Apple II



"The most personal computer."

The Apple II (also referred as "Apple ][", with brackets) is a series of computers produced by Apple from 1977 to 1993. Unlike the Apple I, which was just a limited circuit board on a wooden box made for hobbyists, the Apple II was a full-blown computer made for both personal and business use. While not immediately successful due to its high price, it ended up being the longest-lived and most popular system of the "1977 trinity" - the first commercially successful personal computers, which also included the TRS-80 and the Commodore PET.

Due to its popularity and longevity, the Apple II received a lot of business and educational software, many of which are still used today or served as inspiration for the more modern software (such as the popular Lotus123 spreadsheet program, which is more or less the base for Microsoft's Office Excel). Of course, it also received a lot of games, being the birthplace of the holy triad of Western RPG series (Ultima, Wizardry and Might & Magic), as well as the very first Prince of Persia.

If you're going for real hardware, look into the IIGS, which introduced modern Mac-like features like a mouse-driven graphical interface, and is required for the most technically demanding games.