computer science

Prehistorik

Prehistorik is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Prehistorik rather than just read about it. In short: Prehistorik is a 1991 platform game developed by Titus Interactive for the Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, MS-DOS, and Commodore CDTV. A sequel, Prehistorik 2, was released for MS-DOS and Amstrad CPC.

Key takeaways

Prehistorik belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Prehistorik to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Prehistorik from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Prehistorik is a 1991 platform game developed by Titus Interactive for the Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, MS-DOS, and Commodore CDTV. A sequel, Prehistorik 2, was released for MS-DOS and Amstrad CPC. The sequel was also ported to Nintendo systems and became a downloadable title for the Nintendo DSi in North America in February 2010. In 2013, Anuman Interactive launched a remake of the game, adapted for iOS and Android.

Gameplay The playable character is a caveman armed with a club. In a search for food, the neanderthal must hit dinosaurs and other animals that come in his way and pick up powerups. Some enemies can't be beat, so the player must dodge them. A boss awaits at the end of each level.

Reception Zzap stated that "This is one of the best games produced by Titus. It has simple, non nonsense gameplay and brilliant, melt-your-heart graphics". Furthermore the music was "excellent and the sound effects are quirky and funny". The score was 70%. The highest score was Amiga Action's 85 %. A re-release in 1993 consistently garnered more negative reviews than did the original, ranging from 30% to 59 %.

References

External links Prehistorik at Lemon Amiga

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Prehistorik

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Prehistorik claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Prehistorik before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Prehistorik ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Prehistorik

In research: Prehistorik appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Prehistorik in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Prehistorik is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1991 video games, Amiga games, Amstrad CPC games, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Prehistorik outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Prehistorik in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Prehistorik means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Prehistorik out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Prehistorik in simple terms?

Prehistorik is a 1991 platform game developed by Titus Interactive for the Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, MS-DOS, and Commodore CDTV. A sequel, Prehistorik 2, was released for MS-DOS and Amstrad CPC.

Why does Prehistorik matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Prehistorik?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Prehistorik.