BOB vs The Aliens — two foxes and an invasion Runs here
1997 · Laurie Murphy / Foxchange Productions · Mac OS 8 · SheepShaver (Power Macintosh 9500) · 800×600 at 8-bit colour
Guide updated September 2026
Foxchange Productions' first game, and the one Star Fighters came out of two years later. Same small team, same Future BASIC compiler, same cheerful hand-drawn fox artwork on the title screen.
It is a colour action game of the kind Macintosh shareware produced by the hundred in the late 1990s — and, like most of them, it survives only because somebody archived the file.
Boots Mac OS 8.6 and opens BOB vs The Aliens on its title screen. Click Continue.
Controls
| Arrow keys | Move |
| Space | Fire |
| Menus | Options and difficulty |
| Cmd-Q | Quit to the Finder |
Shareware, distributed freely by its author. This copy is unregistered and unmodified.
Archives
- Internet Archive — the Tucows Macintosh archive copy this was built from.
How it works & what to expect
| Machine | Power Macintosh 9500, 800×600 in colour |
|---|---|
| System | Mac OS 8.6, shared with every other title of this era |
| Emulator | SheepShaver, compiled to WebAssembly |
| Version | 1.4 |
| Saves | High scores persist inside the emulated Mac |
It is short and unpretentious. There is no campaign to speak of and no save beyond the score table; it is a game you play for ten minutes at a time.
BOB does not carry its own operating system; Mac OS 8.6 comes from the shared image, so it starts faster if you have already opened another Mac OS 8 title here.
Why it is remembered
It is the ordinary middle of a scene worth preserving. Not everything on a site like this has to be a landmark. Most Macintosh shareware was exactly this: competent, cheerful, made by two or three people, distributed for whatever anyone felt like paying.
The same team improved. Putting this beside Star Fighters, two years later, shows a small group getting visibly better at something — which is more interesting than either game on its own.
Future BASIC again. The credit line on the title screen is the same STAZ Software compiler, and it is a reminder of how much of this catalogue exists because there was an accessible way to write Mac software.
Getting started
Click Continue past the title card and play a round without worrying about the scoring.
Keep moving and keep firing; it is that sort of game and overthinking it does not help.
If you like it, Star Fighters by the same people is the more developed version of the same instincts.
Questions people ask
Is it free?
It is shareware — freely distributed and playable, with the author's registration notice intact.
How long is it?
Short. It is a score-chasing arcade game, not a campaign.
Do high scores persist?
Yes, inside the emulated Macintosh in your browser.
Is there a sequel?
Not a sequel, but Star Fighters from 1999 is by the same team and is also on this site.
Is it in colour?
Yes, 800×600 on an emulated Power Macintosh.
Why does it take a while to start?
It boots Mac OS 8.6 first, from the image shared with the other Mac OS 8 titles here.
