 for other systems including the IBM PCjr, Commodore 64, and Atari Home Computers. In the game, Doctor Anacron has invented a time machine, but now he's timebound and trapped in a loop somewhere between the year 0 and 2000. By using their knowledge of history, players need to find Anacron and save him. The game is designed to help learn the chronology of historical events.

As the game starts, players begin travelling through time as indicated by an animated series of squares disappearing into the distance. Events will pass by, but it's not possible to see what they are due to the speed at which they pass. Players control a time scanner which can be moved along all four edges of the playfield. As events pass by, they can be caught by the time scanner which will reveal what the event is. Catching an event will also reveal an event that Anachron is near. In order to save Anachron, players need to determine if they must move forward or backwards in time by comparing the date the two events given took place in. The events that appear can have occured in one of 11 categories, with each category being assigned a particular position on the screen. There are also 11 skill levels; the skill level number indicates how many of the event categories will be utilized at time during the game (skill level 1 only shows events from one category at a time, while skill 11 shows events from all categories, and so on). Players can move anywhere from the year 0 to the year 2000; if players reach the end year heading backwards or forwards in time, the timeframe will loop around. The game has a time limit of 15 minutes; if players don't find Anachron in that time the game is over. Scoring is based on how long it takes to catch Anachron.