Book excerpt: You have gone and bought yourself your THEC64 Maxi and played a bunch of games while reliving the glory days of 8-bit home computing in the 80s. If you are now asking yourself, "What's next?" This book is for you.I started programming when I was 10 years old. My parents bought me a brand-new Commodore 64 for my birthday. I spent hours playing Boulder Dash, Pitstop II and Ace of Aces. However, it was when I found a copy of a step-by-step programming guide in my local library that my love of the Commodore 64 was cemented. I was no longer limited to interacting with my computer in the way that someone else had decided. I was now able to make my computer do what I wanted. It now displayed the text and images I constructed. It played the sounds and music I created. Suddenly, a whole new world had opened up before me, and I was its creator.This step-by-step coding course for THEC64 is based on the way that I first learned to code my Commodore 64. You will learn to code using BASIC (Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code), growing your skills and knowledge until you are able to create a fully-fledged program complete with user input, animated graphics, music and more.This coding course is written especially for THEC64 Maxi. However, it will work for the original Commodore 64 too, if you have one.This course is full of straightforward information given in easy to digest bite-size pieces. Each part builds on the ones before it. There is computer jargon, but it is jargon you will understand as you make your way through it. Is learning to code THEC64 essential to enjoying it? No. Will it help you understand and engage with it more? I hope so. Could this lead to a new and amazing career direction? Definitely, if that's what you want.