ATARI 2600 GAME REVIEWS
last updated June 10th, 1998
This document is always work-in-progress. I'm expanding my reviews. You can
see where I lost steam. If there's a game I don't have here, which you'd like
to have reviewed, let me know. If I don't have the cart or the emulator rom
image, I can't review it, obviously.

The opinions expressed here belong to Lafe Travis (ltravis@spots.ab.ca)
Feel free to agree or disagree with them. I am a bit critical with some of
my reviews.

Adventure (Atari)
This was the first Atari cartridge I ever bought. I got it before I even had
an Atari console! THIS game was the reason why I bought an Atari console, and
it was well worth it. It was a strange game to play at first. But once I got
the hang of it, my friends and I played it all the time. Graphically, it's
classic Atari. All the tricks you can do in this game (including the Easter
Egg), is the reason why I keep returning to play it. It's cool when you get
eaten and end up inside the dragon's stomach. This has to be one of the best
Atari games ever made. The graphics are a bit primitive and blocky. The
adventurer you control is represented by a square. I'm not sure why the duck-
like dragons have visible stomachs - perhaps to see yourself after you've
been eaten?

Adventures of Tron (M-Network)
Very Donkey-Kongish. I don't remember this scene in the movie. I guess this
was M-Network's version of Tron Maze-A-Tron. It's a lot of fun to play,
especially at the higher levels when things get really hectic. There is
always a stream of spiders and tanks to be jumped. The action and graphics
are good. The title screen is a good idea. The cycling colours really adds to
the look of the game.  Things are kept interesting enough to hold my
interest.

Airlock (Data Age)
Once you learn how to escape the submarine, this game is pretty pointless.
It's very much a pattern game. The graphics are terrible. And why would
critters be running around inside a submarine? Why would the crew of a
submarine hang the elevator key at the other end of the hallway? And why
wouldn't the elevator be connected by a single shaft, rather than at
alternate ends of the sub?

Air Raiders (M-Network)
A Good combat simulator. I haven't played Tomcat F-14, but this one isn't too
bad. Graphics are a bit blocky. Targeting of planes can be a bit tricky. I
don't think there is an Intellivision counterpart for this M-Network
translation. Once you run out of shots, there isn't much to do, is there?
 
Air-Sea Battle (Atari)
The variation resembling Carnival with the clowns, ducks and rabbits is my
favourite. The variations with the guided missiles are fun, but easy. The two
player games work quite well, especially when you must try and destroy the
other player. The sea and sky gradients work well. I don't know what those
weird octopus-things are supposed to be.

Alien (20th Century Fox)
It's how Atari Pac-Man should have been made. Apart from similarities to the
great yellow chomp-guy, this game is great. The bonus stage is interesting.
The game is very unlike the movie! True, the spaceship crew was chased
through mazes by an alien, but they didn't have to pick up alien eggs along
the way. Your flame thrower is pretty well useless against the aliens. The
bonus prizes which appear at the top of the maze are very Pac-Mannish.
Difficulty setting A is a real challenge, because the energizers do not work.
I like how the eggs in the maze are scattered in a zig-zag fashion -- this is
probably purposefully done to avoid the flicker caused by having two objects
aligned on the screen.

Alligator People (20th Century Fox)
This game was not released, and exists in prototype form only. I'm not sure
what it was based on, but it's an interesting game. You are a man in the
jungle, and can move offscreen in any direction, like E.T.. Each playscreen
is a different color, like the Atari Superman game. There are many screens
making up the jungle world. I'm not sure what you are searching for. Be
careful not to fall into the lakes, because you'll drown. Running across the
screens are the Alligator People. Contact with them is deadly. You may shoot
them for points. There is a leader, worth more points, who will shoot at you.
You cross a river and eventually come to a temple, consisting of a maze and
a cage, where you can be captured and thrown into. Taking one of the left or
right exits on the correct temple screen will transport you to the treasure
screen. The graphics are great. The play action is a bit too easy, because
the Alligator People travel predictably. It could have been a really good
game if it had been released.

Alpha Beam Ernie (Atari/CTW)
A good educational game for children. The graphics are unattractive. It would
have been nice to see more of Ernie. And Atari would have been wise to
include Bert. I really think kids learn the alphabet from this game. Higher
games use upper and lower case letter recognition. The instruction/activity
book that comes with the game is great. With all the CTW titles, I think the
game would have worked fine with joystick control.  This is probably the
strongest of all of the Sesame Street Atari titles as far as learning is
concerned.

Amidar (Parker Brothers)
Another Pac-Man variation, except your progress is indicated by filled-in
territory. Every perimeter you hilight will fill in the outlined box. The
first level has you as an ape (without any legs) chased around by natives.
The other level has you as a paintbrush, being chased around by pink pigs.
Enemies can crossed by pushing the fire button, but you only have a limited
number of "jumps". You can turn the tables on the enemies by claiming the
four corner boxes and changing into a chicken.The two levels get boring
rather quickly. Once you figure out that the enemies must turn at every
corner, avoiding them isn't much of a challenge. It does not have the bonus
round, or the strategy of the paintbrush screen that requires you to fill in
adjacent boxes. The graphics aren't nice to look at. Boring.

Armor Ambush (M-Network)
I found Combat a lot more exciting. This is also a two player game, except
each person has two tanks on the screen. But only one tank can be controlled
at a time. The complexity of switching between tanks and moving over
different terrain made the game less fun. A one-player variation would have
been good, but might be too hard to program. It's very close to
Intellivision's Armor Battle, except the graphics are blockier. It's a good
wargame, but it takes too long for a single game. Every game goes to 21
points. For plug and play arcaders like me, it's too long of a contest.
Perhaps a lower-scoring variation would have helped. 

Artillery Duel (Xonox)
Great head-to-head action. Not as pretty as the Colecovision version, but a
lot of fun. It reminds me of the gorilla game which came with MS-DOS 5.0's
Q-Basic. The controls are surprisingly simple. Both players command cannons
on randomly-chosen mountain terrain. You choose the angle and amount of
powder, combined with the ever-changing wind velocity and direction, and try
to blow the other player's cannon up. Some physics are involved, but it's a
lot of guesswork. Your missed shots are a good indication of how you should
adjust your cannon next round.

Asteroids (Atari)
A great translation of the arcade game. Definitely an Atari classic. The
amount of variations keeps the game interesting. There are predictable and
unpredictable asteroids, hyperspace, shields, flip (an interesting
variation), or no defenses at all. You can also choose the speed of the
challenge and whether to have UFOs or not. I always play game 9 (shields and
chaotic asteroid movement) with difficulty A (UFO's are present). I've seen
many copies of this game at second-hand stores. I remember when this game was
about $80 Cdn. new. I prefer the coloured asteroids to the vector outline
ones. The different offensive methods like shields and flip add to the play
value.  I can say that I'm hooked on this one.

Astroblast (M-Network)
Almost identical to Intellivision's Astrosmash, except the rocks move a lot
faster, and there is no hyperspace option. It's cool how the game can be
played with a joystick OR a paddle. I almost think that the rocks fall a bit
too fast in the Atari version. The playing area also seems smaller and the
obstacles bigger, giving the rocks less distance to colliding with the
ground. I never did like the idea of points being subtracted for missed
rocks. I guess it keeps you playing the game.  A good addition to any Atari
fan's library of games.

Atari Video Cube/Rubik's Cube (Atari)
This game is fun to play! The graphics are nicely done, especially the
animation when your little man walks around the edge of the cube. The puzzle
aspect is fascinating. I can play this game over and over again. It's a
challenge to remember where all of the colours on the cube were last seen. It
doesn't function the same way a Rubik's Cube does, which is good, and instead
has a little man walking around the faces of a cube, swapping one color with
another, until the cube is complete, but there's the added complexity of not
being able to walk onto a square of your own colour. It's a shame this cart
wasn't more available, because it's a great game.

Atlantis (Imagic)
This game is overrated in many regards. I don't really care for it. It's
similar to Missile Command and Air-Sea-Battle. But you have a lot less
control, with only three firing positions, with no real way to aim at the
targets except to time your pressing of the fire button. I find it boring and
simply a matter of timing. I suppose some choice is involved what cannon to
use and which of the ships to target for. The graphics aren't too bad, with
animated structures in the underwater city. The Intellivision Atlantis is a
different story -- with missile sights and darkness. It was the second Atari
game I bought and I derived hours of
enjoyment from it - but not anymore.

Backgammon (Atari)
Very awkward control with paddles, but once you get used it, the game isn't
so bad. A joystick would have worked even better. I haven't played this game
enough to really get the feel of the challenge level -- I don't really care
to play it much.

Bank Heist (20th Century Fox)
An interesting maze game. You drive a little car around a maze, robbing
banks. You are chased by police cars. Entering a tunnel takes you to another
city and a more challenging level. Mazes get more complicated as you go
along, adding more turns and dead-ends. It's fun to play. Graphics are
moderately detailed. The challenge is quite good.  The controls are a bit
tricky, as they are with Maze Craze, because you have to be exact with your
turns.

Barnstorming (Activision)
Up and down, up and down... I recommend this game for people who don't play
many Atari games. It's a safe bet. It's also non-violent for children. Like
all Activision games, the standard of graphics is quite high. Mastering this
game takes much practice. The contest is short, which is good.  I laugh every
time the plane "bounces" against one of the weather vanes.  The geese in the
sky keep things from becoming boring.  I enjoy bumping them ahead like
Stampede cattle.

Basic Math (Atari)
see "Fun With Numbers"

Basic Programming (Atari)
Very complicated. I once thought that you could create your own games with
this, comparable to other Atari games, but no! I wish there was a way to save
your work and bring it back later. You need the special keypads, overlays and
the book -- otherwise this cartridge is impossible to use. Avoid it. There
are much better ways to make your own computer program. I definitely wouldn't
include Atari Basic on my Resume if I were applying for a programming job. 
The controls are awkward, because each button can have different functions,
depending on what color of cursor is selected. For serious Atari collectors
only.  I wonder what people thought of this oddity when it was first released
and they had to pay top dollar for it; were they mesmerized by its
complexity?

Basketball (Atari)
They were playing this game on one of the Airplane! movies. Cool two-player
game. Interesting concept for Basketball. he mechanics are simple, with only
one basketball player on each side. The secret to winning is knowing how to
steal the ball from the other player and where to shoot a basket from - once
both players know that, it becomes a matter of dexterity and quick-thinking.

Battlezone (Atari)
The 1812 Overture tune at the beginning is cute. Better graphics than the
arcade version. I go between this game and Robot Tank. The two have their
similarities. It's an entertaining diversion. The graphics are good. I like
how Atari took the empty 3-D frames of the arcade version and coloured them
in brilliantly with gradient shadings. The gameplay is good. An impressive
effort.

Beany Bopper (20th Century Fox/Sirius)
Who thought up the idea for this strange game? I cannot envision what sort of
reality is being represented here. It seems almost pointless. Action-wise
it's fun, but gets repetitive very soon.  Soon you'll be moving onto the
higher skill levels to keep your interest. Graphics are good. It's
interesting how the eyeballs look the same way you're moving.

Bermuda Triangle (Data Age)
A good side-scrolling undersea action game. Good for Data Age, which usually
have below-average games. Graphics aren't too bad.  Action is fun. It's
similar to Crash Dive in many ways.  The concept of a treasure hunt below the
Bermuda Triangle is a good one.
 
Berzerk (Atari)
Game 5 and 6 are good, because you need Evil Otto! The mazes are not as
complex as the arcade. The progression of difficulty is well programmed. The
robots' voices are missing. If you like this one, you should also play
Colecovision's Frenzy. A solid effort on the part of Atari.

Big Bird's Egg Catch (Atari/CTW)
Somewhat like Eggomania. As with all the Children's Television Workshop
games, I don't see why the joystick could not be employed instead of the
Kid's Controller.  There are even variations which adults might enjoy
playing, especially the ones with the invisible and twisting egg chutes.  On
these, you've got to be quick to guess which chute the egg is going to appear
from and quickly move Big Bird underneath.  Rather than educating kids, it
improves their hand-eye coordination.  The graphics of Big Bird and the
chickens is well drawn.

Blackjack (Atari)
Graphically, not too interesting. Paddles are used where Joysticks would have
sufficed. I wish I could get the picture label version of this game! Unless
you're a collector, you don't need this cartridge -- an updated version of
Blackjack is included in Atari's Casino cart.  Oh my, videogames have
certainly come a long way since this, haven't they?

Blueprint (CBS)
Not as much fun as the arcade game, but CBS has programmed a lot into a
single cartridge. The game is changed slightly in the fact that you need to
assemble the pieces of the machine in the proper order. It's very hard to aim
the machine at the monster. If you want a true Blueprint experience, play the
Atari 5200, Commodore 64 or the arcade version.
 
Boing! (First Star?)
Similar to Q*Bert, but faster moving. Instead of a pyramid, the screen is a
8x8 grid of square blocks, shown in a slightly 3-dimensional fashion. You
play the role of a bubble, and your enemies are popping needles and a two-
legged creature (which isn't as intelligent as coily the snake). There are no
spinning disks to whisk you away from the danger. You can progress through
boards rapidly, but it's easy to find a pattern for completion. The graphics
suffer from very minor flicker, which doesn't detract from the exciting
gameplay.

