Tetris (Spectrum HoloByte)

Tetris
Developer(s)	Spectrum HoloByte
Publisher(s)	Spectrum HoloByte
Platform(s)	IBM PC
Release	27 January 1988 (UK) 29 January 1988 (USA)
Gameplay info
Next pieces	1
Playfield size	10 × 20
Hold piece	No
Hard drop	Hard only
Rotation system	Identical to Sega Rotation, except the vertical state of the S tetromino is shifted 1 space right

The first Tetris game developed and released by Spectrum HoloByte, and the first version to be released commercially.

There are two versions of the game; the revised version has the plane on the title screen removed (at the request of Elorg) and the military-themed backgrounds replaced (at the request of Pajitnov). The revised version was also featured on Tetris Gold.

Timing

Timing is based on video frames, which are approximately 1/70 of a second.

• Gravity makes a piece fall by one row every 20 - (level * 2) frames.
• Lock delay is 16 frames.
• Line clear delay is 20 frames.
• ARE is 2 frames.

Scoring

Placing a piece awards score according to the following formula:

• points = 4 + (2 * level) + row number of top of piece

The bottom row is number 1. If the piece was dropped manually, the position before dropping is used, so for a high score the player should drop as soon as possible.

If piece preview is enabled at the time a piece is placed, a 25% penalty is assessed: (both divisions are rounded down)

• points with preview on = floor(points / 2) + floor(points / 4)

No additional points are awarded for line clears.

See also

• Tetris Gold