H.E.R.O.		Grade: B
	Publisher: Activision (1984) Reviewed: 2005/8/30

While I certainly can appreciate this game's clever programming and innovative design, H.E.R.O. simply isn't fun enough to qualify as a classic. Controlling a man with a laser mask and helicopter pack, your job is to locate and rescue lost miners in underground caverns. It's a bit like a vertical Pitfall. With a limited power supply and fixed number of dynamite sticks, you can hover over pits, fly down narrow openings, and blast through walls. The early stages are short and easy, gradually easing you into larger, puzzle-like configurations. You'll have to contend with creepy-crawlies, pitch-dark areas, and "lava walls" deadly to touch. H.E.R.O.'s graphics are sharp and the gameplay requires a great deal of skill., but a few flaws dampened my enthusiasm. When you drop down into a lower screen, certain hazards appear suddenly and are hard to avoid, forcing you to take a very slow, deliberate approach. It also sucks when you run out of dynamite, and are forced to slowly chew through walls with your laser beam. The stages are thoughtfully designed but repetitive in appearance. Although not as memorable as Pitfall, H.E.R.O.'s sharp graphics and interesting stages make it worth a try. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

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Recommended variation(s): 1 1 player

Halloween		Grade: B-
	Publisher: Wizard (1983) Reviewed: 2005/10/2

Wizard was dead-on with this clever video game adaptation of the classic slasher film. You play the role of the babysitter in a two-story house several screens in width. Points are scored by escorting children to "safe rooms" on either end of the house. The rooms are colorful but completely empty except for an occasional window or doorway. Halloween's characters are nicely animated and multicolored, with the knife-wielding Michael Meyers looking especially intimidating in his gray jumpsuit. But what really makes this game work is its unpredictability. Just like in the movies, Michael is slow but relentless. You never know when he's going to suddenly appear in a doorway or at the edge of the screen. Better yet, his appearances are punctuated by a nice rendition of the spooky Halloween theme song. When he touches a victim, you're treated to some gratuitous gore which borders on hilarious. Halloween's gameplay is slow but offers some cool twists, like your ability to turn the tables on Michael if you can find the knife. The lights on the top floor occasionally black out, adding additional suspense as you "feel" your way around in the pitch dark. Jack-o-lanterns track your "lives" on the top of the screen - a nice touch. Halloween is a rare title and a favorite among collectors. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

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Recommended variation(s): 1B 1 player

Hangman		Grade: D+
	Publisher: Atari (1978) Reviewed: 1999/9/9

Hangman doesn't try too hard, but it's not as bad as you might think. You have two play options: one player can attempt to guess a word in eleven tries, or two people can compete. Initially I believed the limited word lengths (six characters) would make the game too easy, but in fact shorter words are more difficult to guess. You can choose between four vocabulary levels, ranging from first grade to high school. I chose the high school and was given reasonably tough words like "torque" and "murmur". Hangman's gameplay is entertaining but it gets old in a hurry. The graphics are very blocky but the letters are easy to read, and the alphabet song plays as you cycle through them. The "hangman" himself takes the form of a monkey hanging from a pole by one arm. I can only assume that Atari had some kind of misguided policy against lynching people in their games. The difficulty switches can be used to institute a 20 second time limit, which I highly recommend. © Copyright 1999 The Video Game Critic.

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1 or 2 players

Haunted House		Grade: B+
	Publisher: Atari (1981) Reviewed: 1999/7/17

Trying to convey any degree of terror on the 2600 is not easy, but Atari did a respectable job with Haunted House. The object is to guide a pair of square eyes around a four story, 24-room house, and collect three pieces of an urn to escape. Spiders, bats, and ghosts roam freely, attempting to steal your nine lives. An unlimited supply of matches illuminates the area immediately around you, and helpful items include a protective scepter and a master key to unlock doors. Scary sound effects include wind, thunder, footsteps, and slamming doors. Graphics are not the game's strong suit. The monsters look fairly pixilated and the house layout is boring, with each room being an empty square. Of the nine difficulty levels, level nine easily the most fun (and hardest), with pitch black rooms, locked doors, aggressive monsters, and random object placement. Scrambling towards the exit with your last life can be a pretty intense experience. Haunted House is not as complex or addicting as Adventure, but it has its moments. © Copyright 1999 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