Bowling (Atari)
Great classic Atari cartridge! The side-view of the lane with the bowler is
a different perspective on what one would expect to be a front-view
recreation. Action is addicting. I like how the little man jumps for joy when
he scores a strike.  Fun, and not always predictable.  Bowling has a cult
following all of its own.

Boxing (Activision)
The top-down perspective of the boxing ring is a bit strange. I never really
cared for this game. It's one of the early Activision carts and really shows
it. It takes a lot of manual strength to keep hitting the fire button. Some
people love this game - I don't.

Brain Games (Atari)
Graphically, not too interesting. Similar to the game of Simon. Atari should
have done the different on-screen buttons with different colours. My
favourite variation is the one where you must pick out the object which does
not belong in the set. Another keypad game, but it works well.

Breakout (Atari)
A lot of fun. A step beyond pong. I always liked this game. (Super Breakout
is even better.) An Atari classic. I remember playing this one in arcades,
and Atari has improved upon it with coloured graphics and numerous
variations. The rainbow spectrum of bricks is pleasant to the eye.

Bridge (Activision)
I thought that I could learn to play the game of Bridge with this cartridge,
but the manual says that it is for those who already know. My bridge-playing
friends tried this game and enjoyed it -- in fact they played it for hours! 
I'll always give it a miss because there are too many other good games to
play.

Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom (Sega)
A surprisingly good game. I like it a lot better than the Colecovision
version because the action is more intense. Not all the scenes from the
arcade are there, but it's still fun. The 3-D graphics work well.  The
progression of difficulty is good.  It's an interesting game of endurance
which I'd highly recommend.

Bugs (Data Age)
A totally dumb game. Shoot bugs before they come down to you. If it's an
attempt at a variation of Centipede, try again. The challenge is too hard to
really make the game playable. The paddle is used where a joystick would have
done just as well. One of Data Age's worst games. Avoid it.

Bump 'n' Jump (M-Network)
A good adaptation of the arcade game. The graphics are cruder than the
Intellivision and Colecovision versions, and the action is harder, but the
game still is worthy of the Bump 'n' Jump name. I could not get as far as I
could on the other versions.  The car control is not too far off from the
arcade version.  If you can find this game, definitely give it a try. 

Burgertime (M-Network)
Mamma-Mia, this game is terrible!  It has a large part to do with the
graphics. Because of programming limitations, M-Network has the enemies
looking like lines and squares. The only good depictions are the hot dog and
the chef. The egg is a white square and looks nothing like an egg. They've
added a bread stick which is
just a vertical line on the screen. The ladders and platforms are yellow -
not blue. All of the burger pieces look the same. The portion of burger piece
you've walked on disappears. Action-wise, the game isn't too bad. But you'll
soon notice how things don't get much harder, and most of the boards have the
same layout. If you must play Burgertime, you may want to get one of the
other systems and play it there.

Cakewalk (Commavid)
Very much like one of those Nintendo LCD Game Watches (and Activision's
Pressure Cooker). You are a baker who must catch cakes which come rolling off
rows of conveyor belts. You have the ability to pause a conveyor belt to
delay a cake's travel. It's a frantic paced contest, which you keep you
running up and down to catch each cake. If you should miss one, it will splat
on the floor, and a janitor will appear to clean up the mess. Great graphics.
Good action. There's even a title screen. Highly recommended. But hard to
find.
 
California Games (Epyx)
All Epyx games are well done. California Games is probably the weakest of the
bunch, but it is still fun. The graphics are definitely good. Epyx manages to
cram a whole bunch of data into a single cartridge using a bank-switching
method. My favourite contest is the surfing. The bean bag kick is a bit
wimpy.  The bike race down the hill is neat when you go for a tumble.

Canyon Bomber (Atari)
A good mindless Atari game. It's almost a classic, but not quite. Except for
the timing of bomb dropping, you don't have much control. I don't understand
why the planes keep changing. I'll say it again; a joystick could have been
used instead of a paddle controller!  If I'm not mistaken, this game used to
be in the arcade parlours long, long ago. It's an interesting test of gravity
how the blocks fall when a space has been made below them.  The randomness of
the falling blocks makes it kind of interesting.

Carnival (Coleco)
A fairly good port of Carnival. The bear bonus stage is missing!  Also
missing are the BONUS letters and the caliope tune. I'm sure if the
programmers tried hard enough, they could have pulled it off. Perhaps it
would have to be a 16k game to fit those things in.  But all of this does not
detract much from the game playing enjoyment. Control of aiming your gun is
quite good, unlike the cruddy Intellivision version. Overall, I like this
version of Carnival. It's a neat little game. It gets really hard on later
levels. If you take too long to clear the screen, the ducks will have their
revenge and start pouring out in droves.

Casino (Atari)
The games of Poker and Blackjack are nicely recreated by Atari. The graphics
are not too pretty, but it is easy to tell the card suits apart.
 
Cat and Mouse (???)
Like Alien, this is an example how Pac-Man could had been a better game.
Three cats pursue you, a mouse, around an interesting maze. Mousetrap?  Well,
sort of. The felines come out of the box at the top of the screen. The dots
are staggered like the ones in Alien, presumably to avoid flicker. There
isn't much flicker at all. Running your mouse over the potion bottle in the
middle of the screen will turn yourself into a truck, which can capture all
of the cats. You may also use the dual side tunnels to escape off the screen
and reappear on the other side. A prize occasionally appears in the lower
part of the maze, which you can nibble for bonus points. It's a shame that
the prize never changes from level to level. It's also a shame that the game
does not get more difficult as it progresses. It doesn't win prizes for
originality, but it's a good presentation.

Centipede (Atari)
The graphics are not so good, but the action is quite exciting. It's easy to
create a "kill tunnel" for the centipede to come down. I can play for a
fairly long time, and for even longer on the teddy bear difficulty. This game
really rocks with a Roller Ball Controller! The feel of the original arcade
game is intact. The sound effects are there too, as are the colour schemes of
each wave. If you don't mind square mushrooms, and a short and wide
playfield,  you won't be disappointed.

Chase The Chuckwagon (Spectravision)
Not a very exciting game. There's no real challenge guiding a dog through a
maze to get to the Chuckwagon. You're not really chasing it. The Chuckwagon
(complete with horse) is kinda cute, but the rest of them are bland. No play
value here. The bonus round is a dog also. Dull, dull, dull!  It's good in a
way that this game is so rare, because it would be annoying if it always
turned up at thrift stores and flea markets. Not fun. A person would have to
eat dog food to enjoy this game. Some elements remind me of Towering Inferno
and X-Man.

Checkers (Activision)
The computer intelligence is quite good. The designer of checkers even
admitted that he's been beat by his own game. I don't really enjoy playing
checkers, but for those who do, this cart and its clone, Atari Video Checkers
is a good simulation.

China Syndrome (Spectravision)
Jane Fonda, where are you?  No, it's not based on the movie.  You are inside
an nuclear reactor and must deal with dangerous bouncing particles.  I like
how your cursor changes colour when it enters each of the three sectors. This
game has frantic action on some of the variations, but it gets boring after
awhile.

Chopper Command (Activision)
A nice Defender variation. This game is hard! I'm not sure why it's such a
popular Activision game; I've never liked it much. The enemy shells which
split in two don't figure that well in the real world. Defending trucks on
the ground isn't quite as interesting as humanoids. From Activision,
naturally, the graphics are good, and are done in hues of brown.

Chuck Noriss Superkicks (Xonox)
Without the instructions, the fighting moves are hard to figure out. The
onscreen characters are rather blocky and unattractive. The movement of
Chuckie is sluggish. This game is also difficult to master.
 
Circus Atari (Atari)
An Atari classic! I remember playing this game in the arcades. Fun! Fun! Fun!
The two-player games are even more fun. The paddle works great. I suppose the
balloons could have been made round. My morbid sense of humour loves the
graphics when the teeter-totter fails to catch the falling man. The physics
of gravity applied to the acrobats is a bit odd though. Everybody should have
this cartridge in their collection.
 
Coconuts (Telesys)
Stupid game. Nice colourful graphics though. Avoid the monkey throwing
coconuts at you - that's about it. Things get faster and faster. It's been
described as a sort of reverse Kaboom!  Why doesn't the jungle explorer guy
just walk off the screen?  Perhaps he'd be out of a job being in a video
game.

Codebreaker (Atari)
An Atari version of the game Mastermind. Not much fun. The graphics are ugly
and drab. I never really took the time to figure out the game called Nim.

Combat (Atari)
Good two-player game. I really like the tank game with the complex obstacles
and bouncing shots. Game 17 is unevenly balanced with the three little
airplanes against the jumbo plane. The graphics are basic, but effective.
This may be the most common Atari cartridge out there (some may argue Pac-Man
is), but it really isn't that bad. Sometimes I pretend I'm playing the TRON
Arcade Tank Game. The airplane games, especially the bi-planes, can be much
fun.

Commando (Activision)
This is a good game with well-done graphics. Its name is quite suitable.
Somewhat hard. It will keep your joystick moving to avoid the enemy fire.
It's different enough from Front Line to warrant having both games in a cart
collection.

Commando Raid (U.S. Games)
There's a PC Shareware game very similar to this called Paratroopers. It's
sort of cool how the little parachute men land and burrow their way under
your missile. It's a challenging contest that's a lot of frantic fun - for a
few minutes anyways. Isn't it amazing how long a single Atari game used to
keep us occupied?

Concentration (Atari)
The controls for this game are somewhat awkward and take a bit of getting
used to. Selection of the tiles with the joystick would have been a better
way to go. Not everybody has a spare keyboard controller around. I've always
liked matching games.

Condor Attack (???)
It's sort of like Demon Attack, but does not have as many varied phases.
There are also similarities to Threshold and Phoenix. This is a mediocre
entry to the invaders-game style of Atari carts. The concept is
unimaginative. It's strange how quickly a new Condor will appear after one
has been shot -- in almost the exact location. Firing is slow. Only one shot
can be on the screen at a time. Your ship is too large to avoid many of the
large condor's laser beams, making it an unfair challenge. The graphics are
blocky and dull.

Congo Bongo (Sega)
I actually like what Sega has done with this game. Sure it doesn't have the
good graphics of most other versions, but it holds some appeal for me. I'm
not sure what the graphical mess is on the right side of the first screen.
The second screen is more playable. The controls are simple once they are
learned. I think the monkey, with his big ears, is funny-looking. The
intermission screen where the monkey gets toasted, is worth the journey, but
Sega shouldn't have described it as one of the game's screens, because you're
not actually playing. It's a shame the scene with the rhinos is missing. Some
might call this game a piece of crap, but it's mildly interesting.

Cookie Monster Munch (Atari/CTW)
This is a good counting game for children, and also teaches them coordination
and directional skills. The graphics are pleasant, and various skill levels
are offered. Movement of the Cookie Monster through the maze can be a bit
tedious, but it's to enhance kid's directional senses.

Cosmic Ark (Imagic)
The concept and execution of this game is solid. The little animals running
around on the planet are cute. The multi-challenge keeps the play
interesting, although you need really quick reflexes to defend the Ark from
attacks. The coloured star-fields are nice to look at. The transporter effect
is cool. 

Cosmic Commuter (Activision)
You play the role of a space bus picking up passengers.  The gameplay is
engaging, but the graphics are a bit crude compared to other Activision hits.
It's a shame this game had such a limited release because it's fun.  There
are enough waves of action to keep you playing, but not for too long.
 
Cosmic Creeps (Telesys)
A game with an onscreen story! A comical plot for a game which works fairly
well. The first part is like Frogger, while the second part is like many of
the invaders games. The cartoonish graphics add to the appeal of the game.
Kids would really like this one.

Crackpots (Activision)
Difficult game! My thumb gets sore quite quickly. There are basically four
bug patterns to learn, with increasing speeds. This game is one of
Activision's worst. I don't care for it much at all. The graphics and sound
are good though.

Crash Dive (20th Century Fox)
At first sight, this game looks like Dolphin. The action of this game is
good,
with enemies attacking you below and above water. The splash you make when
you enter the water can be a bit distracting. The onslaught of attackers is
wonderful, enough to keep you on your video toes for a long time. The
graphics
are nice to look at. Gameplay is fun. Recommended for those who like shoot-em
ups!

Crazy Climber (Atari)
This game only lives up halfway to the arcade game. The climbing controls use
a single joystick to accomplish what two at the arcade did. It was the unique
arcade control method which made the game original and engaging. The graphics
are okay. But the dark black windows against the dark blue building make it
sometimes hard to see if they're open or closed. On the arcade, when you
died, you only fell a short distance. This one puts you all the way back to
the bottom if you slip. The men who throw things out of the windows don't
give you much warning, and you're often hit instantly. Gone is also the
speech "Go For It!" which increased the tension. There's no big ape on the
building either. The buildings are randomly generated, so you can't exactly
learn their layouts. This game is hard to find, because it was available
exclusively to the Atari club members, and not sold in stores.

