Hamurabi was one of the earliest computer games (the name is a shortening of Hammurabi to fit an eight-character limit). It was also known as Kingdom[1]. A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ... This diorite head is believed to represent Hammurabi Hammurabi (Akkadian from Amorite ˤAmmurāpi, the kinsman is a healer, from ˤAmmu, paternal kinsman, and Rāpi, healer; 1810 BC?–1750 BC) also rarely transliterated Ammurapi, Hammurapi, or Khammurabi) was the sixth king of Babylon. ...

Hamurabi was originally a FOCAL program written at Digital Equipment Corporation by an unknown author[2] but it was popularized when David Ahl ported it to BASIC for Creative Computing[3]. From David Ahl's version, it was then ported to many different microcomputers. An interpreted programming language resembling JOSS. Stands for Formula Calculator. ... Digital Equipment Corporation was a pioneering company in the American computer industry. ... Screenshot of Atari BASIC, one of the first BASIC languages for small computers. ... Creative Computing was one of the earliest magazines covering the personal computer revolution. ... The Commodore 64 was one of the most popular microcomputers of its era, and is the best selling home computer of all time. ...

Like many BASIC games of the time, it was mainly a game of numeric input. As the ruler, the player could buy and sell land, purchase grain and decide how much grain to release to his kingdom.

 TRY YOUR HAND AT GOVERNING ANCIENT SUMERIA SUCCESSFULLY FOR A 10-YR TERM OF OFFICE. HAMURABI: I BEG TO REPORT TO YOU, IN YEAR 1, 9 PEOPLE STARVED, 13 CAME TO THE CITY POPULATION IS NOW 106 THE CITY NOW OWNS 1000 ACRES. YOU HARVESTED 3 BUSHELS PER ACRE. RATS ATE 200 BUSHELS. YOU NOW HAVE 2800 BUSHELS IN STORE. LAND IS TRADING AT 24 BUSHELS PER ACRE. HOW MANY ACRES DO YOU WISH TO BUY? 

As a simulation, Hamurabi influenced later games, including Santa Paravia & Fiumaccio, and Civilization. It compared the player to historical rulers (e.g., "YOUR HEAVY-HANDED PERFORMANCE SMACKS OF NERO AND IVAN IV."[4]), a tradition carried on by many contemporary strategy games. The Civilization series is a series of turn-based strategy games from Sid Meier. ... It has been suggested that Game of strategy be merged into this article or section. ...

External links

• David Ahl's BASIC program listing
• JavaScript port
• JavaScript adaptation
• Hamurabi @ MobyGames