Homerun		Grade: F
	Publisher: Atari (1978) Reviewed: 2001/4/14

I can see why Atari didn't name this "baseball", since Homerun bears little resemblance to the national pastime. This early title is primitive and has few redeeming qualities. The sound and graphics are about as minimal as you can get. There are four bases, but no dirt around them. Your three fielders move in unison, and can't even throw the ball between each other. There are no fly balls, and hits to straightaway centerfield are automatic home runs. The pitching is the probably the best aspect of the game. You have total control of the ball and can often fool batters by catching a corner of the plate. The computer AI is dumb and easy to beat, and the two-player game is pointless - no one usually scores unless a someone screws up. Homerun has not aged well, and many will argue it was never any good to begin with. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

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1 or 2 players

Human Cannonball		Grade: D
	Publisher: Atari (1979) Reviewed: 2001/8/15

In this day and age, Human Cannonball isn't considered much of a video game. The goal is to launch a tiny man from a cannon across the screen into a water tower. You can adjust the velocity, angle, and distance of each shot, and your score is the number of successes in twelve tries. Atari didn't put much effort into these graphics. Even the "death" animation, which displays the letters O-U-C-H, seems awfully lame. The sparse sound effects are nothing but a series of montones. Still, I can't deny that the game is quite challenging and requires some thought. The water tower is a small target on difficulty B, and downright miniscule on A. Some variations incorporate moving barriers, which test your reflexes as well as your mind. I found the difficult variations to be nearly impossible. Human Cannonball is a weak title, but had it been combined with Circus Atari, they would have made a nice package. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

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1 or 2 players

Ice Hockey		Grade: A
	Publisher: Activision (1981) Reviewed: 2001/8/15

Quite possibly the best sports game ever produced for the Atari 2600, this two-on-two game brilliantly captures the essence of hockey. As a kid, my father surprised me by bringing this one home one afternoon, and my best friend Andy and I played it constantly. Ice Hockey's graphics are clean and bright, with nicely animated, multi-colored players and a puck that's easy to follow. The outstanding gameplay boasts non-stop action and pinpoint control. When in possession of the puck, it moves back and forth across your stick, and your timing determines the exact angle of your pass or shot. Playing off the boards is really the key to this game. Despite having only two players on each team, passing is surprisingly effective. Player control switches automatically between your forward and goalie, and it always seems to occur at exactly the right moment. You can even get physical by swinging your stick wildly, knocking your opponent onto his backside! The computer is a worthy challenge, but nothing can beat this game's two-player action. Ice Hockey by Activision is not only a sports classic - it's even better than the real thing! © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

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1 or 2 players

Indy 500		Grade: A
	Publisher: Atari (1977) Reviewed: 2004/2/14

Indy 500's beauty lies in its simplicity, and like wine, this classic racer seems to improve with age. Compared to most modern racers with their complicated control schemes and unpredictable handling, this game is like a breath of fresh air. Indy 500 features single-screen tracks and a wide array of play modes. The special driving controllers (required) are simply paddles which can be rotated continuously in any direction, and they provide pinpoint control. I remember how this game was originally packaged in a thick orange box and was very expensive ($36 I think). The main game variation is a two-player, 25-lap race with four tracks to choose from, including two excellent "ice" tracks. And Indy is hardly a one-trick pony. There's a terrific "crash n' score" mode where both cars race to collect "dots" on a semi-open playfield, and the action is wild and competitive. Equally fun is the "tag" variation where one car tries to remain "it" for the longest time. There are even "time trial" variations that let you play solo. After all these years, Indy 500 still remains one of the best racing games around, so grab a friend and give it a go. © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.