Crossbow (Atari)
Could the light gun had been employed to work with this game? Good arcade
translation of Exidy's game. A good target-shooting game. The aiming aspect
is handled nicely by a target sight on screen. You must protect your friends
as they walk across the screen. There are many different scenarios and all
sorts of dangers which could harm them. I like the graphics and play action. 

Cross Force (Spectravision)
Good invaders-style game. You control cannons on the top and bottom of the
screen. The controls take a lot of getting used to, because if one ship is
hit, the other one will not be allowed to continue alone. Not as wonderful as
the Colecovision version, but the gameplay is solid and exciting. The
graphics and sound aren't too nice.  Fun and original.

Cruise Missile (Froggo)
What a piece of Froggo junk! Side-scrolling generic repetitive action with
uninspiring graphics. Unless you're collecting games for their historical
value - avoid this game. It's a shame some people had to pay top dollar for
this garbage. This is a very weak attempt at Defender.

Crystal Castles (Atari)
It's amazing what Atari can do when they really put a lot of work into
something. Crystal Castles is quite well done if you consider the limitations
of the 2600. They were able to fit many, many levels and enemies into a
single cartridge. The three-dimensional playfields and movement may be a bit
awkward at times. The structures have been simplified from the arcade
version. Because they are drawn in a single colour, it's hard to sometimes
make out where you are standing. The sound effects and music aren't too bad
either. The action is frantic and furious. Some people have trouble with the
controls, but I didn't.

Cubicolor (Imagic -- well, sort of)
An unofficial adaptation of the boardgame "Rubik's Race", another Rubik's
Cube spinoff product. Basically one of those sliding tile puzzles. There are
six colours, and a grid of squares 5x5. You must match the inner 3x3 squares
to a randomly-generated combination of colours. You are in a race against
another player to be the first to complete the pattern. It would be nice if
there were a 1-player against the computer option. Sometimes it is hard to
control the slow-responding cursor. The squares are nicely rounded, and the
colours accurately match those of a Rubik's Cube. Being given more squares
than you need ensures you can complete a pattern without disturbing your
previous work. It can sometimes take awhile to shift a color to the other
side of the board for placement.

Custer's Revenge (Mystique)
An offensive game with not much gameplay value. I don't find it funny at all.
The graphics are anatomically correct. The story is historically incorrect.
Eewww! Yucky!  It's a game about rape essentially. Those who are easily
offended will be easily offended by this game.
 
Dark Cavern (M-Network)
An M-Network adaptation of Intellivision's Night Stalker. Not a bad game. It
keeps you moving. The robots are interesting with their revolving heads. This
game is fairly easy though. I used to play it for hours.
 
Dark Chambers (Atari)  
It's like a molasses-slow version of Gauntlet. Very chunky and unattractive
graphics. It's confusing how the enemy changes form when shot. Your on-screen
adventurer moves very slow, which is particularly aggravating when having to
retrace steps. A half-baked job which doesn't pay off well. I'd be interested
to see the Atari 7800 version of this game.
 
Deadly Duck (20th Century Fox/Sirius)
An oddball shooting game from the same makers of Beany Bopper (no surprise).
It can be fun for awhile. The idea of your duck's movement being restricted
by fallen bricks is original. Scoring is slow, and the action fast becomes
repetitive.

Decathalon (Activision)
This game will eventually wreck your joystick, as well as your wrist and
thumb. The events and graphics are good, but for the above reasons, I do not
play it often.


Defender (Atari)
Not quite an Atari classic, this game was great for its time. It's awkward
having to move all the way to the top of the screen to hyperspace and all the
way to the bottom to use smart bombs. It's neat how you can hold a humanoid
with your ship to prevent other humanoids from being picked up. The
disappearing of your ship when you fire is cheap. The mountain terrain has
been replaced by a cityscape, which makes more sense. Stargate (a.k.a.
Defender II) will provide more playing enjoyment. I see this game at many
thrift shops.

Defender II (Atari)
see Stargate

Demolition Herby (Spectravision)
Very similar to Amidar, in that you fill in areas of the playfield by
outlining the perimeters, but there's much more to the gameplay. You are a
car, running out of fuel. Each time you fill in a sector, you'll be awarded
more gas. The enemies are other vehicles. One of the enemy vehicles can undo
your progress, which is an element that Pepper II had.

Demon Attack (Imagic)
Pretty graphics, challenging game action, multiple waves of different enemies
make this common Imagic game quite a classic. It's fun. There's no wondering
why it was a bestseller. The demons with the long double beams are difficult
to defeat. I congratulate anybody who's made it to the eventual end of this
game.

Demons To Diamonds (Atari)
The graphics are a bit chunky and ugly. The head-to-head gameplay is not much
fun. This shooting-gallery type of game takes a lot of concentration to
master. The paddler controls benefit the game. Scoring is a bit basic. 

Desert Falcon (Atari)
Zaxxon in the desert! I like this game! The music has a nice Egyptian-sound
to it. The graphics are well done for the 2600. I admit sometimes its hard to
decide where you should be positioned to avoid obstacles. I like the
on-screen player and difficulty selection which Atari has done with a lot of
its newer red-label games.
Every level has a different colour scheme. The baby Sphinxes are awesome -
watch for them later on in the game.

Dig Dug (Atari)
A fairly good translation of Dig Dug, given the Atari's limitations. All of
the key elements from the arcade are included in this version. The digging
area is slightly smaller than other versions. It can only be faltered with
being too easy of a game.

Dodge 'Em (Atari)
I have never figured out the pattern for completing the first level of this
game. I find this game difficult, yet addictive. I suspect that the computer
car cheats. Half the time I want to keep trying to complete it. 

Dolphin (Atari)
It's basically a chase game, with a chance to turn the tables on the harmful
squid at the end of each round. Interesting idea how you listen to sounds to
determine where the openings are. I wonder how hearing-impaired people can
play this game? A fun game to play. Activision programmers have created a
well-balanced challenge, with an ever-increasing difficulty. A typical game
can last a long time though. 
Underwater current physics are somewhat applied. 

Donkey Kong (Coleco/Atari)
The first level with barrels isn't too bad. All seven ramps are there, unlike
the Coleco and Intellivision screens. No fireball comes out of the oil barrel
at the bottom of the screen, which would have eaten up more memory for little
effect. The monkey does not hurl barrels down at Mario either. The second
screen where you remove the rivets is awful. The living fireballs do not
follow you around the structure; instead they just slide back and forth on
each floor they're on. The hammer on this level can only kill one of the
fireballs. The elevator and conveyor belt screens are absent. I don't have a
problem with the graphics. Atari should have reprogrammed the game when they
released it under their own label. Trust me - this is not the worst version
of Donkey Kong, but it's close.

Donkey Kong Junior (Coleco/Atari)
Not a very good translation at all! The first screen looks quite good, but
the Snapjaws just move in a downward direction on the vines. At higher
speeds, it's almost impossible to proceed through a barrage of Snapjaws. This
version has Mario's Hideout, but does not have the Springboard screen. I
would have preferred they had Sparx on the Hideout instead of Snapjaws. The
screen where you push the keys up the chains has only three keys. It's also
difficult to get past the Snapjaws which lurk at the bottom of those chains.

Dragon Fire (Imagic)
A great game by Imagic. The two levels are well-created. The graphics are
nicely drawn. The different colour schemes for each level is another bonus.
The ability to start a new game by pressing the fire button makes the game
even more addictive. It was released as Dragon Treasure under the
Taiwan/Zellers game ripoffs.

Dragster (Activision)
Once you've learned the trick for winning a race, there is no randomness to
keep the game interesting. I don't share the excitement which other people
have over this game. Totally boring. It's Activision's first effort, isn't
it? Not bad for the time it was made, but it's too easily forgotten. The
two-player game is probably the most exciting.

Double Dragon (Activision)
This game is difficult. I noticed that when you're fighting one enemy, the
other enemy on screen will stand by and wait. Double Dragon may have been
too ambitious a game for 2600 programmers to translate. Your on-screen
fighter is poorly-animated. I couldn't get very far in this game. I wonder
what levels there are later on.

Double Dunk (Atari)
Not at all like Atari Basketball, this game instead only shows one end of
a basketball court.  It does feature only two players on the screen, but
the controls are quite different.

The Earth Dies Screaming (20th Century Fox)
Basically a targeting game. You control a crosshairs with your joystick, and
must take out enemy ships before they can harm the planet Earth. Sort of a
morbid title for a game. The graphics are wonderfully detailed though, with
a point-of-view looking out a ship's cockpit. The aiming itself is sometimes
inconsistent. You don't always know where to place your crosshairs.

E.T. (Atari)
I actually like this game. The graphics are cute. Yes, it's dumb how you
fall into holes all the time. I found the story of the game to hold quite
true to the plot of the movie. The randomly placed telephone pieces makes
it a different quest everytime. The games with the scientist and the
government agent are annoying, which is why I stick to Game 3.  Despite my
enjoyment of this game, I suppose a lot of people were disappointed on
Christmas morning of 1982 when they realized they had bought in to they hype.

Edtris (Hozer Video Games)
I didn't think that a Tetris-clone could be programmed on a measly 2600, but
Ed Federmeyer has proven that it can. There are nine levels of difficulty,
and you can start on any of them. If you begin play on a lower level, you'll
slowly increase in difficulty every 8 lines completed. With each level of
difficulty will come a new color of blocks and an increased tempo of music.
The music is appropriate, and helps set the pace. There are distinct sound
effects for when a piece has landed and when a row is cleared, which is a
nice touch. The graphics are also good, although the non-square nature of the
blocks can distort, depending on which way they're rotated. Joystick control
is quite responsive. The screen displays the next piece, the level number,
your score, and the number of rows completed, which really adds to the game.
It's a good adaptation of Tetris, and it's a nice addition of a modern-game
to a classic game system. Highly recommended!

Eggomania (U.S. Games)
Similar to Kaboom, except with joystick control and more humour. A little
blue bear must capture all the eggs in its hat which the turkey-bird hatches
from above. When all the eggs are caught, you have the opportunity to shoot
down the turkey-bird. If you hit it, the results are funny. It's a grim
death, drowning in egg goo. The patterns become predictable, unlike Kaboom.
A paddle controller may have improved the feel of the game.

Encounter At L-5 (Data Age)
Another invaders game! This one's about average. You use the paddle
controllers to fight off some small descending aliens. Your ship is quite
small at the bottom of the screen. It's a passable effort is easily forgotten
in the shuffle of better games of the same genre.

Enduro (Activision)
A great game! You get a real feel for the road you're on. The rainbow
assortment of cars you must pass is wonderful. The different driving
conditions are good, but I wish they had randomly placed them. My heart beats
quickly as the sun rises and I still have cars to pass. The control is quite
responsive. Activision has created another classic!

Entombed (U.S. Games)
An addictive game by U.S. Games. You have to think ahead and look ahead -
otherwise you'll get trapped in the pyramid. I'm not sure what is at the end
of the maze, but hopefully something good - otherwise it's a wasted effort.
The graphics are very blocky and crude.


Fantastic Voyage (20th Century Fox)
Reminiscent of Vanguard, with many interesting waves of action. This game
is too easy, which probably means it wasn't playtested much. It takes a lot
to lose this game and get the patient's heartbeat to turn flatline. I like
the rainbow colour scheme which 20th Century Fox uses in all of its games.

Fast Eddie (20th Century Fox/Sirius)
The graphics aren't too pretty. The sound effects were yanked off Ms. Pac
Man. The gameplay reminds me of The Adventures of Tron. Gameplay is rather
pointless. Where does it go? This suffers from the same plot drudgery as
Infiltrate. Jumping enemies and climbing ladders is poorly-programmed. The
man on the labelling looks nothing like the on-screen character.
 
Fast Food (Telesys)
There's not much to the gameplay, but it's a nice mindless escape. Things can
really speed up on later levels, keeping you on the move. The brief
intermission is a nice touch. Commavid puts a good sense of humour into its
games.

Fathom (Imagic)
Whoah! This game is cool. What a concept for a game - rescuing Neptune's
daughter. You can be a dolphin or a seagull on the search for the key to her
prison. It's an interesting contest which takes some getting used to. The
graphics are beautifully done. Some of the sequences are difficult indeed,
because the control algorithm simulates flight in windy skies and swimming in
turbulent currents. It has the same sort of magic that Dolphin and Riddle of
the Sphinx seem to possess. The combination of score and life-meter is an
innovative one. This game is a hard one to master. Without the instructions,
it's not easy to figure out. But you can really get into it if you give it a
chance.

Final Approach (Apollo)
You play the role of an aircraft controller, guiding planes in for a safe
landing. Only one plane may be controlled at a time, having you jumping all
over the sky with your cursor, trying to make sure no two planes collide. A
good idea for a game. One of the better Apollo titles.  It's somewhat like a
peaceful version of Missile Command. The graphics are good, with the guidance
systems forming a frame around the playing area.  I like this game.
 
Fire Fighter (Imagic)
Where's the challenge in this game? It's way, way too easy! Putting out the
fire and rescuing the trapped people is simple. The graphics aren't too bad.
I don't think much thought was put into this game. It could have been really
good, if some danger threatened your fire fighter. It's almost as bad as
watching paint dry.

