Atari 2600
In this box, not only should the accompanying instructions be read, but so should the excellent comic book that comes in the package that recounts the saga of a peace-loving insectoid nation, protecting their planet from the dreaded enemy. 5/10
What is "Yars' Revenge"?
(Also a 5/10 for one of the 2600's greatest games?)
This superb arcade conversion brings "cute game" graphics to the invasion genre with magnificent results. You have a canon which can move back and forth across the bottom of the screen within the the lower quarter of the display. shooting the sinuous, multi-segmented enemy. 8/10
What is "Centipede"?
Patterned after the successful arcade classic, the hero is trying to save his girlfriend from the clutches of a nasty ape over two screen variations. 6/10
What is "Donkey Kong"?
This game is every arcader's opportunity to experience life as part of a Saturday morning cartoon. The object is to run and jump through the dangers along the route of to the villain's castle and rescue the blue girl character who is held prisoner. 8/10
What is "Smurf Rescue"?
This is an absolutely classic two-player sports simulation that balances all the key elements of the national pastime. 8/10
What is "Baseball"?
It's easy to drop bombs on sitting duck targets from a safe altitude in this game, but the situation changes radically when you're forced to fly your fighter up the play-field, just above the surface of the water, as you strafe targets as you monitor your fuel gauge. 9/10
What is "River Raid"?
In the eyes of many, this Atari game for the 400/800/1200 XL personal computer systems is the single greatest video space contest of all time. Certainly, it represents the highest level yet attained by the "Star Trek"-type programs and the 5200 edition is worthy of this illustrious reputation. 10/10
What is "Star Raiders"?
Those who always wanted to keep doctor's hours and collect doctor's pay without eight years or more of college, here's the chance. There are 197 different patients who need your specialized microsurgery technique. 9/10
What is "Microsurgeon"?
This game offers a combination of maze-chase strategy and pinball-type scoring. You must move your insect through the maze to collect the dots while avoiding any contact with the deadly, though stationary, skulls, or the equally lethal, but mobile, insects. 10/10
What is "Lady Bug"?
This game makes excellent use of the alien invasion concept to produce a cartridge that's different enough to satisfy the public's ever-growing need for diversity and challenge. 7/10
What is "Alien Invaders (Plus)"?
This cartridge combines the elements of "Donkey Kong" and "Berzerk" to produce a bracing actions game that features movement on every square inch of the multi-level playing, using elevators to climb up the skyscraper, which is now occupied by monsters. 8/10
What is "Infiltrate"?
Players and purists will possibly arrive at sharply divergent opinions of this cartridge. It certainly isn't the time-honored invasion game with its familiar visuals, yet the play-action is not too far from the Midway coin-op classic. Atari justly adapted its 400/800/1200 XL "third wave" system to the 5200. 9/10
What is "Space Invaders"?
This game has four speed variations. Disc controls movement, though clumsily, and side buttons are used to lock doors and help the thief character get away from the police. 8/10
What is "Lock N' Chase"?
With its diagonally-oriented play-fields, this arcade conversion provides the player with a more realistic simulation of movement in three-dimensional space than any other home video game. 10/10
What is "Zaxxon"?
In this game, gamers maneuver the character around a maze, using a joystick to scoop up the 12 munchies before one of the three munchers can gulp down our hero to end the game. 9/10
What is "K.C. Munchkin"?
Humor is the secret ingredient in this invasion-style action game in which you must blast the advancing warriors out of the sky with your horizontally mobile canon before they cruise down the screen and inflict the same fate on you. You'll have a good chuckle with this game that requires the Supercharger accessory. 7/10
What is "Communist Mutants from Space"?
This Williams' science fiction extravaganza ushered in a new era of all-out action when it hit the commercial game parlors, like a thunderbolt, a couple years ago. The scrolling shoot-out genre has spawned many other titles since then, but this game has justly earned its place as "players" game. 9/10
What is "Defender"?
In this game, Buford must climb a very tall building to rescue tiny Mable from the clutches of Horrible Hank. He can jump over boulders or rats, but must find an area where bats or birds can fly over him. 9/10
What is "Beauty & the Beast"?
Take command of a highly maneuverable rocket plane and try to run the gauntlet of this cartridge's three exciting scenarios. Getting through in one piece starts the process over, but this time at a higher difficulty setting. 9/10.
What is "Cosmic Avenger"?
In this game, two to six players, each representing the leaders of one of the game's 43 countries, strive to make their homeland the powerful nation on the face of the Earth by accumulating more power base units than any other country. 9/10
What is "Conquest of the World"?
This slice-of-swamp-life cartridge is a solid entry-level cassette for younger home arcaders, though its play-action may well attract some of their elders, too. The participant directs the on-screen activities of the character using the joystick. 7/10
What is "Frogs and Flies"?
Unlike the other titles in Atari's first batch of cartridges for its 5200, this game has never before been available for any other game-playing system. Although the program has much to recommend, it just doesn't create the same ambiance as the Midway pay-for-play arcade machine sequel it emulates. 7/10
What is "Galaxian"?
(The review says that "Galaxian" is the sequel to "Space Invaders".)
This cartridge has two types of games, bite and trap, and both have enough variations to create 16 different types of play. Keypad is used to select variation and sics controls the direction of trails or serpents. 9/10
What is "Snafu"?
In this programmable, four different floors, each with a selection of four to five rooms, await the coming of that bold bowman Winky. Sounds and graphics on this cartridge are among is greatest strengths. 9/10
What is "Venture"?
In one of the most entertaining electronic war games around, this game comes packed with enough strategic possibilities to keep even armchair generals happy throughout hundreds of on-screen battles. 9/10
What is "War of Nerves"?