Hi-Res Cribbage

Last updated: January 17, 2026

Overview

Hi-Res Cribbage is a single-player card game developed by Warren Schwader and published by On-Line Systems in 1980 for the Apple II computer.¹² The game allows one player to compete against a challenging computer opponent in the classic English card game of cribbage, utilizing the Apple II’s high-resolution graphics capabilities to create an authentic digital recreation of the tabletop experience.³⁴ At the time of its development, programming in hi-res graphics and assembler was considered “like magic to people and very few knew how to do it,” making this title a technical achievement for its era.⁵

The game was among the earliest titles in On-Line Systems’ catalog and helped establish the company’s reputation for quality software during the formative years of the personal computer industry.⁶ Hi-Res Cribbage sold approximately 2,000 copies, which Schwader himself described as “not awful but not a hit.”⁵ The game featured animated cards that appeared to be dealt by “an invisible hand,” automatic scoring, and a visual cribbage board with audible pegging—innovations that distinguished it from text-based card games of the period.³⁴

Warren Schwader’s work on Hi-Res Cribbage ultimately led to his hiring as On-Line Systems’ second programmer, marking an important moment in the early history of what would become Sierra On-Line.⁶ The game represents a fascinating snapshot of the personal computer gaming industry at its earliest stages, when individual programmers could create and sell complete commercial products.

Game Info

Developer: On-Line Systems¹ Designer: Warren Schwader⁵ Publisher: On-Line Systems¹ Engine: Machine Language⁷ Platforms: Apple II¹⁸ Release Year: 1980²⁹ Series: Hi-Res Series⁷ Protagonist: N/A (Card Game) Sierra Lineage: Core Sierra

Story Summary

As a card game simulation, Hi-Res Cribbage does not feature a narrative story in the traditional sense. The game instead recreates the experience of playing cribbage, a card game with origins dating back to 17th century England, attributed to the poet Sir John Suckling.⁶

Players engage in matches against a computer opponent, with the goal of reaching 121 points before their adversary. The computer AI was designed to evaluate hands using 12 major rules, providing a challenging opponent for even experienced cribbage players.⁶ The game warns players that “if you’re not careful, and don’t play your cards right, the computer will skunk you,” referring to the cribbage term for a decisive victory.⁴

A complete match ends once either the player or the computer has won six rounds, creating a tournament-style structure for extended play sessions.³ This format provided meaningful long-term goals beyond individual hands, encouraging players to develop and refine their strategies over multiple games.

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

Hi-Res Cribbage utilizes a keyboard-based text parser interface combined with high-resolution graphical display.³ The game presents a top-down perspective of the playing surface with a fixed, flip-screen visual style.³ Players input their card selections and decisions through the keyboard while viewing animated card graphics on screen.³

The game includes complete instructions for beginners, making it accessible to players unfamiliar with cribbage rules while still providing strategic depth for experienced players.⁴ The interface handles all scoring automatically, removing the need for players to calculate points manually—a significant convenience given cribbage’s complex scoring system.

Structure and Progression

The game operates on a match-based structure where victory requires winning six individual rounds against the computer opponent.³ Each round follows standard cribbage rules, with players attempting to reach 121 points through combinations of cards during play and in hand scoring.

Key features of the game structure include:

• Automatic Card Dealing: Cards are dealt randomly with visual animation simulating a real dealer.⁴
• Visual Cribbage Board: Scores are tracked on a graphical representation of a traditional cribbage board.³
• Audible Pegging: Points are registered with audio feedback as they are scored.³
• Save Game Function: Matches can be saved to disk to be resumed at a later time, a notable feature for the era.³

Puzzles and Mechanics

While not featuring puzzles in the adventure game sense, Hi-Res Cribbage requires strategic decision-making typical of card games. The computer opponent was programmed with an algorithm capable of evaluating hands by 12 major rules, creating meaningful strategic challenges.⁶

Players must make decisions about which cards to discard to the crib, how to play cards during the pegging phase to maximize points and minimize opponent scoring, and when to employ defensive versus aggressive strategies. The game’s AI was specifically designed to “challenge even the best Cribbage player.”⁴

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Contemporary review data from the original 1980 release period is limited in the available research. The game’s quality was notable enough that Ken Williams, co-founder of On-Line Systems, assessed that “the game was surprisingly well done with crisp graphics and well-crafted logic.”⁶ This positive evaluation from Williams led directly to Schwader’s hiring by the company.