Fire Fly (Mythicon)
     Initial Review:
Mythicon=junk. This is hardly a game. What is the object of this
sorry-excuse-for-a-game? There is no scoring or lives, so you cannot judge
your success or progress. What's really stupid is that this is the exact same
game as another one of their releases, called Sorcerer, except the graphics
have been changed. Where is the enjoyment in this game? It reminds me of one
of those crappy 52 Game Cartridges for the NES. The whole thing is a scam for
those who paid good money for this junk.
     Later Review:
Surprise! Surprise! Once I read the documentation for this game, it all
became clear -- and this is true of the three Mythicon games released. The
reason there were no lives or scoring, was because Game 1 is a practice game!
You'll know you're playing the practice game if there's a happy face at the
top of the screen. I don't know why Mythicon had this as the first game on
the cartridge. To play the real games (where you can score points and lose
lives), you need to hit the game select switch on your Atari console, and can
choose from one player and two player modes, and either regular or hard
difficulties. The happy face icon will not be present. Since I learned how to
play the actual games, my opinion has changed dramatically. Firefly isn't too
bad of a game. If you've shelved this game, or refused to buy it because of
poor reviews, perhaps give it another thought. Mythicon games are somewhat
collectable. Their label artwork is good and their pocket-sized instruction
booklets are unique, especially in the imaginative way the game-stories are
told.

Fishing Derby (Activision)
Simplistic concept for a game. It's like fishing, except why would a shark be
so close to docks? Wouldn't the shark be eating the fish also? The control of
the rods is unique. The two-player version can be fun, especially on a lazy
afternoon. But it's one of those timed games, which used to be the old school
of videogame design.

Flag Capture (Atari)
An interesting game. Follow the arrows and numbers to find the flags. It's a
bit like Windows Minesweeper. The two-player games can be fun. The graphics
serve the purposes for which they were intended.

Flash Gordon (20th Century Fox)
Despite the artwork on the label and instruction booklet, it has nothing at
all to do with the movie of Flash Gordon, but this game is a load of fun!
Identical to a game called Spider City, you fly a spaceship through a maze of
space corridors. You must rescue trapped people and destroy a variety of
colourful enemies. It's a split-display. You need to look at both of them
equally in order to survive. Well done and highly enjoyable. It's like
Defender in some ways.

Football (Atari)
This was the first Football game for the Atari. It's quite basic. The
graphics are blocky. This is the worst Football game for the 2600. There are
much better ones out there.

Football (M-Network)
One of the best Football games for the Atari 2600. It's not overly
complicated, and very easy to learn. This one scrolls left and right. You
need two players for this one, which is unfortunate. The player graphics look
very much like the little Intellivision men. The documentation and
advertisements name this game as Super Challenge Football, but the cart label
itself, a white one, simply says "Football". This is the best 2-player
Football game to get for the Atari 2600.

Frankenstein's Monster (Data Age)
This game can be a lot of fun. The second stage with the bats is very
reminiscent of Swordquest Fireworld. This is probably the best Data Age game,
if not Bermuda Triangle. The graphics are alright. The lightning bolts are a
good effect. When you die, it's cool how the monster gets closer and closer.
It's an okay challenge too.


Freeway (Activision)
This is a good game for little kids to play against each other, but there are
enough variations to please everybody. It's very non-violent when your
chicken gets hit by a vehicle. Graphics are quite pleasant. The ambience of
traffic whizzing by and honking their horns really adds to the game. I really
like the games with the traffic of variable speed, and the ones with the big
semi-trucks. The difficulty selection of having your chicken knocked back a
single lane or all the way to the beginning is a good one. I like how
Activision has named each of the variations after a real freeway. It's a good
trainer for Frogger.

Frogger (Parker Brothers)
Difficulty B - which allows you to wrap around the screen on the river - is
great! No other system has this option. The graphics are detailed, despite a
bit of flicker. The music is great. It sounds like the arcade version. It's
a shame that this cartridge is so incredibly common. It's a must-have for
everybody's Atari 2600 collection. It never gets too easy.

Frogger (Starpath)
I haven't played this game, but I've heard that it's a better version of
Frogger. I wonder if all the musical tunes from the arcade game are there?
From what I've seen, the graphics look much better than the Parker Brothers
version.

Frogger II: Threedeep! (Parker Brothers)
Not as fun as the first Frogger game, mainly because it moves so slowly. I do
like the Atari 2600 gameplay over the Colecovision one. The graphics are
quite good for the 2600. All of the playing details are there. The music is
only at the start of the game, and would have helped the gameplay if it had
been throughout. I don't think this game was ever in arcades.
 
Frogs and Flies (M-Network)
Blocky graphics is about the only difference this game has from
Intellivision's Frog Bog. Also, day and night are combined into a single
game. The arc-jumping frogs are quite predictable and boring. I'd recommend
playing with the variable-angle jumping frogs. Little kids really like this
game for some reason..

Front Line (Coleco)
A solid game. It does not suffer from the complicated aiming controls which
the Colecovision version is burdened with. The graphics are fairly well done.
The action is challenging, but not too hard. There is not as much enemy fire
to avoid as in Commando. The terrain is varied enough to keep the game
interesting. It's a lot of fun to play. It doesn't suffer from the
crappy-syndrome of some of the other Coleco-Atari releases.

Frostbite (Activision)
A great colour-changing game! A cross between Q*Bert and Frogger, this game
is a load of excitement. At higher levels, it's almost hypnotizing -- you
need to keep jumping to avoid the perils. I was quite impressed with this
game. The graphics are nice. The sound is good, although a little tune might
have helped. I'm surprised Activision never ported this game over to other
systems. The deaths by freezing, drowning and being mauled are different and
comical.

Fun With Numbers (Atari)
This cartridge is a bore, even for children learning basic arithmetic. The
graphics are nothing pretty whatsoever. You must solve ten math problems
correctly. This is a game where the keypad controller would have helped. I
think of this game as a reverse calculator - the computer gives you the
problem, and you must calculate the answer. Avoid this one -- unless you've
gotta have it in your collection.

Galaxian (Atari)
The action of this game is good. The graphics do not measure up to most other
versions, but suffice. There is no moving starfield in the background. It
would be nice if the space had been coloured black, rather than blue. But
there's a nice title screen, which Atari thought to include. It's worthy of
its name. All of the playing action is there. Too bad Atari did not do a
translation of Galaga for the 2600 - then we'd all be rocking!

Gangster Alley (Spectravision)
This game of target-shooting can get tedious at times. It quickly gets to the
point where you cannot move your joystick fast enough to fire. The graphics
of the crooks appearing in the windows are reasonably drawn. It's not easy
noticing the difference between the baddies and the innocent citizens.

Gas Hog (Spectravision)
An interesting play concept. Sort of a cross of Moon Patrol, Pitfall! and
Subterranea. I'm not too sure of the story. But you are a car which can shoot
and jump. There are two scrolling levels. You start on the top, and should
jump the holes, otherwise you'll fall down to the lower level and have a hard
time getting back up. The levels are swarming with enemies. Shoot them and
the gas (represented by numbers) which come flying toward you. Fun. 

Ghostbusters (Activision)
This game does not translate too well on the 2600. Activision has tried to
include all of the features of other ports of the game, but have failed in my
opinion. The graphics are ugly and plain. It adheres to the plot of the movie
in most respects, but the action sequences are simply uninteresting. It's
another movie product which should not have been licensed.

Ghost Manor (Xonox)
This game is great! The graphics and action are wonderful. The sound effects
and music are creepy. Xonox has put a lot into the five stages of this game.
It's cool how you have a choice of playing the boy or the girl. I wish they
had ported this game over to the Colecovision as well.
 
G.I. Joe - Cobra Strike (Parker Brothers)
The giant snake is ridiculous! It doesn't really have much to do with G.I.
Joe. Yet another paddle controller game.
 
Golf (Atari)
Similar to Oddessy ^2's Golf game, I enjoy playing this game. Positioning of
the golfer in order to hit the ball in certain directions is a bit strange,
but it works. The graphics are odd too, but it does not take away from the
play value. You do not have choice of clubs. Atari really should have
released a Real Sports Golf, with better graphics and gameplay.

Gopher (U.S. Games)
It's almost impossible to stop the gopher from eating the farmer's carrots.
The challenge of this game is unfair. The graphics and music are cute. Little
kids would find this game fun. What makes it difficult is that the farmer
cannot fill in a hole until the gopher has broken through, but the gopher is
free to dig all the time. It isn't long before you start hating that gopher.
It's a shame you do not have all the weapons at your disposal like Bill
Murray did in the Caddyshack movies.

Gorf (CBS)
A good invaders game. Other systems have a better translation of this game.
The 2600 version isn't bad though. The playing screens have been trimmed down
for the 2600.

Grand Prix (Activision)
One of Activision's early releases, this game is a much better-done version
of Street Racer. Graphics are colourful and nicely drawn.  The cars are a bit
crude, especially when you can see through their chasis.

Gravitar (Atari)
It's very hard to control the ship. It takes much getting used to. The play
challenge is there. I like the graphics and sound very much. Your ship can
only rotate on eight angles, compared to the limitless vector angles of the
arcade version.

Gremlins (Atari)
It essentially an invaders game with two waves of action. First you have the
Mogwai stage, where you must prevent them from getting to the food and
turning into Gremlins. It's a game of catch in the mode of Kaboom!, where
missed Mogwais will become cocoons, which will then hatch into evil Gremlins.
Then you have the Gremlins stage, where you must defend yourself by shooting
at the downward advancing beasties. The graphics are good. I wish they had
released the Gremlins game for the 2600 like on the Commodore 64 and Atari
5200, where the action was like Robotron.

Gyruss (Parker Brothers)
The graphics and action of this game are poorly defined, minimizing the
original challenge. The music is well done, however.
 
Halloween (Wizard Video Games)
This game is frightening, especially in the rooms without lights. The
storyline keeps fairly close to the movie. The repetitive Halloween theme
becomes a bit annoying after awhile, so I turn down the sound of my TV set.
I like the graphics, definitely not for kids! The different colours for each
room is a nice touch. Wizard has done a good job.
                                
Hangman
The graphics of the hangman are a bit goofy, but the word-guess part is
great.
I wonder how many words are actually stored in the cartridge?

Haunted House
The graphics are the weakest part of this game. The set of eyes you
control were a poor choice of graphic. I like the sounds of lightning,
wind and the Twilight Zone tune. Good atmosphere. It can make your heart
jump on some of the higher variations. The key is totally useless. Measuring
the score in the number of matches burned is a bit strange. Color-coding the
floors was a good idea. The graphics are very basic, yet effective.

H.E.R.O.
This game is wonderful! Over time, it becomes almost an instinct which way
to go. I wonder how many levels there are. I'm I haven't seen them all.
The graphics and sound are good. The action is fun. The gameplay is good.
Most people would like this one, but the controls may be a bit tricky for
new players.

Home Run
Atari's first attempt at a baseball game. It's not as bad as I first
thought it would be. But there are much better Baseball games for the 2600,
so you should give this one a miss.

Human Cannonball
This reminds me of an old basic computer game. The animation of the little
man when he misses the target is funny. The different play options are
enough to keep the game interesting for awhile. It's basically a
trial-and-error process to determine the correct settings for a successful
landing. The number of game variations is enough to keep every human
cannonball happy for a lifetime.

Ice Hockey
The artificial intelligence of the computer hockey players presents a good
challenge, but the real fun is the two player version. Graphics are done
quite nicely. Having two players on each team works well. It's a lot of fun.

Indy 500
The special driving controllers work wonderfully in this thrilling racing
game. The icy road surface is the most exciting. All of the variations are
great. An Atari classic! It may be hard to find the controllers.

Infiltrate
It's pointless how you have to go to the top of the building and then to
the bottom, repeatedly. The graphics are not detailed enough. The enemies
look very much like the Fry Guys from the old McDonald's commercials. This
game is alright for mindless escape, I suppose.

International Soccer
M-Network's soccer game is very similar to the other Atari Soccer games
(Pele's Soccer/Championship Soccer and Real Sports Football/Soccer.)

James Bond 007
Similar to the Colecovision version, this game is a very generic
side-shooter.
There's no character of 007 in it whatsoever -- it could have been Dick
Tracy,
Batman or Dukes of Hazard and not made a difference.  I don't remember any
of those elements in the movies either.  The controls are not too good.

Jawbreaker (Tigervision)
An interesting Pac-Man variation. You are a set of teeth, who must eat all
the dots on the screen, while avoiding rolling Jawbreaker candies. The maze
is a series of rows made of horizontal lines, open at both ends by left and
right columns. If you do not want to travel up and down these columns, you
may also get from row to row using the moving openings in the walls, which
slide back and forth. You may not always get the opening when you need it, so
you must time it carefully. You can turn the tables on the enemies and eat
them, but they'll eventually reappear to chase you down. It's different
enough from the Pac-games to keep it interesting on its own. The graphics are
certainly colourful and pleasant.

