BASIC 8 (or BASIC 8.0) – "The Enhanced Graphics System For The C128" – was an American-designed graphics system developed by Walrusoft of Gainesville, Florida[1] and published in 1986 by Patech Software of Somerset, New Jersey.
The BASIC 8 package was developed by Walrusoft's Louis Wallace and David Darus, with contributions from Ken French (printer drivers) and indirectly from Richard Rylander (who allowed his 3D solids commands for the Commodore 64, originally published in Dr. Dobb's Journal, to be converted to the C128's hi-res mode).
Instead they require awkward PEEK and POKE sequences, or machine language routines, in order to read from joysticks and paddles, and generate high-resolution graphics, sounds, and music.
[1] BASIC 8.0, available via floppy disk or ROM, provided many graphics commands that were competitive with the C128's competitors in the high-end 8-bit microcomputer market.
Instead of threatening legal action, Walrusoft simply asked users not to copy the software in the documentation.