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Recommended variation(s): All 1 or 2 players

Infiltrate		Grade: C-
	Publisher: Apollo (1983) Reviewed: 2005/11/23

Some gamers believe Infiltrate is one of those "hidden gems" in the 2600 library, but I don't see it. At first glance, its generic platform layout and blocky graphics are sure to elicit groans from Atari veterans. As you guide your man between platforms via elevators, the idea is to collect "documents" (rectangles) while avoiding "assassins" (ghosts with legs). One element guaranteed to catch first-timers off-guard is that these assassins actually shoot at you! Whoa - we're not in Pac-Land anymore, Toto! Fortunately, you can fire back. Infiltrate's action is faster and more frantic than most platformers, but its controls are touchy and the flickering "assassins" jump around erratically. Even so, Infiltrate is not as bad as it looks. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

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Recommended variation(s): 1B 1 or 2 players

International Soccer		Grade: B+
	Publisher: M-Network (1982) Reviewed: 2000/3/8

This is the most realistic soccer game I've seen for the Atari 2600. International Soccer features a vertically scrolling field with all the proper lines and the correct number of players. The players move smoothly and are easy to control. You can't execute any fancy moves, but passing and shooting goals is a snap. I like how the ball never comes to a complete stop or goes out of bounds, which helps keep the action moving. International Soccer is a nice two-player game, but some game variations would have been nice. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.

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2 players

James Bond 007		Grade: F
	Publisher: Parker Bros. (1983) Reviewed: 2006/7/9

When trying to determine the best adjective to describe James Bond 007, the best I could do was "wretched". This sure is a far cry from that impressive (but apparently bogus) "train shoot-out" preview screen shown in the Parker Bros. catalogs! This travesty of a game is a generic side-scroller, and a poor one at that! Its four stages are meant to recreate different Bond movies, but you'd never know it unless you read the manual. The brief intro features a nice rendition of the James Bond theme song, but the game itself looks like a third-rate Moon Patrol. Your pod-shaped car is supposed to be some kind of all-terrain vehicle. As you cruise along the planet surface and "hop" over volcanic craters, satellites and helicopters drop bombs from overhead. The helicopter's searchlight looks cool, but it never even comes close to reaching the ground. Perhaps the pilot should consider flying below the satellite! Yes, that's right, the helicopters fly above the satellite orbit. Your vehicle is armed with a cannon, but get this - you can't shoot your attackers! No, that might be fun, so it's not allowed. Instead, you can only shoot the periodic "diamonds" that appear in the sky. The second half of the stage takes place over water, where you'll witness enemy aircraft inexplicably bombing their own divers in the water below! Once you reach the oilrig (which is invisible half the time), you'll need to perform a complicated maneuver to bring the stage to a merciful conclusion. It only took me about 20 tries or so. The second stage forces you to deal with "poison bombs" which spell instant death if you don't shoot them down at launch. That's as far as I got, but I can only assume that the subsequent stages are equally as idiotic. James Bond 007 is challenging, but only because you don't know what the [expletive] is going on half of the time. What a complete and utter waste of a movie license. © Copyright 2006 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

Jawbreaker		Grade: A-
	Publisher: Tigervision (1982) Reviewed: 2001/8/30

When it comes to Pac-Man clones on the 2600, Jawbreaker is the cream of the crop. You guide a pair of white choppers around a screen composed of nine horizontal corridors filled with dots. Your adversaries are big round smiley faces that travel from side-to-side, and a power pill occasionally appears in the center. So how do you move up and down between the platforms? Each wall has an opening that moves from side to side, and the varying speeds of these openings create an ever-changing maze. Consequentially, these provide for plenty of narrow-escape opportunities. Ain't it cool?! Yeah, and it's a blast to play! The action is non-stop and the control is dead-on. Jawbreaker takes an old theme and manages to make it exciting again. Highly recommended! © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

