There is an original owners manual for the Apple //e preserved on archive.org for perusing to get an overview of the system basics.
ProDOS & Basic
By default the emulator will boot into a ProDOS menu. To move the selector around, use the arrow keys on the USB keyboard. The enter key will launch the selected item, and ESC will go back.
From this menu you can read the README and navigate through a few other directories. The main functional item that is accessible from this menu is the Basic system. To launch it, move the selector to BASIC.SYSTEM and press enter.
The Basic System will launch into a REPL. Code can be entered one line at a time and evaluated such as PRINT "HELLO WORLD" or the code can be prepended with line numbers to create larger programs.
To execute the current program, use the RUN statement.
To the left is a demonstration of a program printing a "hello" message and a counter variable using a for-loop.
Type in each line as shown, pressing enter after each line. Then when you type RUN and press ender the program will run!
Press CTRL-C to stop the program.
Built-in Games
The Adafruit Fruit Jam build of the Reload Emulator comes with a few pre-loaded games that are ready to play right after installation.
These games are compiled into the firmware from .dsk disk image files. To launch into the different images, press the left OS key (left Apple or Windows key) and one of the keys F2-F8. By default, F2 - F6 have images on them, see the Custom Build page for information about adding or changing disk images.
Moon Patrol
To play Moon Patrol press and hold the left OS key and press F2. The emulator will reset and launch into the Moon Patrol disk image.
The options screen documents all available keyboard keys and their associated options. Once everything is set to your liking, press the space bar to start the game.
While playing, the A key jumps and the space bar fires both up and out to the right.
See how far you can make it jumping over holes and shooting dirt piles and alien ships to stay safe.
Oregon Trail
Disk 1 of Oregon Trail is loaded into the 3rd disk image slot. From the ProDOS menu, press and hold the left OS key and press F3 to launch Oregon Trail. In this classic game, the player tries to safely navigate a party of people traveling west on the namesake trail. Manage food, oxen, clothing, time, and other resources as you make the treacherous journey.
The game uses standard keyboard controls, often prompting the user to type a number and press enter to select a choice, or space bar to continue to the next screen.
Note that the emulator reboots when changing disks, making it impossible to continue on to Disk 2, a fate almost as bad as dying of dysentery.
Reader Rabbit
Reader Rabbit and the Fabulous Word Factory is loaded into the 4th disk image slot. From the ProDOS menu, press and hold the left OS key and press F4 to launch Reader Rabbit.
The main menu uses number keys 1-4 to select the game to play, 5 to toggle sound, and 6 to cycle between different input devices. Keyboard is the only input that is tested and known to work.
During the game, press the ? key to see instructions and controls for the current game. Press ESC to exit the game and go back to the menu.
Kraken
Kraken, a deep sea quest, is loaded in disk image slot 5. From the ProDOS menu, press and hold the left OS key and press F5 to launch Kraken.
In this game, the player assumes the role of captain of a research ship trying to get a photo of a giant squid. Guide the ship to different areas, probe water conditions and lower the submersible into the depths of the water once you've found the perfect giant squid hiding spot.
The controls are all labeled on the screen. Arrow keys for movement, letter keys for various actions, enter to submit input, and space bar to continue
Zork
Zork is loaded into disk image slot 6. From the ProDOS menu, press and hold the left OS key and press F6 to launch Zork.
Zork is a text adventure game. The player types commands into the game which then reacts by outputting some text about the current situation the player finds themselves in.
The commands typically involve a verb or action, followed by a noun or subject. Some examples are: open mailbox, read leaflet, go north, look, and inventory
To get hundreds more games in one big bundle, you can download Total Replay from archive.org. Click the button above to download Total Replay v5.2.hdv. Copy this file to the root of an empty micro SD card and make sure it has the exact name "Total Replay v5.2.hdv", if the filename does not match exactly it will not work!
Use the eject, unmount, or safely remove action in your OS to disconnect the microSD drive from the host OS, then unplug micro SD card from the computer.
Power off your Fruit Jam, put the microSD card into the Fruit Jam's micro SD card slot securely, then power the Fruit Jam on.
Press the Fruit Jam reset button and the emulator will restart and launch straight into the Total Replay bundle.
Once you see the main menu, press arrow keys to browse the different games or start typing the name of a game to search for it in the list.
When the game you want to play is selected, press the enter key to launch it.
Here is a gallery containing a small sampling of the many available games. Some of the games use only the keyboard for input but others support the SNES-like game controller.
Page last edited October 15, 2025
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