Modern Assessment

Modern game database communities have preserved information about Hi-Res Cribbage, though comprehensive reviews remain scarce due to the game’s age and obscurity.

Aggregate Scores:

• MobyGames: 3.4/5 (player ratings)³
• LaunchBox Games Database: No score recorded (0 votes)²

The game is recognized as a technically impressive early title that demonstrated the potential of the Apple II’s graphics capabilities for card game simulations.⁶

Development

Origins

Hi-Res Cribbage was developed by Warren Schwader during a unique period in his life. Schwader was caring for his disabled brother, who had been paralyzed in a car accident and had purchased one of the first Apple II computers.⁶ Schwader was funded by state money for caregiving during this time, which gave him the opportunity to learn programming and develop games.⁵

The motivation for creating Hi-Res Cribbage was personal and practical: Schwader “often didn’t have anyone to play cribbage against,” so he created a computer opponent.⁶ The game was developed after his previous title, Smash-Up, as Schwader continued to develop his programming skills.⁶

Production

Schwader wrote Hi-Res Cribbage using the Apple II’s built-in mini-assembler, demonstrating impressive technical skill for the era.⁶ At the time, only a few programmers had the knowledge, let alone the skills, to write effective and usable software in assembly language and utilize the Apple II’s Hi-Res graphics mode.⁶

The development of the computer AI required particular attention. Schwader implemented an algorithm capable of evaluating hands by 12 major rules, creating a computer opponent that could provide genuine challenge to experienced players.⁶ This level of AI sophistication was notable for consumer software of the period.

Development Credits:⁵⁶

• Author/Designer: Warren Schwader
• Publisher: On-Line Systems (Ken and Roberta Williams)

Technical Achievements

Hi-Res Cribbage represented a significant technical achievement in its use of the Apple II’s high-resolution graphics mode for a card game application.⁵⁶ The animated card dealing, where cards “actually look as if they are being turned over one by one by an invisible hand,” demonstrated sophisticated graphics programming.⁴

The game’s audio-visual scoring system, with scores “audibly pegged on a visual cribbage board,” combined multiple output modes to create an engaging feedback system.³ The save game functionality allowing matches to be saved to disk was also a forward-thinking feature that enhanced the user experience.³

Technical Specifications

Apple II Version:³⁴⁷

• Resolution: Hi-Res Graphics mode⁶
• Display: Raster graphics⁴
• Input: Keyboard³
• Players: 1 Player vs. Computer³
• Perspective: Top-down view³
• Visual Style: Fixed / flip-screen³
• Media: 5.25” Floppy Disk (On-Line Systems release); also available on cassette (original version)³⁵
• Language: English⁴

Cut Content

No information about cut content has been documented in available sources.

Version History

Version	Date	Platform	Notes
Cassette	1980	Apple II	Original self-published version by Warren Schwader6
Floppy Disk	Early 1981	Apple II	On-Line Systems published release6

The game underwent a notable transition from cassette to disk format. Schwader initially marketed the game on cassette tape but later acknowledged he “missed the boat by not immediately getting a disk drive.”⁵ The cassette version sold only a few hundred copies, while the disk version published by On-Line Systems achieved sales of approximately 2,000 copies.⁶

Technical Issues

No specific technical issues or bugs have been documented in available sources. The game’s machine language programming and Schwader’s careful development appear to have resulted in a stable product.

Easter Eggs and Trivia

• The game was featured in the first On-Line Letter newsletter in June 1981, highlighting its importance to the early Sierra catalog.⁶
• Warren Schwader became On-Line Systems’ second-hired programmer as a direct result of Ken Williams discovering copies of Hi-Res Cribbage that had “found their way to California.”⁵⁶
• The game’s cribbage rules are based on the traditional game invented by Sir John Suckling in 1600s England.⁶
• Schwader’s path to On-Line Systems began when his brother’s accident led to the purchase of an Apple II, creating the circumstances for his programming career.⁶

Legacy

Sales and Commercial Impact

Hi-Res Cribbage sold approximately 2,000 copies in its On-Line Systems disk release, following a few hundred copies of Schwader’s original cassette version.⁵⁶ While Schwader himself characterized these sales as “not awful but not a hit,” the game’s true significance lay in its role establishing relationships and reputation.⁵

The game’s quality impressed Ken Williams enough that he hired Schwader as On-Line Systems’ second programmer, making Schwader an important early employee of the company that would become Sierra On-Line.⁶ This hiring represented a pivotal moment in Sierra’s early growth, as the company began expanding beyond the Williams family’s own programming efforts.