Journey Escape
The manager of your group almost looks like Kool-Aid Man! This game is
often joked about, but I think it's hilarious. The music and disco lights
make the gameplay more interesting. The intermission of your spacecraft
escaping from the planet is a nice break from the craziness of the public
pressure. What a strange marketing tool for a rock band... It's good that
no other bands got similar ideas.

Joust
Atari has done a wonderful job at adapting this arcade game for the 2600.
The two-player version is a lot of fun. Someone once said that the enemies
are very predictable. I'm not sure about that. The title screen is good.

Jungle Hunt
Another great arcade translation for the 2600. The graphics and sounds are
nice. Only the gorillas on the vines and rising bubbles are missing.
Because of memory restrictions, the final headhunter scene has been broken
down into separate screens. Overall, a solid effort on Atari's part. I wonder
if a Taiwanese cart exists of this, except the graphics are of Jungle King?
:>

Jr. Pac-Man
Probably the best Pac-Man game for the Atari 2600. My only complaint is
how difficult it is with four, even three ghosts. The game allows you to
any of the mazes to play - and there are eight of them I think. The different
musical themes for various levels is a real bonus. Control and collision
detection are a huge improvement over the original 2600 Pac-Man.

Kaboom!
An Atari 2600 classic! The paddle gives you perfect control of the water
buckets which must catch the Mad Bomber's hypnotic series of falling bombs.
It's a very addictive game that will keep you coming back for more.

Kangaroo
A good arcade adaptation. The graphics are quite minimal, because much of
the programming was dedicated to duplicating the action of this complex
arcade contest. Jumping the mother Kangaroo over some of the wider
gaps takes a long time to learn. The difficulty of the second series of
screens is huge.

Karate
Froggo Junk! The graphics are poorly done and the control of the on-screen
fighter is confusing. Avoid it.

Keystone Kapers
Activision has created an interesting game with great graphics and play
value. The steadily-increasing barrage of obstacles is well-done. This
could almost be considered an Atari classic. I love jumping on the robber's
back and clubbing him on the head.

King Kong
Some might call this a cheap rip-off of Donkey Kong, but I find this game a
lot of fun. The graphics are a bit junky, but I don't mind. It's strange how
the ape moves to the bottom of the screen once you've climbed halfway up the
structure. The background tune sounds very much like Donkey Kong. This game
won't work on the Colecovision Atari Adapter.

Klax (Atari)
Like Edtris, I didn't think that a game of this complexity could be
programmed on the 2600 system. All the gameplay is there, with different
rounds of challenge. You attempt to line up different coloured tiles which
come flying off the end of a conveyor belt. At first, you need to only line
them up horizontally or vertically to clear them out, but then you're
required to line them up diagonally (called a Klax), which can get harder to
arrange. The playfield is a bit compressed, and lacks some of the three-
dimensional perspective, but it's quite recognizable. The game does not have
the have the rocking soundtrack of other versions, but it doesn't detract
much. This game was released largely in the Pal format. It's not as easy to
find a NTSC version of Klax.

Kool-Aid Man
An interesting game with about the same play value of games like Fast Food.
The action is fast and furious, but not too hard. You must keep the Thirsties
from drinking the Kool-Aid at the bottom of the screen. As soon as you see
them sticking their straws into the pool of the stuff, you should grab them.
But don't grab them early, or you'll be knocked all around the screen, which
can be very frustrating. Occassionally, power-ups will appear on the screen,
such as Sugar and Water. You'll be invincible for a short time if you can
grab them. The graphics are pleasant to look at. The coloured walls at the
sides of the screen cover the full spectrum, like all the available flavours
of Kool-Aid. It's fun. The action speeds up to a dizzying pace as the game
progresses. The game is over when all the Kool-Aid has been drank.

Krull
A great adventure game with multiple stages of arcade play-action. The
plot stays quite close to the movie. Graphics are beautiful to look at. There
are several different phases, all with different styles of gameplay. The
first scene, probably my favourite, is at your wedding, when you must try and
stop enemy soldiers from kidnapping your new wife. They come at you faster
and faster, until the inevitable happens - she is captured. Then you're
riding on camels in the desert with your comrades to rescue her, picking up
glaive throwing stars on the way. Next is the visit to the Spider Woman's
cave, where you must try to learn the correct location of the wizard's
teleporting castle. Having to jump the moving web strands I find to be
tedious, although it looks stunning. Now you must race through the desert to
the correct location before the sun goes down, and the castle disappears
again. If you've found the castle in time, you'll have a chance at rescuing
the princess from the beast. You'll need to use whatever glaives you've
picked up earlier in the game to break down the wall around your princess.
The confrontation with the beast at the end can be difficult. Good graphics.
This game is hard, so I'd suggest you play the practice variation until
you've got a good feeling for the controls and the gameplay. 

Kung-Fu Master
Good graphics and sound, but this game is difficult! The look and feel of
the arcade game is maintained.

Laser Blast
Although this is an original concept where you are the invading aliens, I
find this game lacklustre and repetitive.

Laser Gates
Released in limited quantities near the end of Imagic's life, around the time
of Subterranea. I really like this game. It has similarities to Vanguard and
Super Cobra, where you are flying through an enemy base. The dangers you
confront are randomly generated, so you never know what sorts of dangers
you'll be faced with next. The game is non-scrolling, but instead has you
moving off the right side of the screen and reappearing on the left side of
the next screen (like Pitfall!). The dangers are varied and interesting, like
other ships to battle, opening and closing walls, or walls which must be shot
through. Your ship has an energy level which must be maintained too. The
graphics are nicely coloured. The gameplay is always exciting. 

Lock 'N Chase
This game does not live up to the excitement and action of the Intellivision
game of the same name. The graphics are poorly done. The maze and objects are
fat and squashed. The gameplay is a yawner. There is no cute music. I
wouldn't recommend it. It's almost as bad as Atari Pac-Man.

Lost Luggage
The theme of this game is unique, although the gameplay is not unlike
catching classics like Kaboom! The action is fast and furious; trying to
catch luggage flying off a turnstile at an airport. I like how a plane is
shown landing at the beginning of each round. The action becomes faster each
round. If your airport employees fail to catch a suitcase, it explodes open,
and clothing goes flying all over the floor. I wonder why an airport wouldn't
expect people to pick up their own baggage?

M.A.D.
A pale version of Missile Command by U.S. games. The only redeeming aspect
of this game is the two-player head-to-head version.

M.A.S.H.
The battlefield rescue action is a lot of fun. You must fly into the forested
battlefield with your helicopter and rescue wounded people, then bring them
back to the makeshift hospital. An enemy tank patrols the battle scene, with
the ability to blow you out of the sky. You can compete with another player
or with the computer. The game ends when all your helicopters have been
destroyed, or when someone's score reaches 99. The biggest problem with this
game is the limited
scoring. After 99 points, the game doesn't credit you with any more rescues.
It's not too hard to rescue people. Sometimes the tank can be a problem. The
M.A.S.H. cart is actually two games. You can also play an operating room
game, where shrapnel must be removed from a patient's body. It's similar to
the boardgame called "Operation". The patient's body is actually a maze, and
the shrapnel, a tiny dot, is randomly placed deep within the maze. With a
steady joystick hand, and a cursor in the shape of tweezers, you must guide
the shrapnel out of the maze without touching against any of the maze walls.
If you succeed, another piece of shrapnel will appear inside the patient. You
must get as much shrapnel out as you before time runs out. You may compete
with another player to see who can remove the most shrapnel. I find the
operating room stage becomes too easy. The cartridge also has a special game
mode, which includes the battlefield rescue and the operating room. This game
does not have any of the characters from the M.A.S.H. Television show
represented. It was released when the show was still on the air. Some have
considered this game to be done in poor taste. Some stores gave you a free
M.A.S.H. T-shirt when you bought this game. I lost interest in this cart in
no time at all.

Marauder (Tigervision)
You run through a series of mazes, shooting at different enemies. More
interesting than Room of Doom. Not as challenging as Berzerk, because the
enemies do not shoot at you as quickly. There are items to collect and bosses
to shoot. The random assortment of mazes is more grand than Berzerk.

Mario Brothers (Atari)
This is a good Atari adaptation of the arcade hit. The version without the
fireballs is a bit too easy - I can play that one for a long time. For true
arcade excitement, I play the one with fireballs bouncing all over the
screen. The sound effects and music could have been better, for they are only
little blips and beeps. The graphics of Mario, Luigi, and all the enemies are
quite good.

Masters of the Universe (M-Network)
This game is very difficult. The Intellivision version is much better.
The graphics are a bit blocky, but the title screen and theme are nice.
There's a little picture of He-Man along with the title. The theme music is
the one from the television cartoon. The first scene is very much like the
Intellivision game. You, as He-Man, must fly your Wind Racer 30 miles to
Skeletor's Castle. Along the way are many dangers, such as the almost
unavoidable fireballs in the air. They track you really well, which is very
frustrating. Skeletor runs along on the ground underneath to shoot at you
also. You need to drop bombs on Skeletor to obtain extra fuel, otherwise
you'll run out and crash. This doesn't make much sense to me. The 30 miles
really seems like a long way. You'll enter Skeletor's Castle as soon as you
reach it, and be in a room of moving walls with small openings. On the other
side of the room is Skeletor. It takes a lot of practice to get past the
walls to Skeletor. If you reach Skeletor, he'll escape, and guess what? 
You'll start on round 2. Things will be harder. One of the most annoying
things about this cart was the game selection. I did not have the
documentation, as many people these days won't. It took me a long time to
figure out how to get the game started. For one, the game has a pause mode,
but I didn't know this, so I thought my cart was defective when nothing was
moving on the screen.

Math Grand Prix
The graphics are terrible and the challenge is boring, even for children
trying to solve math problems. The numbers and operations are poorly
represented. Intellivision's Electric Company's Math Fun is the way this game
should have been.

Maze Craze
The graphics are blocky, literally. The mazes are varied enough to keep
the game interesting. The invisible mazes are too hard. The maze games with
enemies chasing you are difficult. Sometimes you'll miss an intended turn and
have to backtrack. I wonder how Atari came up with the maze generation
algorithm?

Megaforce
The graphics are nice, and the action is somewhat like Defender. An okay
game for a bad movie. You are the hero on a flying motorcycle, taking on
enemy planes and vehicles in the desert. The buildings are nicely detailed
and colorful.

Megamania (Activision)
A great invaders-type game with ten waves of objects to confront. Your
ship looks a bit like the U.S.S. Enterprise, and can only move right and left
at the bottom of the screen. The action is thrilling. The element of a time
limit is a bit interesting. You must eliminate all the enemies on the screen
before your energy runs out. Bonus points are calculated by whatever energy
is remaining at the end of a round. You can die from running out of energy,
being shot by one of the objects, or colliding with one of the objects. The
flight pattern of some of the objects is unpredictable. Whatever goes off the
bottom of the screen will wrap around to the top of the screen. The sound
effects really add to the game, with metallic clunks and clangs when the
enemy is destroyed, and a power-up sound when your energy bar is replenished.
One of Activision's best games.

Midnight Magic
This may be my favourite Atari game. It's a great pinball simulation with
believable ball physics. They've got the feel right. The graphics are
colorful. Targets which have been hit, will flash. The scoring system
includes bonuses which can really rack up your score. If you knock out all
the rainbow targets at the top of the table, you'll be sent to a different,
higher scoring table. And if hit all the required targets on the second
table, you'll make it to a third table. I don't know if there's a fourth
table. There are plenty of surprises. It's nothing like the cumbersome
David's Midnight Magic for the Commodore 64. Atari 2600 Midnight Magic is
highly recommended.

Millipede
This cart rocks! A better sequel to Centipede. Atari has done wonderful
with the translation of this arcade game. The amount of things that Atari has
crammed onto one screen is stunning -- and it's all easy to see. You have the
option of starting at a later level of difficulty, with immediate bonus
points applied. There's a wonderful variety of garden pests which all have
different characteristics. The main enemy is the Millipede. Shoot it and it
will split into different segments. It winds its way down the screen,
dropping down another level when it collides with a mushroom. You will not
move onto the next round until all of its segments are destroyed. There are
also rounds of bees and dragonflies. It's exciting when they swarm all over
the screen. Hitting certain bugs will scroll the mushrooms off the screen.
But you can be assured that if there aren't enough mushrooms on the screen,
mushroom-planting bugs will soon arrive. The nasty mushroom-poisoning
scorpions are also here, but the spiders have always been my favourite enemy.
It doesn't take long for two spiders to be on the screen at a time. I'm not
sure if three spiders appear at higher difficulties. You can shoot a DDT
bomb, which will explode in a cloud of gas. Any insect flying in the cloud
will die. This game is great fun, but it's much more difficult than
Centipede.

Miner 2049'er (Tigervision)
A three-screen climbing challenge, as opposed to the ten or twelve on other
versions. But to fit even three screens on a 2600 cart is an amazing feat.
Your on-screen miner moves incredibly slow. This sluggishness is annoying,
especially with the imposed time limits.  It's a bit odd, because the other
Miner 2049'er versions suffer from moving too fast. Your task is to cover all
territory on the screen. Radioactive mutants patrol the different ledges, but
can be easily dispatched by grabbing any of the mining tools to use against
them. The real danger is the chance of not timing a jump properly and falling
to your death, which is easy to do. The graphics are detailed, but
unattractive. It's very much a pattern game. But even if you've learned the
patterns, you must follow them exactly, or you'll run out of time.

