Alf(Apple II, 1987)

🎮 ALF: The First Adventure (Apple II, 1987) — A Quirky Classic from Melmac

If you’ve been exploring the wild and wonderful world of Apple II classics, you may stumble upon a title that’s less about high scores and more about ’80s pop-culture nostalgia: ALF: The First Adventure. Released during the twilight of the Apple II’s commercial heyday, this little action-maze game offers a fun, kitschy slice of vintage computing history.

📅 When It Arrived

ALF: The First Adventure debuted in 1987 for the Apple II and MS-DOS computers, with later ports to the Commodore 64 in 1988 and the Atari ST in 1989.

👾 Who Made It

The game was developed and published by Box Office Software — a small outfit that specialized in budget tie-in titles aimed at home computer users. 

🛸 What the Game Is Like

The premise is simple (and delightfully retro):

• You play as ALF, the wise-cracking alien from the popular TV sitcom who crash-landed on Earth and now lives with the Tanner family. 

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• The goal? Collect spaceship parts, pizzas, and yes — cats (much to ALF’s joy) scattered throughout maze-like screens while avoiding hazards like Willie Tanner and the dog catcher. If Willie catches you, your hard-earned items disappear and you must start again — a mechanic that adds an old-school challenge to the quirky action. 

• It’s an overhead, arcade-style experience reminiscent of maze games of the era but wrapped in that unmistakable ‘80s sitcom charm.

📦 Packaging & Media

Like many Apple II titles of the time, ALF: The First Adventure was distributed on 5¼″ floppy disks and ran directly from Apple DOS or ProDOS systems — no fancy graphics cards or sound cards required. 

🤓 Why It Matters

This game may not be a masterpiece in gameplay or historical renown, but it stands as a fascinating artifact of licensed gaming in the late ’80s — especially on platforms like the Apple II that were nearing the end of their commercial lifecycle. It’s a nostalgic footnote for fans of both classic computers and ALF, showing how TV culture intersected with early home gaming.

For collectors and retro gamers alike, it’s worth a look (and a spin on an emulator or real hardware) — just watch out for Willie stealing your goods! 😉