<s>
RobotWar	B-Device
is	O
a	O
programming	B-Language
game	I-Language
written	O
by	O
Silas	B-Application
Warner	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
game	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
companion	O
program	O
RobotWrite	O
,	O
was	O
originally	O
developed	O
in	O
the	O
TUTOR	B-Language
programming	I-Language
language	I-Language
on	O
the	O
PLATO	B-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
in	O
the	O
1970s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
commercialized	O
and	O
adapted	O
for	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
series	I-Device
of	O
computers	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Muse	O
Software	O
in	O
1981	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
premise	O
is	O
that	O
in	O
the	O
distant	O
future	O
of	O
2002	O
,	O
war	O
was	O
declared	O
hazardous	O
to	O
human	O
health	O
,	O
and	O
now	O
countries	O
settled	O
their	O
differences	O
in	O
a	O
battle	O
arena	O
full	O
of	O
combat	O
robots	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
manual	O
states	O
,	O
"	O
The	O
task	O
set	O
before	O
you	O
is	O
:	O
to	O
program	O
a	O
robot	B-Algorithm
,	O
that	O
no	O
other	O
robot	B-Algorithm
can	O
destroy	O
!	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
activity	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
to	O
write	O
a	O
computer	B-Application
program	I-Application
that	O
operates	O
a	O
(	O
simulated	O
)	O
robot	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
selects	O
multiple	O
robots	B-Algorithm
which	O
do	O
battle	O
in	O
an	O
arena	O
until	O
only	O
one	O
is	O
left	O
standing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
robots	B-Algorithm
do	O
not	O
have	O
direct	O
knowledge	O
of	O
the	O
location	O
or	O
velocity	O
of	O
any	O
of	O
the	O
other	O
robots	B-Algorithm
;	O
they	O
only	O
use	O
radar	O
pulses	O
to	O
deduce	O
distance	O
,	O
and	O
perhaps	O
use	O
clever	O
programming	B-General_Concept
techniques	O
to	O
deduce	O
velocity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
robots	B-Algorithm
 '	O
language	O
is	O
similar	O
to	O
BASIC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
34	O
registers	B-General_Concept
that	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
as	O
variables	O
or	O
for	O
the	O
robots	B-Algorithm
 '	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
functions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
robot	B-Algorithm
with	O
this	O
program	O
sweeps	O
its	O
radar	O
in	O
a	O
circle	O
,	O
firing	O
off	O
radar	O
pulses	O
,	O
and	O
when	O
it	O
detects	O
another	O
robot	B-Algorithm
,	O
fires	O
a	O
projectile	O
set	O
to	O
explode	O
at	O
the	O
correct	O
distance	O
as	O
estimated	O
by	O
the	O
radar	O
pulse	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
particular	O
robot	B-Algorithm
stands	O
still	O
throughout	O
the	O
entire	O
battle	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
never	O
assigns	O
any	O
number	O
to	O
its	O
movement	O
registers	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Harry	O
White	O
reviewed	O
RobotWar	B-Device
in	O
The	O
Space	O
Gamer	O
No	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
White	O
commented	O
that	O
"	O
RobotWar	B-Device
is	O
worth	O
 [ ... ] 	O
the	O
price	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
its	O
first	O
issue	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
praised	O
RobotWars	B-Device
language	O
as	O
easy	O
to	O
learn	O
,	O
and	O
for	O
several	O
years	O
hosted	O
contests	O
for	O
robot	B-Algorithm
programs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BYTE	B-Application
also	O
praised	O
Battle	O
Language	O
and	O
its	O
potential	O
for	O
teaching	O
programming	B-General_Concept
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
sophisticated	O
editor	O
and	O
debugger	O
,	O
but	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
language	O
's	O
slow	O
performance	O
caused	O
robots	B-Algorithm
to	O
sometimes	B-Operating_System
behave	I-Operating_System
in	I-Operating_System
unexpected	I-Operating_System
ways	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
