Javelin

Javelin 2000 is a Finnish sports miniature devoted to the javelin throw — practically a national sport in Finland, so it is no surprise the local freeware scene had a go at it. It was released under the name Zod; the version catalogued here, 0.82, dates from 2000, and its period blurb proudly noted that the whole game fits into a mere 120 kilobytes.

The biggest draw is support for one to five players at a single keyboard, taking turns to see who can send the javelin the furthest, much like the classic athletics games of old. The hardware demands were humble — a 486 processor and EGA graphics were enough, which by the year 2000 meant practically any machine.

You can hold a javelin tournament right now: Javelin 2000 runs straight in your browser on OldGame.cz.