Miniature Golf
I wonder why Atari chose to discontinue this game, because it's not bad at
all. The graphics consist of simple blocks and lines, but the gameplay is
amusing. I would have liked to see an updated version of this game with
varied obstacles.

Missile Command
Apart from the fact that I find Missile Command to be a boring game, Atari
has done a reasonable translation of this arcade game. The little mushroom
clouds when a missile hits the ground is cool. I don't see why Atari
couldn't have the airplanes and satellites flying across the screen.
Another difference is that you can only fire shots from the center base.

Mogul Maniac
A cool perspective on skiing - which I think was just a gimmick to sell the
Amiga Control Pad. I like Activision's Skiing much better.

Montezuma's Revenge
An excellent Parker Brothers game. Probably better than the other versions,
because the control scheme is so good. A very good puzzle and action game.
You are an explorer. This is how Raiders of the Lost Ark should had been!

Moon Patrol
A great arcade translation of the Moon Patrol arcade game. The difficulty
on the second level a bit much.

Moonsweeper
The graphics, actions and sounds of this game are astounding. I like the
Atari version much more than the Colecovision one.

Mountain King
It's almost impossible to jump up to higher platforms, which is annoying
especially on the level with the giant spider.

Mouse Trap (Coleco/Atari)
A bad version of Mouse Trap.  The three colours of doors have been reduced to
one kind of door, being flip-flopped with one button. The doors and changing
into a dog has been crowded into one fire button, so sometimes mistakes
happen. The playfield area is much smaller than the original, so it's easy to
clear the maze, and not need to use many bones. I've found myself with a bone
surplus.  The cats don't actually chase after your mouse, but move in a more
random fashion. There is no hawk to avoid, which also reduces the amount of
challenge. Nor is there a teleporter in the middle of the maze, or bonus
prizes to collect. The simplistic graphics and bare gameplay cheapen what was
glamorous as an arcade title. The only remotely challenging game is having
setting both left and right difficulty switches to the A position -- the cats
are psychotic in this variation!

Mr. Do!
This game is hard! You do not have the thin wall of dirt to protect you
from the enemies like on other versions. The boards are not fashioned
after the numbers either. The enemies change form from digger to non-digger
without much reason. The alphabet monster has been incorporated into the
other monsters.

Mr. Postman
A weak Atari game. You are Mr. Postman in the forest, who must get across the
screen and climb a tree. There is a bird in the air, dropping bombs, which
must be avoided. When you're climbing the tree, you must watch out for the
bird's fire towards you. At the top of the tree, you must jump to a swinging
vine, similar to the ones in Pitfall! and Jungle Hunt. From the swinging
vine, I'm not sure what to do after that. The graphics are a bit crude. The
tree looks like a brown wall on the side of the screen. Your man looks more
like one of the monsters in Mr. Do! than a Postman.

Ms. Pac-Man
Atari has done good with this game! This is ten times better than Pac-Man.
Only the intermissions are missing. The mazes are changed only slightly.
Like Junior Pac-Man, you have the choice of playing with one to four ghost
opponents. A classic 2600 game.

Name This Game
This game is terrible. The name I would give to this game is J-U-N-K.
The graphics aren't too bad, but the gameplay is repetitive beyond belief,
and doesn't hold much in the way of a goal. All it involves is racking up
points.

Nexar, The Challenge of
The 3-D tunnel is hypnotic. The gameplay is very basic. It's not quite
Tempest, although I think it tries to be.

Night Driver
This game ranks as one of the most hypnotic Atari games. You get a real
sense of perspective from the moving road barriers. It can actually make
you dizzy. The gameplay is fun, but I don't think there are real roads
which weave so crazily!

Nightmare (Sancho)
A frustrating climbing game with an imaginative theme and an interesting set
of enemies. You are a little boy in a dream world. You must jump to and climb
a series of moving ropes to get to the helicopter at the top of the screen.
Filling the screen are a flock of bats, who'll cause you to fall if you
collide. If you fall to far you'll die. Patrolling the bottom of the screen
is a deadly snake, which can only be jumped. It's often annoying when a bat
flies above the snake at the same rate, making death unavoidable. If you get
to the helicopter, the action gets more bizarre. All the bats are replaced by
demon-heads, and there is a stationary rope, which is harder to reach.
Nightmare is a hard game, which tires quickly. The graphics are well drawn,
but it doesn't save the gameplay. 

No Escape!
An interesting invaders-type game with some strategy. The greek theme
offers a different theme.

Off the Wall
The closest thing to Arkanoid on the 2600. Similar to games like Breakout,
you control your hero with the joystick rather than the paddle. Different
powerups keep the game interesting. The graphics are not very attractive
however.

Oink!
Activision's three-little-pigs game. This game will give you a sore thumb in
a short period of time. The two-player version is weak. The graphics are
cute and well drawn. It's great when the pig gets eaten by the wolf. I
don't care much for this game.

Omega Race
This game is a load of fun to play. I like it more than the Colecovision
version. I don't have a booster grip, so I use my Colecovision controller
with it.

Oscar's Trash Race
The gameplay is rather boring, and kids do not learn much from this Sesame
Street grouch's game.

Othello
A good strategy game, I used to play this game for hours.

Outlaw
This game is dumb. The gun fighting is comparable to Combat, except the
oversized cowboys make it difficult to dodge bullets. It reminds me of the
Oddessy ^2 Showdown game.

Oystron (Hoser Games)
Piero Cavina has created an Atari original. Not since Yar's Revenge has there
been a game so original.  It's what Turmoil should had been. The pace is
furious, as you try and complete a variety of tasks simultaneously: shooting
oysters to get pearls, and then trying to line up pearls to get a bomb. You
must stop enemies from stealing the pearls that you've placed. Also, contact
with the enemies will kill, so you must avoid them. At the end of the phase,
you'll have a chance to kill the Oystron by placing the bombs you've
collected in its path. Then there's the warp phase. This game has a lot to
it! The graphics are beautiful. The enemies are varied. The action is
exciting. There's nothing dull about this Atari game. The elements of
Sinistar, Defender and Rip Off in Oystron have been brought together to make
a fun game.

Pac-Kong
Having nothing to do with Pac-Man and more to do with Donkey Kong, this game
is nothing too exciting. The graphics are chunky, except for the animation of
your little climbing man. You must make it to the top of the screen -- why
I'm not exactly sure. I think there is a bird at the top, dropping flickering
feathers on you, which are hard to avoid. The most aggravating part of this
game is jumping from one platform to another. If you're not pixel-perfect,
you'll fall to your death. At least there are different death animations for
falling and for being hit with one of the feathers.

Pac-Man
Atari's horror story. The game that was released before it was ready. The
collision detection on this game is awful. You will die if you are touched by
a ghost even a tiny bit. The graphics are chunky and junky. The maze is
orange with a bright blue background instead of blue with a black background.
The ghosts flicker way too much, which makes them truly frightening.
Apparently, only one of them is on the screen at a time. There is only one
prize -- a yellow/brown square. The scoring system is too small, and doesn't
use the point values from the arcade. This is nothing at all like the arcade
Pac-Man. It was a big disappointment to the world. But don't blame the Atari
system -- Ms. Pac-Man was ten times better. This is one Atari game which
bombed badly.

Pele's Soccer/Championship Soccer
A fun head-to-head game, but Atari doesn't realize that soccer players do
not always run in groups. There are better soccer games on the Atari. The
graphics are ugly to look at.

Pengo
It was released in limited quantities, which is unfortunate, because this is
a fairly good game. It is a bit too easy -- I tend to last for a long time,
which is unfortunate. It uses the original Pengo arcade music, and not the
Popcorn theme.
But Atari has thoughtfully included the option to turn the music off, if it
gets too irritating -- and it does.

Pete Rose Baseball
Reputed to be the most realistic baseball game for the Atari 2600, it's not
easy to play without the instruction manual.

Phoenix
A good translation of the Phoenix arcade game. The graphics, sounds and
action is good, but I find everything a bit too plain to really enjoy. It
has similar multi-wave action to Gorf.

Picnic
Groan! This game is not too much fun to play. The concept is cute, but
the gameplay is futile and uninteresting.

Piece O' Cake
A paddle game where you play the role of a baker who must create cakes. The
action is somewhat boring. The graphic of the Chef is good, but the graphics
of the cakes and conveyor belt are not. Gameplay is somewhat like Pressure
Cooker, except you are making desserts. Things speed up quickly. It becomes
rather boring. This is typical of most U.S. Games.

Pigs In Space
The difficulty does not increase as you play this game. The graphics and
sounds are somewhat cute, being taken from the Muppet Show skit.

Pitfall!
I used to like this game. The time limit is one thing I don't like about
it, although I can say that my lives usually run out before my time does. The
graphics are superb. This could be one of Activision's most
famous games. I never really figured out where all the underground
shortcuts are located. It's a bit of a cheat that you're able to run to the
left instead of to the right; Activision should have not allowed that
possibility.

Pitfall II
An improved sequel. The vultures and bats can be next to impossible to run
under!
The music is great - thanks to a special chip inside the cartridge for that
purpose alone. There is no time limit on this one. There are no lives either.
Instead, there is a checkpoint system -- where you'll be sent back to if you
run into any of the dangerous animals. This costs points. It's a large world
to explore, and lots of hiding places for gold bars and other goodies. The
rat is a good trick, but probably wasted a lot of memory, where a solid wall
could had easily been.

Planet Patrol
I like this game. It's basically a two-stage side shooter.  The graphics are
good, somewhat like 20th Century's Megaforce. The stage with the asteroids
is hard, because you cannot shoot them.  Scrolling is from right to left,
which is different.

Plaque Attack
The idea of this game is innovative, but my wrist soon gets sore, trying to
protect the teeth from cavities. It's like Megamania in a mouth. The graphics
are ugly. Who wants to play a videogame inside someone's mouth? I don't. The
food is out of scale with the teeth. It gets really fast after several
rounds.

Pole Position
The single-colour graphics of the other cars could have been better. The play
action is not as fun as Enduro. There are no interesting billboards to read
along the way. I rarely qualify for the actual race.

Pooyan
A wonderful translation of the Konami game. The graphics and action are
quite good. The scoring system could have been more like the arcade.

Popeye
It may not look very attractive, but this game is a well-designed contest.
The playing mechanics are done right by Parker Brothers. The Popeye theme
tune is intact.

Porky's
This game is challenging, and holds somewhat close to the storyline of
the trashy hit movie.

Pressure Cooker
A well-designed game by Activision. It can get hectic quite quickly.

Private Eye
It's easy to get lost in this game. The graphics are fairly well done.

Q*Bert (Parker/Atari)
Sometimes the controls can be sticky, but this is an excellent translation
of the Q*Bert arcade game. It's too hard with the red balls.

Quick Step
A game very few people know about this excellent Imagic game. It can be a
lot of fun.  Similar to Q*bert, you control a color-changing Kangaroo who
must change squares which are scrolling down the screen.  A pesky monkey
changes the squares to his color. At the end of every round, things speed up,
so you must try and find the escape channel, which is usually located in the
same column of squares. The graphics are colourful and basic. You need good
hand-eye coordination, because it's easy to get confused. I really, really
like this game.

Racquetball
It's hard to hit the ball properly.  The three-dimensional graphics are
nice to look at. But the game is almost unplayable due to the terrible
control over the bouncing ball.

Raft Rider
You navigate a dangerous river laden with rocks, rapids and other hazards.
Somewhat similar to Intellivision's White Water, except your raft is
travelling left to right. Control of the raft is difficult. The graphics are
attractive. Gameplay is tough, until you get the hang of controlling the
raft.

Raiders of Lost Ark
Nothing much like the movie. The graphics are ugly. Some of the puzzles
are difficult to administer. I don't care much for this game. I'd prefer to
pretend that Montezuma's Revenge is Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Ram-It
This game will give you a sore wrist. You cannot fire your gun fast enough to
stop the coloured bars from advancing. A hard game. If it were slowed down a
notch, it would be a really fun game.

Rampage
A lot of features from the arcade version have been crammed into this 2600
cart. Good job, Activision! If only three-player mode was possible.

Reactor
This game may not have the flashy graphics of the arcade version, but it is
a lot of fun to play.

Real Sports Baseball
Playing against the computer is pointless, because the computer batters
always walk to first base.

Real Sports Boxing
Good graphics. Fairly good action.

Real Sports Football
Much better than Atari's first Football game!

Real Sports Soccer
Probably the best Soccer game for the Atari 2600.

Real Sports Tennis
It's very similar to Activision's Tennis, except you may enter the player's
names.

