Play Robot Bowl legally in MAME from the official source
Use only MAMEdev's Robot Bowl page, acknowledge its non-commercial-use condition there, and keep the file on that official host. Record the page, date, scope, filename, and local SHA-256, then identify and audit `robotbwl` in the exact MAME or Android-port revision before launch; do not mirror or bundle the ROM.
Do this in order
- 01
Open the MAMEdev Free Download index and continue to its individual Robot Bowl page; reject mirrors, repacks, and ROM aggregators.
- 02
Record Exidy, 1977, the credited authorization, free non-commercial scope, MAMEdev-only distribution boundary, official URL, and review date.
- 03
Acknowledge the condition on the official page, preserve the original archive unchanged, and calculate a local SHA-256 for your private receipt.
- 04
Record the Android app, standalone MAME or libretro core identity, exact revision, and the `robotbwl` short name before import.
- 05
Run that build's identification and ROM audit, acting only on dependencies named by the target build and only from lawful sources.
- 06
Launch with defaults and verify boot, one- and two-player controls, sound, pause/resume, and relaunch; keep the rights receipt separate from the compatibility result.
Decision and diagnostic table
| Question | Evidence | Conservative decision |
|---|---|---|
| May I download it? | Individual MAMEdev Robot Bowl page | Yes, for stated non-commercial use |
| May ArcadeShelf mirror it? | MAMEdev free-ROM host restriction | No; link to the official page |
| Will it run in this app? | Exact build identification, audit, and launch | Test that revision; do not infer |
| Is it public domain? | No public-domain grant on the page | No; preserve the stated scope |
The permission is specific and useful
MAMEdev credits H.R. Kauffman and states that the original Robot Bowl ROM images are available for free, non-commercial use. The individual page requires acknowledgment of that condition before download.
The host restriction prevents bundling
MAMEdev's free-ROM index says the listed ROMs are approved for free distribution on that site only. ArcadeShelf may explain and link to the page, but must not mirror, proxy, bundle, cache, or present the file as its own download.
Rights and compatibility remain separate receipts
The `robotbwl` identity and a clean target-build audit prove technical matching, not broader permission. Conversely, an official permitted download can still fail in an old core with a different database or wrapper boundary.
Robot Bowl is offered for free non-commercial use on MAMEdev, not as public-domain material. Do not resell, mirror, bundle, proxy, or redistribute it, and do not infer permission for unrelated BIOS, CHD, artwork, music, manuals, or screenshots.