Marathon
**** COMMODORE 128 BASIC V7.0 **** 122365 BYTES FREE READY. [ EMULATOR NOT YET LOADED ] CLICK START GAME TO BEGIN
Joystick Controls — Port 2
| Up | ↑ Arrow Up |
| Down | ↓ Arrow Down |
| Left | ← Arrow Left |
| Right | → Arrow Right |
| Fire | Space or Left Ctrl |
About Marathon
Marathon is a Commodore 128 arcade endurance game written by Leonard Morris and published in COMPUTE!'s Gazette Issue 74, August 1989. The game runs exclusively in C128 native mode using the 40-column display.
Players use a joystick (Port 2) to run, dodge, and survive as long as possible in this action game. Leonard Morris served as both coder and graphics artist on this title and on all of his published games.
This game is preserved here as part of the Morris Games Archive, a family preservation effort maintained by Jaymes Morris (Leonard's grandson). It is the last known game Leonard published before his retirement from hobbyist publishing.
How to Play
Starting: Click Start Game to initialize the C128 emulator. When the BASIC prompt appears, load the game from disk using the LOAD command shown above the screen.
Movement: Arrow keys move in four directions (joystick Port 2).
Fire: Space or Left Ctrl.
Objective: Survive as long as possible. The game is an endurance challenge — how far can you run? Specific mechanics and scoring will be visible in-game.
Tip: Click inside the game screen after loading to ensure keyboard and joystick input are captured. Press Escape if the mouse cursor disappears.
Publication History
Publisher: COMPUTE! Publications — COMPUTE!'s Gazette
Issue: Number 74
Cover Date: August 1989
Platform: Commodore 128 (native mode, 40-column display)
Disk Image: 1989-08.d64 (Gazette Issue 74 companion disk)
Marathon was the last of Leonard Morris's seven published Commodore 128 games. COMPUTE!'s Gazette was a major American computer magazine dedicated to Commodore computers, published from 1983 to 1995.
Attribution & Rights
Game Author: Leonard Morris
Roles: Code, Graphics
Originally Published In: COMPUTE!'s Gazette, Issue 74 (August 1989)
Archive Maintained By: Jaymes Morris (grandson)
Leonard Morris was a hobbyist programmer who published seven Commodore 128 games in major American computer magazines between 1988 and 1989. He passed away in 2018.
This archive is a personal preservation effort. The games are presented here for historical and educational purposes, to document Leonard Morris's work and make it accessible to future generations.
If you have questions about the archive, permissions, or knew Leonard Morris personally, please reach out: jaymestmorris16@gmail.com