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1 or 2 players

Journey Escape		Grade: F
	Publisher: Data Age (1982) Reviewed: 2001/5/14

Upon turning on this game, you'll hear the classic rock tune "Don't Stop Believing", and it doesn't sound half bad! But please, don't start believing that this game is any good! Journey Escape is definitely horrible, with mindless gameplay and laughable graphics. The object is to guide Journey to their "spaceship" within a time limit. Controlling individual band members, you march up the screen while avoiding "groupies" and "greedy promoters", rendered with atrocious-looking abstract symbols. The promoters are floating heads and the groupies are big hearts with legs. The screen displays your money total, and this decreases whenever you are touched. This scoring system really doesn't make any sense, since you lose money as you progress. Journey Escape is monotonous on the normal difficulty, and just plain annoying on the high setting. Its novelty value may attract collectors, but the game itself is a joke. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

Joust		Grade: A
	Publisher: Atari (1983) Reviewed: 2000/4/19

Atari had to take a few liberties to shoehorn Joust into the Atari 2600, but it still offers the same addictive brand of gameplay. Flying an ostrich around platforms while holding a lance, you knock adversaries off their mounts by colliding with them in mid-air, with the higher ostrich winning. The graphics are minimal in this version, with flat platforms, a fireless pit, and single-colored warriors. The control is quite good however, and Atari even managed to include the pterodactyl! The main difference between this and the arcade is that when enemies are defeated, eggs they produce don't settle on the platforms, but instead bounce around until hatched or caught. It sounds cheesy, but it actually makes the egg waves more interesting. Most important, the excellent two player simultaneous action has also been retained. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.

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1 or 2 players.

Jr. Pac-Man		Grade: A
	Publisher: Atari (1988) Reviewed: 1999/12/12

It's interesting to trace the evolution of the Atari 2600 Pac-Man games. The first one didn't really look like Pac-Man at all. The sequel, Ms. Pac-Man, looked just like the arcade, but was a bit too easy. This time Atari got everything right. Not only does Jr. Pac-Man look great, but it's very challenging as well! It plays like the other Pac-Man games, but features larger, scrolling mazes. Clearing one of these babies is a major accomplishment, especially with more intelligent ghosts. The power pills last for an extremely short amount of time, so good luck trying to snag more than one or two ghosts! Jr. Pac-Man himself looks great, especially with that little propeller hat. You simply could not ask for a better Pac-Man game on the 2600. © Copyright 1999 The Video Game Critic.

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Jungle Hunt		Grade: A
	Publisher: Atari (1982) Reviewed: 2006/7/9

I purchased Jungle Hunt at the start of my 1983 summer vacation, and my timing could not have been better. This is a terrific adaptation of my favorite arcade game of the time, "Jungle King". Although this home version contains smaller characters, it arguably offers cleaner graphics and tighter controls. Jungle Hunt has four unique stages, each more entertaining than the last. You begin deep in the jungle, swinging from vine to vine. From there, you must survive a crocodile-infested river, armed only with a knife. Next, you're back on shore, jumping over rolling rocks and ducking under large boulders. Finally, you must leap over two spear-toting natives in order to rescue the girl. The main character is rendered in several colors, and that alone was pretty exciting back in 1983! The jungle scenery is modest but features some parallax scrolling to convey depth. There's minimal flicker in the high-resolution graphics, and the controls are responsive. Fans of the arcade game may frown on the level landscape in the boulder stage, since the arcade version had a slope. The ending is admittedly weak (if you can even call it an ending) but overall this is a quality title. There are two levels of difficulty, and the second one offers a genuine challenge. If you own an Atari 2600, Jungle Hunt is worth tracking down. © Copyright 2006 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

Kaboom!		Grade: A
	Publisher: Activision (1981) Reviewed: 2001/8/15

Arguably the most fun Atari 2600 game ever, Kaboom is also the one of the simplest. Using a paddle controller, you move a set of "buckets" from side to side, catching bombs being dropped by an escaped convict at the top of the screen. Each wave gradually becomes faster until you're dealing with an astonishly fast 13 bombs per second! At that point the game's practically mesmerizing. Kaboom's graphics look sharp, its gameplay is madly addicting, and there are some nice little graphical details as well. The mad bomber wears a black mask and changes expressions during the game. The lighted fuses on the bombs flicker, and bombs splash when they hit the buckets, which incidentally look nothing like buckets. There's even a little strategy involved. When you have all three buckets, it's a good idea to mess up intentionally just before obtaining your bonus bucket at 1000 points. This will slow down the bombs temporarily, and you'll get your third bucket right back! © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

