So, what is RoboWar? RoboWar is a freeware programming game (Mac and PC!) in which robots are pitted against each other in deadly combat. [passive voice alert #1.] They are programmed and equipped by the user, but act entirely on their own in the arena. [passive voice alert #2.] A smart design will be the last robot standing.

RoboWar has existed since before 1990. The first idea for the game came from a group of teenagers who wanted a game that did not involve knee-jerk button pushing. David Harris was the first to implement the game on Macintosh computers. Since the first version of RoboWar was completed, official RoboWar tournaments have been held to determine the greatest RoboMaster in the world. [passive voice alert #3.] The first tournament was held in June of 1990; [passive voice alert #4] at the time of this writing (July 1999), entries for the 17th Tournament have been submitted. [passive voice alert #5.]

In response to competition and occasional changes to the RoboWar engine, robot design has changed drastically. Early machines were primitive by the standards of today, making most of their kills when in collision with other robots. The best strategies of those days were the ones that allowed the best collision reflexes. Nowadays, robots slug it out at any range, using a variety of weapons ranging from bruising explosive bullets to the elegant but deadly stunners. The diversity of strategies is fantastic -- stun-streamers, dashers, bruising hesitators, machine-stunners, wall-huggers, corner-hoppers, and wanderers, to name a few. New paradigms are still periodically surfacing, and variations on older tactics abound. [or die out abruptly.]

The best thing about RoboWar is that it is easy to learn. Most RoboWar tournaments have seen first-time entrants take prizes. [Once upon a time I instructed newbies to direct questions to the Supreme Robomaster, Eric Foley.]