Collections

Hi-Res Cribbage has not been documented as appearing in any official Sierra compilation releases. The game remains primarily accessible through retro computing preservation efforts and collector markets.

Fan Projects

No significant fan projects, remakes, or modifications of Hi-Res Cribbage have been documented in available sources.

Related Publications

• Game Manual: Included complete instructions for beginners learning cribbage⁴
• On-Line Letter (June 1981): Featured the game in On-Line Systems’ first newsletter⁶

Critical Perspective

Hi-Res Cribbage occupies an important but largely overlooked position in Sierra On-Line’s history. While the game itself was a modest commercial success, its real significance lies in its role as a catalyst for the company’s early expansion. Warren Schwader’s programming skills, demonstrated through this title, proved valuable enough for Ken Williams to bring him into the company as its second programmer.⁶

The game also represents a fascinating example of how early personal computer software was developed. Created by an individual programmer caring for a disabled family member, funded through state caregiving support, and initially self-published on cassette tape, Hi-Res Cribbage embodies the garage-developer origins of the personal computer software industry.⁵⁶ The technical achievement of programming in assembly language and utilizing the Apple II’s hi-res graphics mode—skills that Schwader noted were “like magic to people” at the time—demonstrates the specialized knowledge that separated early game developers from typical computer hobbyists.⁵

From a game design perspective, Hi-Res Cribbage showed that card games could successfully transition to personal computers with proper attention to visual presentation and AI challenge. The animated card dealing, visual cribbage board, and audible scoring created an engaging simulation that transcended the purely functional text-based implementations common in earlier computer card games.³⁴

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

• Not currently available on modern digital storefronts

Download / Preservation

• Physical copies exist in personal collections and retro gaming archives⁶

Manuals & Extras

• Original packaging and materials are held in private collections⁶

Series Continuity

Hi-Res Cribbage was part of On-Line Systems’ “Hi-Res Series” of games that utilized the Apple II’s high-resolution graphics capabilities.⁷¹⁰ This series helped establish the company’s technical reputation in the early personal computer market.

The game was developed by Warren Schwader after his previous title Smash-Up, representing his second commercial software release.⁶ Schwader’s work on Hi-Res Cribbage led directly to his hiring at On-Line Systems, where he would contribute to the company’s growing catalog of games.

References

Footnotes

1. MobyGames – Hi-Res Cribbage – publisher, developer, platform, release year, technical specifications ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

2. LaunchBox Games Database – On-Line Systems Games – release date, platform, publisher, animated cards feature ↩ ↩² ↩³

3. MyAbandonware – Hi-Res Cribbage – gameplay features, preservation, platform information ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰

4. UVList – Hi-Res Cribbage – official description, animated dealing, AI challenge, display specifications, game features ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹²

5. Halcyon Days – Warren Schwader Interview – developer quotes, sales figures, development circumstances, cassette marketing, hi-res graphics significance ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³

6. Retro365 – Bits From My Personal Collection: Hi-Res Cribbage – development history, Schwader biography, Ken Williams assessment, cassette/disk versions, AI algorithm, On-Line Letter feature, cribbage origins ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵ ↩²⁶ ↩²⁷ ↩²⁸ ↩²⁹ ↩³⁰ ↩³¹

7. Sierra Chest – Hi-Res Cribbage – engine (Machine Language), series classification, genre ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

8. VirtualApple – Hi-Res Cribbage – playable emulation, Apple II preservation ↩

9. Scribd – SierraVault Game List – comprehensive Sierra games catalog ↩

10. SierraGamers – Hi-Res Cribbage – release number confirmation, 1980 date ↩