One of the most interesting things about wordle is its simplicity. The trending pun of 2022 could have existed at any time in the history of computing, even in the 1980s. Don’t believe me? Retro developer Chris Bradburne successfully ported wordle to the legendary BCC Micro, a classic computer best known for its use in 1980s British classrooms.
The retro wordle The port works on older BBC Micro home computers, although you can also play it in the browser on modern hardware. It uses a slightly modified version of Wordle’s word list and reference a dictionary of over 12,000 words to check each of your guesses.
So “for science” (honestly) I played a Wordle port on the BBC Micro. While the wordlists probably aren’t the same, the rules are, and you can play games continuously. After 33 games, I suspect that part of his satisfaction comes from the fact that he is difficult, but not TOO difficult! pic.twitter.com/6q71t5UaY8
β Glenn Pegden β βοΈππΎ β½αΊ±βπ΄παΉ (@GlennPegden) January 20, 2022
Interestingly, the wordle port lets you play as many games as you want. It also saves all of your stats, though those stats disappear when you close the game. That’s an 80s strain I guess.
It should be noted that there is still no official wordle app, because founder Josh Wardle has no interest in tarnishing his “labor of love”. You can add the wordle website to your smartphone home screen, however, and there are several Wordle alternatives with actual apps.
You can play Bradburne wordle port in your browser (or get the game for a BBC Micro) via BBC Micro Games Archive. If you want to know more about the port, check out Chris Bradburne’s thread on Stardot.
Source: Chris Bradburne via TechRadar