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1 or 2 players

Kangaroo		Grade: B
	Publisher: Atari (1982) Reviewed: 2004/7/7

Kangaroo is one of the better Donkey Kong clones, despite its really lousy graphics. You play a mother kangaroo attempting to rescue her baby in a tree, all the while being terrorized by a band of apple-throwing monkeys. Unlike the arcade game with platforms constructed from lush tree branches, this version has dull orange rectangles for platforms. Your kangaroo looks pretty good, and it's easy to make her jump, punch, and duck. The monkeys look okay but their animation is choppy, and the square apples they hurl move in an equally jerky manner. What's great about Kangaroo is its unapologetic difficulty. There are three screens to conquer, and just reaching the third one is a major accomplishment. There's fruit to collect along the way, and ringing a bell will replenish the fruit. Kangaroo's scoring system doesn't make a whole lot of sense. You can amass a much higher score by concentrating on the fruit instead of clearing the game levels. Kangaroo's control is unforgiving, and stepping off any platform will send you plummeting to your death, even if it's a tiny step. There seemed to be a few times when I died for no apparent reason. The sound effects are minimal, but cute jingles play at the beginning and end of each screen. Kangaroo won't impress you with its graphics, but its challenging gameplay should keep you occuppied. © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.

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Recommended variation(s): 2 1 or 2 players

Karate		Grade: F-
	Publisher: Ultravision (1983) Reviewed: 2006/7/9

When my friends play Karate for the first time, they all tend to have the same reaction. First they stare at the screen in disbelief for a few seconds, before finally blurting out "Are you F-ing kidding me?!" This unplayable abomination is a personal affront to anyone who has ever paid money for video game entertainment. It's a one-on-one Karate contest where the fighters never actually touch each other! The green and purple characters are admittedly huge, but then couldn't be more blocky or slow moving. The way they constantly gyrate, it looks as if they're dancing with each other for Pete's sake! In fact, if you crank up the Bee Gee's "Staying Alive" as you play, the game almost makes sense. The fighting "action" is a complete joke, with punches and kicks that look simply heinous (what appendage is that?!). The collision detection is non-existent; your opponent can be right up against you, yet is always out of reach. If not for the scores displayed on top of the screen, you'd never even know that contact was made! If you can convince yourself this is a dancing game with controls that transcend human comprehension, then Karate is the best game in the world. Otherwise this garbage gets my vote for worst Atari 2600 game of all time. Note: This game was reissued by Froggo in 1987. © Copyright 2006 The Video Game Critic.

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1 or 2 players

Keystone Kapers		Grade: A-
	Publisher: Activision (1983) Reviewed: 2006/8/3

Keystone Kapers never fails to elicit a smile. With its simple "catch the crook" gameplay, tight controls, and sharp graphics, what's not to like? You play a cop armed with a Billy club on the trail of a thief, and the action takes place in a three-story department store that's several screens wide. The thief must have just broken out of jail, because he's decked out in a rather conspicuous black-and-white striped prison outfit. He's heading for the roof, and you must catch him before a timer runs out. Starting on the first floor, you use elevators and escalators to ascend. Along the way you'll run, jump, and duck under obstacles like old-fashioned radios, runaway shopping carts, flying toy airplanes, and bouncing beach balls. The ability to duck hardly seems worth mentioning, but it was actually a pretty novel idea in 1982. Colliding with most obstacles costs you time, but if that plane nails you in the face, you lose a life. Keystone Kapers is the best-looking Atari 2600 game you'll ever see. Not only are objects nicely animated and rendered in high resolution, but there's no flicker to be found! And are those escalators awesome or what? The only thing that could really improve the game would be a skill level option, considering how the first few waves are such a cakewalk. The narrow elevator doors are difficult to squeeze into on the run, but I guess that's just part of the challenge. Keystone Kapers has passed the test of time and rightfully belongs in every Atari 2600 collection. © Copyright 2006 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