Real Sports Volleyball
For the only Volleyball game on the 2600 (not counting Video Olympics), 

Rescue Bira (Hozer Video Games)
Crackers has taken a trashy adult porno video game (Jungle Fever) and turned
it into something much more humorous. Basically, it's a graphically-hacked
version of J.F.. The plot is complicated. You must rescue Bira Bira (don't
ask) from the Icons of Mr. Friendly, using your Helicopter and Rescue Squad.
Before you can hook Bira Bira, you must extinguish the flames surrounding
him, with "Combat-Rom" bullets. You can hit the Mr. Friendly enemies with
your bullets and incapacitate them for a short time. Avoid the "E.T. Cart"
bullets the Mr. Friendly Icons hurl at your Rescue Squad. You must make the
rescue before time runs out. As complicated as it sounds, the gameplay is
actually quite easy. The gameplay is unique; the only thing it comes remotely
close to is Yar's Revenge - but that's a stretch. The action is fast and
exciting. The dual purposes of avoiding the enemy fire and trying to
carefully drop your bombs in the right places will keep you engaged. A fun
and collectable game!

Revenge of the Beefsteak Tomatoes
Cool game! Hilarious concept. Just make sure you're playing the variation
with LIMITED lives, otherwise it will never end.

Riddle of the Sphinx
I thought that something special was supposed to happen at the end of this
game, but not much does. You are given your final score by Ra. The
two-joystick play is a bit awkward.

River Raid
A great game with great action and graphics. It doesn't really make sense
how you cannot fly over the land.

River Raid II
Really not much different from the first game, except you can land on
aircraft carriers and fly over the land.

Road Runner
A cool game based on the Warner Brothers cartoon. A two-player option
would be nice. This is the Atari game with the largest memory.

Robin Hood
A good game with nice graphics. The Colecovision version is even better.

Robot Tank
A good tank action game, similar to Battlezone. You rarely get clear
weather.

Roc 'n Rope
A good adaptation on the part of Coleco for the 2600. They've done a
wonderful programming job. Each screen does not differ much from the
first. The special screens with the waterfall and the elevators are
missing, but almost everything else is there.

Room of Doom (Commavid)
A Berzerk variation where you remain in the same room throughout the entire
game. The room has many doors. One of the doors will randomly open, and one
of the enemy robots will be on the other side and fire at you. You need to be
quick and shoot at the robot before the door closes. Later in the game, there
will be a robot in the room with you, which must continuously be avoided.
It's not too hard of a game. It's a very limited concept which soon tires.

Save Our Ship
The graphics are stunning: a ship with sails fills the screen, against a
background of sky and ocean. The gameplay is very basic. You are a sailor on
the deck of the ship, defending it from boarding pirates. There are four
ladders on the side of your ship, where invading pirates are attempting to
climb.  You must be ready at the top of a ladder when a pirate has climbed
that far. Press the fire button, and if you're positioned correctly, you'll
kill the pirate. If you're off a pixel or two, the pirate will come on board
and kill you. The game speeds up rapidly. Don't expect to last long. It's
difficult when two or more pirates on different ladders reach the deck at the
same time. The gameplay is too basic, and doesn't offer very much. There are
only four places to watch. And it's aggravating being killed when you thought
you were standing in the correct position.

Sea Hawk
Froggo just cannot make a good game, can they?

Sea Hunt
One of Froggo's better games, but it's very difficult, and almost
impossible to get the treasure.

Seaquest
A wonderful undersea action game from Activision. Rescue little divers with
your submarine. Watch out for sharks and enemy submarines. First they travel
slowly and in straight lines. But as the game progresses, they speed up
dramatically and take on more complex patterns of travel. The subs will shoot
at you in later rounds. You must watch your depleting oxygen supply. If it
gets to low, you will implode. You can surface to get more oxygen, or to drop
off groups of divers, but watch out for the ship patrolling the surface.
Genuine Atari fun.

Secret Quest
This game is neat. The action is exciting. But the puzzles get too difficult.

Sentinel
A shooting game, which means you need the special light gun which hooks into
the Atari system. You must protect a large planetary body from enemy forces;
basically by shooting them before they collide. Shooting certain objects will
be beneficial to your planet, and help it better cope with the dangers ahead.

Shark Attack
There's not much of a challenge to this Apollo Pac-Man variation. It's
very easy to avoid the shark in the underwater maze.

Shootin' Gallery
A relative of Coleco's Carnival, this game also has a gun which can move back
and forth at the bottom of the screen. There are many targets to be shot, and
a sophisticated scoring system. Most of the targets are animals, but there's
also a cuckoo clock and a choo-choo train to hit. It's a lot of fun, which
doesn't take itself too seriously.

Sir Lancelot
A great Xonox variation on Joust. You play the role of Sir Lancelot, on a
flying horse. The joystick turns you left and right, and the fire button
flaps the wings of the horse. There are two screens - the first is the
jousting one against a hoard of baby dragons against a nice sky background.
In order to kill one of the dragons, you must be the highest in a collision.
Once all the creatures have been eliminated, you'll go to the second screen,
where the Princess is being held captive on a ledge inside a cave. Lava is
rising up higher and higher from the bottom of the cave. If the lava rises
too high, she'll die! Flying around the top of the cave is a fireball-
breathing dragon. You must successfully stab the dragon in the belly with
your lance, while avoiding its fireballs. If you kill the dragon, you can
rescue the princess. Then it's back to the first screen again with faster
baby dragons (and invisible ones too!) to battle. All the odd screens are the
flying baby dragons, and all the even ones are the princess rescue. The
two-screens are a perfect balance with each other. It's a fun game, sure to
please fans of Joust. If you think the Atari graphics are nice, you should
check out the Colecovision graphics!

Skateboardin'
You are a kid on a skateboard, who must get to school on time, and score as
many points as possible by performing various skateboard tricks. It's an
obstacle course of streets, parking lots, sidewalks, city parks, a
construction site, and a busy freeway. You can do neat things like ramp
jumps, which is fairly easy. But the pipe trick needs a lot more practice. I
couldn't get it right, even after many tries. The music and graphics are
nicely done. It may have inspired the NES game
"720".

Skeet Shoot (Apollo)
Apollo should keep away from sports games. Skeet shooting is better
handled by Epyx's Summer Games. A dull shooting game. Moving targets fly
past,
and you must quickly aim and shoot them successfully. The graphics are very
primitive. Even for a first release by

Skiing (Activision)
I'm partial to video skiing games. This Activision title is a lot of fun to
play. It's very playable, and controlling the skier is a pleasure. The
animation of the on-screen skier is well done. The screen is nicely white,
with green trees. The scrolling moves upwards as you ski downwards. It
reminds me a lot of Intellivision's underrated Skiing game. You have a choice
of slalom runs or moguls. Both are equally interesting, and will keep me
entertained for years to come.  

Sky Diver
An Atari classic! It's very addictive. The two-player mode is fun too. It's
funny when a diver doesn't land properly and goes splat.

Sky Jinks
This game has a strange charm to it. The sound and swinging motion of the
plane is almost hypnotic. I find this game very relaxing to play, even
with the difficulty switch set to hard.

Sky Skipper
Cute music and animals. I don't understand how disabling a gorilla can
free little animals from their cages. Controlling the plane can be tricky at
times, especially on the faster levels. I'd love to see the arcade version
of this game, if it truly exists.

Slot Machine
I'm not sure why Atari discontinued this title early in their production.
It's a novelty game with decent graphics. The control scheme is a difficult
one.


Slot Racers
The graphics are blocky. The guided bullets are strange. This game is
best with two players. It takes awhile to get used to the unusual steering
controls.

Smurf
The Atari one is almost more fun than the Colecovision version. It has the
trademark Smurf theme, which the Coleco one does not.

Sneek 'n' Peek
Not a very good idea for a game. It's stupid how one player must cover
their eyes or leave the room while the other player hides his on-screen
player. Some of the hiding places are a bit strange.

Snoopy and the Red Baron
Fun game based on the Peanuts cartoon. The graphics are cute. The action
becomes a bit repetitive as you're trying to build up your score. I think
that too many lives are given, because a game can last a long time.

Solar Fox
An action-packed game by CBS for the 2600. Like Pac-Man, you must collect
power cells by running over them, but the game has a lot more.
You must avoid the fireballs from cannons along the perimeter of the play
area. The Commodore-64 version is even better.
  
Solar Storm
This game is not up to Imagic's high standards. The graphics aren't too
bad, but it's basically another invaders-type game, with a cannon that can
overheat if it's fired too much.

Solaris
Many people consider this to be the best Atari game. I found it very
interesting. It's a cross between a Star-Raiders space exploration game
and an arcade action invaders-type game.

Sorcerer
At first, I though it was a piece of junk, because I didn't know how to play
it.
For over a year, I had been playing it on practice mode!
The difficulty did not increase, and there was no score or lives.
The game is in practice mode when it is turned on. To get out of practice
mode, and onto the real game, you need to hit the game select switch.
But Sorcerer is identical to Fire Fly, except the graphics have been changed.
You enter a series of rooms, fighting monsters, and stealing their treasures.
Unless you can capture the magical pixie, you are limited to moving at the
bottom part of the screen.

Sorcerer's Apprentice
I wish I could read the manual for this game, because it doesn't make much
sense how points are scored. The graphics and music are good, taken from
the Sorcerer's Apprentice segment of Walt Disney's Fantasia.

Space Attack
Almost identical to Intellivision's Space Battle, this is probably
M-Network's
most common Atari cart. The gameplay isn't too exciting. The graphics
aren't very pretty either. It suffers from the ease of the keypad
controls which the other version has.

Space Cavern
This game has very little to do with a Space Cavern. It's basically a bad
Invaders game, which gets boring quickly. The graphics are the best part.

Space Chase
Another Apollo invader-type games. Boring.

Space Invaders
This game is the original invaders game. It also boasts the most
variations out of all the Atari cartridges. It's a lot of fun to play.
Too bad the original sound effects from the arcade were not used.

Space Jockey
The most common of the U.S. Games releases. This side-shooting game is not
much fun to play.

Spacemaster X-7
You control a spaceship, trying to penetrate the expanding shields of a
target enemy ship. You must get in there and destroy the ship.

Space Shuttle
The controls are very complicated. You need the manual to play this game.
I got bored and frustrated with this simulator game very quickly.

Space Tunnel (Puzzy)
Reminiscent of the rainbow zone of Vanguard, you are piloting a space ship
through a scrolling tunnel, and are confronted by other spaceships in the
tunnel. The action doesn't get too difficult. You have to go after the ships
-- they don't present much of a danger toward you.

Space War
The two-player game is fun. Some of the variations are quite interesting.
The graphics are somewhat basic.

Spiderdroid
Froggo has stolen Parker Brother's Amidar and only changed the graphics
slightly. Gameplay is actually better than Amidar. I like the graphic of
the Spiderdroid, which you control. I'm not sure what the enemies are
supposed to be. Perhaps if I had the instructions...

Spider Fighter
A good invaders-type of game by Activision. The graphics and action are
exciting. This game is similar to Demon Attack. I really like the bouncy
pattern the spiders follow; it's unpredictable.

Spiderman
The graphics are a bit plain, but the game mechanics of a web-swinging
super hero are attention-getting. It's a fun game to play. Too bad it
wasn't ported to other systems such as Colecovision, which have a higher
graphics capacity.

Spike's Peak
Good graphics, sound and multi-staged action. It's a very hard game, but
once you learn how to climb, it's a fun challenge.

Spitfire Attack (Milton Bradley Games)
Similar to M-Network's Air Raiders and Absolute's F-14 Flight Simulator,
except it concentrates more on the targeting aspects than the flying
controls. It was meant to work with Milton Bradley's special targeting gun
controller, which offered the same input as a joystick, except a different
sort of handle.

Sprintmaster
Great graphics, tracks and cars, but the controls are terrible. Atari
should've made this game compatible with their Indy 500 driving
controllers. Steering is tough with joysticks. It's very reminiscent of
Sprint and Sprint 2, those old black and white multi-player driving games
with the real-steering wheel controllers.

Squeeze Box
I like the little convict guy. It's hard to change the angle of the gun in
a hurry. Similar to Ram-It (a bit easier), this game is a bit too simplistic
to play for a long time.

Sssnake
A terrible Centipede clone by Data Age. The playing area is interesting,
but the gameplay is lacking. Once you figure out where you're supposed to
be shooting, it's a bore.

Stampede
An Atari classic! This game is great. It's a pleasure to round up all the
video-cattle. It keeps me coming back for more. The graphics and idea are
well-conceived.

Star Fox
Totally unlike Super Nintendo Star Fox, this Mythicon game is utter
garbage. Like all Mythicon games, there's no lives or scoring objects in
place. What is the point? (see my Fire Fly review)
After learning that to play this game properly, you need to hit the select
switch, I've take back what I said about Star Fox above. It's not a piece of
garbage now that I know how to play the game. It has similarities to
Defender, where you must take out enemy ships on a side-scrolling terrain.
The graphics are a bit plain, and the action is somewhat hard, because the
enemy ship has a knack for jumping all over you; and there's not much you can
do to avoid it. 
Stargate/Defender II
One of the best Atari games. It's a worthy sequel to Defender. Atari had
to utilize two joysticks in able to have all of the controls from the
arcade game. The action is great -- all of the enemies from the original
game are intact.

Star Master
Probably the best Star-Raiders game for the Atari 2600. It doesn't require
the use of a special control pad. The space combat is exciting. It's
actually possible to finish this game. The graphics are good, including
the moving starfields.

