Buffalo Roundup

Buffalo Roundup is a single-screen arcade game shown from an elevated top-down angle . You play as a cowboy on horseback whose task is to herd 21 buffalo into a corral before time runs out . The buffalo graze around a waterhole in the center of an open pasture, and you must push them toward the gate on the left side of the screen . Each buffalo that enters the corral awards 100 points . However, gaps in the fences at the top and bottom of the screen allow buffalo to escape into the desert—any buffalo lost ends the game once all remaining buffalo are either corralled or fled . The buffalo react unpredictably: sometimes they resist, sometimes they move passively, and sometimes they dodge sideways . You have approximately 100 seconds per round, represented by a timer counting down from 999 to 000. Clearing all 21 buffalo before time expires awards the remaining timer value as bonus points .

Commodore 64

Released in 1983 by Commodore, Buffalo Roundup was developed by Hungarian programmers Laszlo Mero, Andras Joo, Zoltan Joo, and Csaba Andor of Andromeda Software . It later appeared as part of the "Fantasy Five" compilation released by Commodore UK in 1985 . A unique element is that after each completed round, one fence piece is removed from either the top or bottom of the screen, making it progressively harder to prevent escapes . Graphics and sound were considered merely average by contemporary standards . The game supports high-score entry with space for six initials . An early development version lacks the title screen, high-score display on level one, and features a monochrome cowboy sprite, highlighting interesting differences from the final release .