Killer Satellites		Grade: D
	Publisher: Starpath/Arcadia (1983) Reviewed: 1999/12/30

A Defender clone at heart, Killer Satellites is attractive to look at, but lousy to play. That's a shame, because graphics-wise, this blows away the Atari 2600 Defender game. Your ship is solid (no flickering) and even has fire shooting out of its thrusters. The planet surface is covered with buildings and trees, and the aliens are multi-colored and detailed. Your job is to blast them before they reach the surface. A scanner indicates enemy position, but not altitude, unfortunately. Killer Satellites has an astounding 100 levels! So what's the problem? It's the difficulty progression. Each level is littered with more and more tiny meteors which turn the screen into an obstacle course! It effectively grinds the action to a halt and takes away from the fun. © Copyright 1999 The Video Game Critic.

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King Kong		Grade: D
	Publisher: Tigervision (1982) Reviewed: 2001/8/15

As you might surmise, King Kong is a third-rate Donkey Kong rip-off. The best thing I can say about King Kong is that its cartridge looks awesome. It's molded in light-blue plastic, and the picture of Kong on the front is impressive. Once you stick the thing into your Atari console however, things head downhill in a hurry. On the screen, Kong is the sorriest looking ape ever. His blocky, pixilated majesty looks even worse than the ape in Atari 2600 Donkey Kong! That's too bad, because the blonde-haired hero and the girl look pretty good. King Kong's gameplay isn't so hot either, mainly because your guy is so slow and the structure you climb is hopelessly boring. There's only one screen, with no bonuses or hammers to collect. Once you reach the top, you just start over with faster barrels. Pretty lame. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

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1 or 2 players

Kool-Aid Man		Grade: B-
	Publisher: M-Network (1983) Reviewed: 2001/8/15

The opening sequence of this game reminds me of those old Kool-Aid commercials, where that huge pitcher would come crashing through a wall just when the kids needed a refreshing drink. I always wondered why the kids looked so happy, when in fact they should have been utterly terrified. Let's face it; anybody who dresses up in a big pitcher outfit and then trashes the local swim club is not someone you want your kids accepting beverages from. As a game, Kool-Aid Man is simple and fun. The object is to eliminate evil round creatures that try to drink all the water from the pool. These troublemakers are only vulnerable when they're drinking, which is indicated by a long straw. Touch them while they're in motion and they'll knock you all over the place. Fortunately, there are also power-ups that transform you into SUPER Kool-Aid Man, making you invincible for a few seconds. The graphics are plain but colorful, and the left difficulty switch pauses the action. Kool-Aid Man is a shallow game, but sometimes less is more. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

Krull		Grade: C-
	Publisher: Atari (1983) Reviewed: 2002/8/17

Krull was one of those cheesy, early 80's science fiction movies billed as "the next big thing" before flopping at the box office. I wonder how much money Atari blew to acquire this turkey's license? Graphically, Krull is no slouch. The characters are small but nicely animated and multi-colored. Krull contains four distinct screens. The action begins with our hero marrying some chick named Lyssa in front of a castle wall. Enemy soldiers armed with spears suddenly storm down the screen and you must repel them for as long as possible. The soldiers look absolutely terrific with their blue, green, and purple armor. Despite a valiant effort, you're eventually overwhelmed and Lyssa is captured. The next screen is minimal but still cool, depicting two tiny horsemen riding across the bottom on the screen (don't ask me who the second guy is). The animation and sound effects of the horses are amazing. This screen also lets you collect "glaives" (throwing weapons) if you hit the button as they pass below your horse. The next screen is the spider's lair, and this is where you'll be spending the bulk of your time. Although it looks great with its fine strands of web, you'll soon discover that it's really a colossal pain in the ass. Jumping over the strands is difficult, and touching one will drag you clear across the screen. Should you reach the square "cocoon" before the spider grabs you, you'll locate the exit. Then it's back on your horse, in search of the castle where Lyssa is held. Unfortunately, depending on the "time of day", you'll often come up empty and get kicked back to that pesky spider screen (and lose a life on top to boot!). After languishing in the web screen for a while, you'll eventually find the castle, where you face off against the "beast", a red creature with a huge noggin. You'll need to avoid his fireballs while chipping away at your girl's jail cell with your glaives. If you manage to free her, the game restarts on a harder level. Krull is challenging but too tedious. It sports some fine visuals but the eye candy can't make up for the lackluster gameplay. © Copyright 2002 The Video Game Critic.

