# Decompile a childhood PC game with an agent and get it running in the browser

> A developer pointed Claude at an archived zip of an early 2000s Dutch city-building game written in Pascal, asked it to decompile the game and get it working on the web, then had it play through the game and fix every crash. The source is on GitHub and the game runs online.

- URL: https://paperchasewebb.ai/bots/marketplace/items/decompile-a-childhood-pc-game-with-an-agent-and-get-it-running-in-the-browser/
- Type: Agent use case pack
- Category: Games
- By: PaperChaseWebb
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude (named in the listing); Plain .md
- Price: Free USD
- Difficulty: Advanced
- Setup time: 1 hr
- Time to result: One working session
- Format: Markdown (.md) file, decompile-a-childhood-pc-game-with-an-agent-and-get-it-running-in-the-browser.md
- Version: 1.0, updated 2026-10-29
- License: Personal and commercial use. Credit the original source when you share the workflow.

## What you end up with

Decompilation suits agents because there is a clear test (does the rebuilt code behave like the original) and the work splits into many small functions.

## What you get

- A plain-language summary of the workflow
- A fill-in prompt template
- What to watch out for
- A link to the original source

## Who it is for

Builders who already use AI agents and want a proven workflow they can copy into their own project.

## Tools needed

- Claude: reconstructs the source, builds a web version and plays through it
- Archive.org copy: the original game files
- Browser: the target platform
- You need: An AI coding agent or chat model
- You need: A small real task to try it on

Cost to run: Free with the agent plan you already use.

## How it works

1. **Pick a small game you have the right to work on and keep the original .** Pick a small game you have the right to work on and keep the original files. Expected: Done before you move to the next step.
2. **Ask the agent to rebuild the source and produce a web build.** Ask the agent to rebuild the source and produce a web build. Expected: Done before you move to the next step.
3. **Ask it to play the whole game and fix every crash it finds.** Ask it to play the whole game and fix every crash it finds. Expected: Done before you move to the next step.
4. **Compare behaviour against the original on a few known scenes.** Compare behaviour against the original on a few known scenes. Expected: Done before you move to the next step.
5. **Publish only what the rights allow.** Publish only what the rights allow. Expected: Done before you move to the next step.

## Sample prompt: Workflow template (Claude, Archive.org copy)

```
Apply this workflow to [your project]:
1. Pick a small game you have the right to work on and keep the original files.
2. Ask the agent to rebuild the source and produce a web build.
3. Ask it to play the whole game and fix every crash it finds.
4. Compare behaviour against the original on a few known scenes.
5. Publish only what the rights allow.
Stop and ask me before anything irreversible: deploys, payments, sends or deletes.
```

Adapted by PaperChaseWebb. Not the original author's prompt.

## Free preview of decompile-a-childhood-pc-game-with-an-agent-and-get-it-running-in-the-browser.md

````markdown
# Decompile a childhood PC game with an agent and get it running in the browser

PaperChase agent use case (free feed entry), version 1.0. Source: [Bouke van der Bijl (bou.ke)](https://bou.ke/blog/zoetermeer/), 2026-10-28.

## What they did

He gave Claude one goal: decompile the zip and make it work on the web. The first build ran but crashed, so the second instruction was to do a full playthrough and fix any crashes, which made it stable. The game was written in Pascal, a language he had never used. He also tried a much bigger target, a commercial strategy game, which stalled at about 60 percent after a month on his budget.

## Worth knowing

Decompilation suits agents because there is a clear test (does the rebuilt code behave like the original) and the work splits into many small functions. Start small: the big game stalled while the small one worked in a short session. Check the rights first; this game was a municipal educational title shared on archive.org, and commercial games carry their own rules.
````

## Worth knowing

- Decompilation suits agents because there is a clear test (does the rebuilt code behave like the original) and the work splits into many small functions. Start small: the big game stalled while the small one worked in a short session. Check the rights first; this game was a municipal educational title shared on archive.org, and commercial games carry their own rules.
- Figures are as reported by the original author and were not re-measured by us.

## Questions

**Where does this come from?** A public post credited to Bouke van der Bijl (bou.ke). Source: https://bou.ke/blog/zoetermeer/

**Is it free?** Yes. Feed entries are free to read and download.

## How to get it

Free sample. Download it directly at https://paperchasewebb.ai/bots/marketplace/items/decompile-a-childhood-pc-game-with-an-agent-and-get-it-running-in-the-browser/, no signup.

Seller: PaperChaseWebb Inc., mgmt@paperchasewebb.com