Star Raiders
An okay game. The special control pad is under-utilized. The graphics are
somewhat ugly.

Star Ship
One of Atari's first space games, it's almost laughable. One variation I
can stand is where you must steer around oncoming asteroids. The
two-player versions are weak.

Star Strike
Although not as graphically stunning as the Intellivision version, this Atari
port offers the same lack of excitement and functionality. There really isn't
much mobility, as you're trying to avoid and destroy enemy ships, while
dropping your bombs into the correct target holes of the enemy base. The fate
of Earth is in your hands; but do you really care?  I don't. Mattel released
this Atari cart in very limited quantity, probably near the end of their
existence.

Star Trek: S.O.S.
I like the Atari version of this game far more than the Colecovision one.
The graphics and action are nicely done.

Star Voyager
Probably the worst Star-Raiders type game for the Atari. I don't know what
Imagic was thinking. The space combat is weak. The graphics are plain.

Star Wars: Death Star Battle
This game fails to capture the excitement of the Return of the Jedi movie.
I don't remember the Millenium Falcon having to shoot out the Death Star's
walls chunk by chunk to get to the core! The little Falcon and TIE
Fighters are kinda cute.

Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back
This game will give you a sore thumb and wrist in no time! There should
really be an end to the advancing walkers. Different waves would've been
nice. The graphics aren't very nice to look at. It's somewhat like Defender.

Star Wars: Jedi Arena
This is a strange paddle game. I'd recommend it most for two players.

Star Wars: The Arcade Game
I guess Parker Brothers did all they could with this game. It includes all
three scenes, but the scope of movement is quite limited. The crosshairs of
your X-Wing fighter are a bit difficult to aim. It's not worth having in your
Atari collection.

Strawberry Shortcake
This game is funky! I love the music! It's cool how the tune is made up from
what pieces are assembled on the screen.

Steeplechase
A great game! The multi-player versions are fun, as are the versions
against the computer. The horse graphics are fairly good.

Stellar Track
A textual space combat game, where you give different orders, and the battle
computer responds. Similar to the tactical Star Trek game available on XT
computers. The range of commands if fairly limited. Boring.

Strategy X
You drive a tank through a labyrinth, while facing the onslaught of enemy
tanks. The maze of blocks scrolls downwards when you move upwards. The
gameplay is tough and sometimes unfair. It's a fun game, which could had been
a hit if it had been polished more.

Street Racer
The graphics are terrible. The gameplay is unexciting too. Some of the
variations are hypnotic experiences to play.

Sub Scan
Not a very good game from Sega. All of their other games are good. It's
basically a targeting game, with you trying to shoot torpedoes at enemy subs
and ships ahead in the ocean. It attempts to use a 3-D perspective, which
only works halfway.

Subterranea
You are a ship flying through underground alien caverns. The deeper you go,
the more deadly it becomes. You cannot descend until the current cavern has
been cleared out. The boss, which you battle at the end of a series of
caverns, is a big missile-launching air-breathing octopus creature. It needs
several carefully aimed shots to be taken out. The variety of enemies is
exciting and varied. Like Laser Gates, this is a good edge-of-the-crash-
Imagic release.

Summer Games
Epyx has done a fairly good job programming a group of Summer sporting
events into one cart. I find the swimming event tiring on the wrist. The
rowing event is my favourite.

Super Baseball (Atari Red Label)
Except for a title screen, I don't see much difference between this and
Realsports Baseball. The graphics are the same. I wonder if the gameplay
differs.

Super Breakout
A whole lot of fun. The assortment of selectable sound schemes is wonderful.
My favourite variation is the progressive breakout game, where the walls are
descending on you. Other variations include double paddles and balls trapped
inside cavities in the wall, which heighten the excitement when released.
It's a gotta-have game for the Atari system.

Super Challenge Baseball
An alright baseball game by M-Network, very similar to Intellivision's
Major League Baseball.

Super Challenge Football
(see Football, M-Network)

Super Cobra
This is one of the few Atari games with the ability to pause (Kool-Aid Man
too.) It takes a lot of practice to get to the end of this game.

Super Football (Atari Red Label)
Better than Realsports Football, this third Atari Football release attempts
to add a three-dimensional perspective of the field.

Superman
This game suffers from much graphics flicker, otherwise it's a fun
experience.
The screen layout takes a lot to learn. I do not find the game as cohesive
as Adventure. The character graphics are blocky and poor likenesses to the
comic book counterparts.

Surround
This game is best played with two-players. The graffiti mode can be fun.

Survival Run (Milton Bradley)
This is a target-shooting game inside a three-dimensional labyrinth. There
are enemy robots stalking you. The graphics are quite good, done in your
point of view perspective of the maze. The gameplay is vague.

Swordquest: Earthworld
This is my favourite Swordquest game. The Leo Waterfalls are quite
difficult to get through.

Swordquest: Fireworld
Not as interesting as Earthworld. Some of the skill and action sequences
can be quite difficult. The colours aren't very pretty.

Swordquest: Waterworld
The room layout is not very interesting. Rooms can only be accessed in a
single order. The ice floe skill sequence is almost impossible. This game
can basically solve itself if you write down all of the clues you are
given, and try picking up and dropping every object in every room.

Tac-Scan
This game is a lot of fun. The paddle controllers are quite suitable for
the action on the screen.

Tapeworm
Similar to Surround, your worm must eat all the food that appears on the
screen, while growing longer and longer each time. All the food must be
eaten before time runs out. A cute insect game by Spectravision that can be
a lot of fun on a rainy afternoon.

Tapper
For the 2600's capabilities, this is a great adaptation of Tapper. The
action is frantic. The graphics aren't too bad. It's nice to see that the
level with the shaken beer cans is there.

Task Force (Froggo)
Froggo, how could you?  This is a pirated version of Spectravision's Gangster
Alley. Graphics have only been changed slightly. It's easier to aim at the
gangsters in the windows, though.  I never thought Froggo was into stealing
other people's games until I saw this and Spiderdroid.  I actually prefer
the gameplay on this one to Gangster Alley, because it's not as hard.  I am
glad that I never paid a lot of money for this game after having bought
Gangster Alley, otherwise I'd let Spectravision know about the piracy.

Taz
I expected a lot more out of this game. Apart from the poorly drawn title
screen, the Tazmanian Devil is represented by a whirlwind. The gameplay is a
cross
between Fast Food and Turmoil.

Tennis
Great Tennis action! Probably better gameplay than Realsports Tennis, but
you do not have the option of entering the names of the players.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The violence of this game is offensive and gameplay is unexciting. The gas
from the chainsaw inevitably runs out. Wizard Games has kept close to the
movie of the same name.

This Planet Sucks (Hozer Videogames)
Programmed by Greg Troutman, this is a fresh title for the Atari 2600. It's
a translation of the old arcade title called "Lunar Rescue". You must pilot
your lander craft down and rescue the little men on the platforms. The screen
is congested with asteroids and enemy space ships, and you must drop down
through them. The ship controls are very much like Lunar Lander and Gravitar.
Pressing the fire button will apply thrust to your ship. Always at work is
the force of gravity. You must land your craft gently on one of the platforms
beside the colonists. It's possible to kill one of your men by landing on top
of him -- the graphics are funny when this happens. After the man is in your
craft, you must bring him back to the mothership at the top of the screen,
avoiding all the floating dangers again. Proper docking with the mothership
is required.  You must also watch your fuel gauge to ensure it doesn't run
out. There are many ways to die in this game, so precision is crucial. The
graphics are wonderful, colourful and detailed. The play action is
challenging - like Gravitar, you can never master it. When the game
progresses, the enemy craft start shooting at you. It really shows how much
work went into this game. It's a good addition to the Atari game library.

3-D Tic-Tac-Toe
An interesting strategy game. More winning moves are possible.

Threshold
A shooting game with a huge assortment of enemy craft to destroy. Their
flight pattern is not very interesting. You need to watch how many shots you
fire, because your ship can overheat. The graphics are more colourful than
the pale Colecovision version. I really like the different type of enemies.

Thunderground
This game is a lot of fun to play. The concept is quite original; a cross
between combat and dig dug. The gameplay is great.

Time Pilot
A good version of the arcade game. The graphics and play action are 

Titlematch Pro Wrestling
The graphics are fairly well drawn and the amount of wrestling moves is
impressive.

Tomcat F-14 Flight Simulator
Similar to M-Network's Air Raiders, this game I really haven't played in
depth.
Labelling a game a "flight simulator" makes me want to steer away from it.
Towering Inferno
This game could have been a lot better. Your fireman sprays water in
dribbles. The movement of the fire is erratic. It's annoying when you die
and the fire is nowhere near you.

Trick Shot
A good pool game for the 2600 from Imagic.

Tron Deadly Discs
It's similar to Intellivision's game of the same name, except the
Recognizers are missing. The action is great. The game is very playable.
A wonderful home videogame tribute to a wonderful movie. The weakest part
of this game is the graphics.

Tunnel Runner
An early version of Doom? The three dimension aspect of this game is well
done by CBS games.

Turmoil
This game is a basic shoot-em-up.

Tutankham
I'm not sure why this game was made vertical instead of horizontal. It may
have something to do with the 2600's graphic limitations.

Vanguard
A great game on the 2600! Atari has done a wonderful translation of the
arcade game.

Venture
It's a shame that only two of the levels are represented. I noticed that
you do not get any points for killing monsters. The bonus counter does not
exist. The graphics and sounds are minimal. The same graphic is used to
represent every dead monster.

Video Checkers
Very similar in game play to Activision's Checkers. A fair challenge.
                     
Video Chess
Apparently, this game cheats, but I haven't played it enough to really care.
The graphics aren't too bad -- each chess piece is clearly recognizable.

Video Olympics
More versions of pong than you'd want, this satisfies very few individuals.
My favourite game is Volleyball. Playing with two or more people can be a
lot of fun. The ball movement on the Basketball variation is ridiculous!

Video Pinball
Not a very fun game. The ball bounces in a crazy manner. Not much
interaction is allowed because the ball does not hit the paddles often
enough. And when it does, you have little control over the direction of
the ball. The physics of the ball are crazy. The graphics are very blocky,
and have a wide and short table layout. Thank goodness Midnight Magic came
along, a much better 2600 Pinball title.

Wabbit (Apollo)
A target-shooting game where you play the role of a girl protecting her
garden carrot patch from pesky rabbits. You can basically stand still and
just fire your shots. Because only one shot can be fired at a time, you must
have a good sense of timing. Graphics are cute and well-done. The Action
speeds up rather quickly. Unfortunately, the game doesn't have enough scope
and becomes boring quickly.

Wall Ball (Avalon Hill)
A ball bounces inside a three-dimensional room. The perspective and 3-D
effects are quite good. You control a paddle, and must quickly position it to
deflect the ball before it goes off the screen. At the far end of the room,
the ball hits the wall and takes out bricks. The object of the game is to
clear the far wall.  It will take awhile to learn where your paddle should be
positioned in order to hit the ball. But once you learn, this game becomes
easy to control and a lot of fun to play; unlike Apollo's Racquetball bomb-
of-a-game.

Warlords
The four-player version is an incredible experience. The artificial
intelligence of the purple, and especially green players is pathetic at
times. I question the physics of the ricocheting cannonball. I sometimes
think the computer cheats, in order to even the scores out, and make for a
longer game. Skill is a partial factor, but there's also luck involved
because of the unpredictable projectile. You can see the ghosts of the dead
lords if you look closely.

Warplock
Another terrible invaders-type game from Data Age. Didn't they realize that
people would catch on and stop buying?

Winter Games
Epyx has crammed a lot of Winter sport events into a single cartridge. The
Bob Sled and Luge events can be tricky to master.

Wizard of Wor
The graphics are simplistic, but most of the play elements of this arcade
translation exist. All of the favourite monsters are here, including the
Wizard and the Worluck. Missing from the game is the cool organ music theme
and speech. Some flicker exists, but it isn't too bad. The best way to play
this game is the two player mode. Highly recommended.

Word Zapper
There's really no point in playing this game. It's sort of fun for a few
minutes, but then it because dull when the same words keep coming up. I don't
think it has any educational value for teaching spelling. If anything at all,
it will help kids learn the alphabet.

Worm War I
A mildly entertaining Centipede clone. Was 20th Century Fox games planning on
releasing a Worm War II? The flashing colours are nice, and the animation of
the crawling worms is great. It's also nice how you can control the speed of
descent.

Yar's Revenge
This game is innovative and exciting. I love this game, and I'm sure many
other people do too. It's a blast. It is rumoured to be the Atari version of
Star Castle. The hidden initials cause the game to come to a crash. The
action on some of the higher purple levels can be quite exciting. Yar's
Revenge should have been the cart that was marketed with the Atari system.

Zaxxon
Collision detection is really bad on this game. The graphics are really bad
too - totally blocky and ugly. It can be tricky to kill the robot at the end.
It's also hard to judge where your ship is, or where it's shooting. The
scrolling really doesn't work. If they had made this game something like
Desert Falcon or River Raid, it would have been acceptable. There's no excuse
for Coleco's lack of trying with this Atari translation. Atari was smart
enough not to re-release this game under their red labels.