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Recommended variation(s): 3 1 player

Kung Fu Superkicks		Grade: C
	Publisher: Telegames (1989) Reviewed: 2000/1/10

For an Atari 2600 martial arts game, Kung Fu Superkicks isn't half bad, although you'll definitely need the manual to help you along. This game was originally released by Xonox as Chuck Norris Superkicks. The first screen (out of seven) is simply a path you must navigate to reach a monastery. On your way, you'll encounter various groups of thugs, which transport you to wide-open "play action" screens. Each stage requires using a certain Kung Fu move, which is where the manual comes in handy. Thugs in the early screens can be dispatched with simple kicks, but later screens require the use of blocks, punches, or somersaults. The fighters are small but easy enough to discern. Superkicks is not bad if you know what you're doing, but otherwise it can be awfully confusing. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.

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Ladybug		Grade: A-
	Publisher: Champ Games (2006) Reviewed: 2007/1/20

Colecovision and Intellivision owners enjoyed this game in the early 1980's, but Ladybug was never available for the Atari 2600 - until now. Classic gamers should take notice, because this game is no joke. On the surface, Ladybug might seem like any other generic maze game, but there's much more to it than meets the eye. In addition to evil bugs that emerge from the center, you need to avoid deadly skulls scattered throughout the maze. But it's the green "doors" that truly set this game apart. When you push your ladybug though a door, it stays in its new position. Not only do the doors come in handy for evasive maneuvers, but you can effectively adjust the maze layout to your advantage. It's even possible to redirect the insects into the poison skulls. But wait - there's more. By collecting letters scattered throughout the maze, you can spell out the words "extra" for a free life or "special" to access a hidden stage. An obligatory veggie item periodically appears in the center of the screen, and it's worth crazy points so go get it NOW! Graphically, Ladybug features well-drawn, smoothly animated sprites, but the maze does tend to flicker in an unsightly manner. A nice harmonized soundtrack compliments the action, and there are three skill levels. Easy to play but surprisingly deep, Ladybug is a shiny new gem in the Atari 2600 library. You'll find it at Atari Age. © Copyright 2007 The Video Game Critic.

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1 or 2 players

Laser Blast		Grade: F
	Publisher: Activision (1981) Reviewed: 2003/7/29

Sure, a few people out there like this game, but trust me, it's 100 percent nostalgia. It has to be, because Laser Blast is such a bad game. Everything about it is poor: the plain graphics, minimal sound, and mind-numbing, repetitive gameplay. You move a flying saucer across the top of the screen, firing on cannons that crawl across the planet surface below in groups of three. You can't even get off a shot until the cannons have completely moved onto the screen, which is irritating. The cannons shoot solid-line lasers that appear instantly, and since there's no way to dodge them, the only way to evade harm is to keep moving. Unfortunately, your ship comes to a dead stop whenever you fire. You can shoot straight down or diagonally, but the sticky controls often cause you to fire in the wrong direction. There's little strategy as you systematically shoot each three cannons that march out, until you just get sick of the whole never-ending cycle. If Laser Blast was a food, it would be boiled cabbage - it has no flavor. This may well be the worst Activision game ever made. © Copyright 2003 The Video Game Critic.

