Mimic Systems公司开发的Spartan产品是一款Commodore 64的Apple II+模拟器外设1。该产品于1984年首次宣传，但直到1986年才正式发货，造成了整整两年的延迟1。产品零售价定为300美元，仅为原计划价格的一半1。尽管Spartan能为用户节省约600美元（按通胀调整后为1305美元）相比购买两台独立计算机的成本1，但上市后因设计复杂和质量问题获评不佳。INFO杂志第12期给予两星评价，评论称"这是一个高尚的实验，只是上市太慢"1。
Spartan包含DOS卡附加组件，可将Commodore 1541磁盘驱动器转换为Apple II驱动器，但该组件容易造成数据损毁1。公司管理层面临严重问题——软件开发主管Brent Marykuca时年仅19岁，他表示公司管理混乱，总裁频繁更改设计并"可能"携款潜逃南美1。值得注意的是，Apple II+早在1983年就已停产，早于Spartan第一则广告发布一年1。尽管产品本身存在诸多缺陷，一台完整配置的Spartan在2024年10月的拍卖中仍卖出5500美元以上的高价1。
Mimic Systems released the Spartan, an Apple II+ emulator peripheral for the Commodore 64, in 1986—a full two years after its initial announcement in 1984.1 The product arrived with a distinctive advertising campaign featuring a mime, yet reviewers were underwhelmed upon its arrival.1 INFO magazine awarded it just two stars, noting it was "a noble experiment, only it came to market too late."1
The Spartan's troubled development reflected deeper organizational chaos within the company. Brent Marykuca, the software development manager who was only 19 years old at the time, described the firm as poorly managed, with the president frequently altering designs and allegedly potentially absconding to South America with company funds.1 Despite these obstacles, the device proved technically ambitious: it included a DOS card attachment that converted the Commodore 1541 disk drive into an Apple II drive, though this conversion risked data corruption.1 The retail price settled at $300, representing a steep discount from the original target.1 Purchasing a Spartan allowed buyers to save approximately $600 compared to buying two separate computers—or $1,305 when adjusted for inflation.1
The peripheral's troubled history did not diminish its collector appeal. A fully configured unit sold for over $5,500 at auction in October 2024, reflecting its status as a rare artifact from computing's more experimental era.1
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