Grand Theft Cygnus (ASCII BASIC 10-liner version)

The Vic20 wasn't my very first computer, but it was the one I spent most time with as a teenager, and I feel a very fond connection with it today. I own several and have built a Vicky Twenty.

Aside from the small amount of built-in RAM and low screen resolution, it's a very capable and flexible machine. 

This is my first try at entering a competition. I thoroughly enjoyed trying to cram my idea into 10 lines, max 72 chars per line. I'm very proud that I've even managed to squeeze in some rudimentary sound effects.

Let's be honest, what I've written is a minesweeper game, but I love a bizarre backstory and I hope that this one will make people laugh. No swans are harmed in playing this game, you're stealing them using a lassoo, and when the Queen shoots, it's you she's aiming at!

The attached files include the listing itself, along with lots of notes. 

Storyline

As we all know, the swans all belong to the Queen. As the hero of our game, you are intent on stealing as many of them as you can. However, Her Majesty is keeping a lookout and will blast you with her shotgun if you get too close. 

Move your noose with WASD keys, and when you're correctly lined up, press space to lassoo and steal the swan. As long as it's not the one HM is hiding behind, then you'll receive a hint about how far away she is. If you see 0 or 1, run away! If you hear her gunshot, it's game over. If you successfully manage to creep around the monarch and steal all but one of the swans (the one she's hiding behind) then you'll move on to another part of the river.

Playing

Download the prg, open it in your favourite Vic20 emulator, or copy it to an SD card to load it onto a real Vic using an SD2IEC. See the storyline for controls.

Alternatively, copy and paste the abbreviated code into the emulator

Whether you use an emulator or real hardware, this will only run on an unexpanded machine and is only tested on PAL.