---
title: "Aquaplane"
id: 72482
type: "computer_media"
slug: "aquaplane"
url: "http://localhost/computer_media/aquaplane/"
markdown_url: "http://localhost/computer_media/aquaplane.md"
published_at: "2026-10-24T00:59:42+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-10-24T00:59:42+00:00"
author: "David Anderson"
featured_image:
  url: "http://localhost/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/aquaplane-1.png"
excerpt: "Steer a speedboat and its water-skier along the coast, dodging rocks, rival boats and sharks, in Quicksilva's 1983 arcade game."
post_tag:
  - name: "Downloadable"
    slug: "downloadable"
    taxonomy: "post_tag"
    url: "http://localhost/tag/downloadable/"
  - name: "Quicksilva"
    slug: "quicksilva"
    taxonomy: "post_tag"
    url: "http://localhost/tag/quicksilva/"
  - name: "TS 2068"
    slug: "ts2068"
    taxonomy: "post_tag"
    url: "http://localhost/tag/ts2068/"
model:
  - name: "Timex/Sinclair 2068"
    slug: "ts-2068"
    taxonomy: "model"
    url: "http://localhost/model/ts-2068/"
indiv:
  - name: "J. Hollis"
    slug: "j-hollis"
    taxonomy: "indiv"
    url: "http://localhost/indiv/j-hollis/"
genre:
  - name: "Game"
    slug: "game"
    taxonomy: "genre"
    url: "http://localhost/type/game/"
media_type: "Program"
programmers:
  - name: "J. Hollis"
    slug: "j-hollis"
    taxonomy: "indiv"
    url: "http://localhost/indiv/j-hollis/"
download_url: "https://archive.org/download/timex-sinclair-software-archive/Aquaplane%20%281983%29%28Hollis%2C%20J.%29%28TS2068%29%28US%29%28Program%29.zip"
tsrun_member: "Aquaplane (1983)(Hollis, J.)(TS2068)(US)(Program)/Aquaplane (1983)(Hollis, J.)(TS2068)(US)(Program).tap"
mediadate: "1983"
producer_company:
  - id: 11197
    title: "Quicksilva"
    type: "company"
    url: "http://localhost/company/quicksilva/"
images:
  - url: "http://localhost/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/aquaplane-1.png"
  - url: "http://localhost/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/aquaplane-2.png"
  - url: "http://localhost/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/aquaplane-4.png"
related_products:
  - id: 37136
    title: "Aquaplane"
    type: "product"
    url: "http://localhost/product/aquaplane/"
media_type_tags: "Game"
license: false
---

# Aquaplane

Aquaplane is an arcade game: you pilot a speedboat towing a water-skier across the sea, with clouds and a mountain coast behind. You dodge rocks, regattas, speedboats and the “Great White Hungrys”. The keys are 7 and 6 to move up and down, 0 for thrust, H to hold, S to start, and J for joystick. A “TODAYS GREATEST” table keeps the high scores, and spare skiers are shown along the bottom of the screen.

The title screen reads “A Q U A P L A N E — © 1983 J.HOLLIS”, and the game was published by Quicksilva. Its BASIC loader is titled “VLOADER”, version 1.0, created 25 November 1983 by S. S. Dosanj (Bitterne Software).

## Program Analysis

### Loader

The BASIC loader sets the colors, prints a flashing “LOADING” and loads a loading screen and then a 33,587-byte code block at 31948, which it starts with `RANDOMIZE USR 53248`. Lines 9000–9020 are an unused utility that scans memory for pairs of the byte 88 and POKEs them to 16.

### Notable Techniques

- The whole game is machine code. BASIC only loads it.
- The code fills memory from 31948 to the top of RAM.

### Potential Issues

- The loader as found on the disk has no `CLEAR`, so on a stock TS2068 the code loads over the machine stack and the computer crashes. This copy adds one (see below).

This copy came from a Larken disk and was converted for tape: the `PRINT USR 100` disk prefixes were removed and `CLEAR 31947` was added to line 55 so the code loads safely. It was tested on a stock TS2068 in ZEsarUX: title, play and a running game.

## Source Code

`````````
   10 REM program VLOADER
   20 REM created 25TH NOVEMBER 1983
   30 REM version 1.0
   40 REM author  S. S. DOSANJ (BITTERNE SOFTWARE)
   50 REM 
   55 BORDER 0: INK 7: PAPER 7: CLS : REM 
   57 PRINT #0;AT 0,12; INK 7; FLASH 1;"LOADING"; FLASH 0; INK 0: REM 
   60 PRINT USR VAL "100": LOAD "aquasc.C1"SCREEN$ : REM 
  100 PRINT AT 19,0;: REM 
  120 PRINT USR VAL "100": LOAD "aquamc.C1"CODE : REM 
  130 RANDOMIZE USR 53248: REM 
  140 STOP 
 9000 FOR F=(PEEK 23635+256*PEEK 23636) TO 9999999 STEP 2: BORDER 0: BORDER 2: REM 
 9005 IF PEEK F=88 AND PEEK (F-1)=88 THEN POKE F-1,16: BEEP .1,1: REM 
 9010 IF (PEEK F=88 AND PEEK (F+1)=88) THEN POKE F,16: BEEP .1,0: REM 
 9015 IF PEEK F=96 AND PEEK (F+1)=96 THEN STOP : REM 
 9017 IF PEEK F=88 AND PEEK (F-1)=88 THEN POKE F-1,16: BEEP .1,1: REM 
 9020 NEXT F: REM 
 9999 REM ````````
`````````