RobotWar (1981)

RobotWar is a strategy/puzzle/simulation hybrid by Silas Warner, creator of Castle Wolfenstein for MUSE Software. The game is best described as a cross between two later games: Origin's OMEGA and Maxis' RoboSport. Your task is to design robots, and program them to win fights in the arena. Using a language similar to BASIC, the game offers a surprisingly large number of commands you can use, a wide variety of robots.