You start with a simple Nand Gate, then build the hardware, ALU, RAM, assembler, compiler, OS and finally build the Tetris Game. Remember all this runs on your own self-designed computer — hardware + software, all your work! Awesome once in a lifetime experience project.

Here's how it goes — You are just given a Nand Gate, you then construct other gates and complex logic from that Nand Gate. Then you build computer's basic processing and storage devices (ALU and RAM, respectively). Then next Stage you build an assembler and compiler for your own defined language. ;) Finally a High level language(jack) is implemented to run on your machine architecture. Then you build an OS for your machine. Jack OS.

And In the last step you build your first application, Tetris Game. ;) Remember it is running on your own self-built computer. ;)

This is one of the most well-thought self-learning Projects out there to build a computer from first principles. Kudos for the creators. Pure Bliss.

My experience — You get the feel and appreciate the project as you move up and also later in your life. Its a life-long experience.

If you are a college student, having a mentor helps a lot in understanding and appreciating concepts faster. Worth mentioning, this is one of the best gifts you can give for a curious soul who has just stepped into computers.

I rate this project very high, and the best self-learning project of all time.