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Recommended variation(s): 4 1 player

Laser Gates		Grade: C-
	Publisher: Imagic (1983) Reviewed: 2000/12/17

This rare and unimpressive side-shooter plays like the first stage of Vanguard. The bottom half of the screen is dedicated to an oversized "instrument panel" that displays your energy, shield, and time. Incidentally, you don't need to know any of this information as you play the game. Your tiny space ship flies through a narrow cavern on the top half of the screen, avoiding dangers like blinking walls, destructible walls, incoming missiles, and cannons. You know the drill: shoot and dodge your way to the end of the level. The control is okay, but the graphics and sound are unspectacular and repetitious. You'd think the developers could at least change the colors between levels! Laser Gates is challenging at first, but once you figure out how to overcome each obstacle, it becomes dull and monotonous. There's no level select, difficulty options, or two player mode, so this action wears thin after just a few plays. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

Little Bear		Grade: NA
	Publisher: Taiwan Cooper (1983) Reviewed: 2003/2/22

This Taiwanese rip-off of Frostbite (Activision) is only worth noting for just how absurd it is. First of all, it amazes me how Zimag could expect the Eskimo in the game to be passed off as the panda bear on the cartridge label. Making matters worse, the panda in the picture is sitting in a green meadow - a far cry from the ice-covered streams featured in the actual game. Finally, if it wasn't obvious enough that this is a blatant rip-off, you can even see the rainbow part of the Activision logo on the bottom of the screen (only the name has been removed). It's amazing what people will do to make a buck. © Copyright 2003 The Video Game Critic.

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1 or 2 players

Lock N Chase		Grade: C+
	Publisher: M-Network (1982) Reviewed: 2003/7/4

As Mattel's answer to Pac-Man, this was the first console game to let you be the bad guy! You guide a little thief around a maze with four cops your tail. The graphics aren't very sophisticated - just a simple blue maze and some chunky, poorly animated characters running around. Heck, your lives aren't even displayed on the screen, which indicates some very lazy programming if you ask me. Dashes line the maze, and the bonus "treasure" appearing in the middle looks like a cake. Even the sound effects stink. Fortunately, there's more to Lock 'N' Chase than meets the eye. You have the ability to construct horizontal barriers behind your thief as you move up or down (not sideways), and these are ideal for cutting off cops hot on your tail. You can drop two barriers at a time, and they inject a great deal of strategy into an otherwise lackluster game. It's even possible to box yourself in, which usually results in death but has saved my sorry ass at least once. The key to racking up high scores is snagging bonus items whenever possible, since they're worth up to 2000 points. As a nice side effect, they also freeze the cops momentarily. Once a maze is cleared, you'll want to head directly towards the exit at the top of the screen. Don't get caught or you'll be screwed out of your bonus. Lock N Chase is always a challenge, even on the "easy" skill level, and I like how it "pauses" between lives. It may be a little slow and derivative, but give Lock N Chase a chance and it'll give you a run for your money. © Copyright 2003 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

London Blitz		Grade: C-
	Publisher: Avalon Hill (1983) Reviewed: 2002/3/22

If you think this looks like a boring 3D maze game, well, you're right. Still, London Blitz has a few things going for it. Sporting a nifty first-person view and an overhead map, your goal is to locate and disarm a series of bombs in a maze. The first-person point of view is surprisingly high in resolution and smoothly animated as well. It's confusing to navigate the maze however, and you'll need to consult the overhead map constantly. It gets slightly easier with practice, but everything looks the same! When you approach a bomb, a close-up screen reveals three sliding switches, and you'll get several attempts to diffuse the bomb by sliding these switches to their proper positions. Most bombs have lights indicating if a slider is positioned correctly or needs to be adjusted - similar to the board game MasterMind. I found the controls to be a bit slippery - especially when trying to select the correct switch. The first few bombs are easy, but the later ones have very short fuses. The further you progress, the higher the rank you are awarded. London Blitz is not a bad game overall, but awkward controls and less-than-exciting gameplay keep it grounded in mediocrity. © Copyright 2002 The Video Game Critic.

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1 player

Lost Luggage		Grade: D
	Publisher: Apollo (1982) Reviewed: 2005/7/6

If you've ever fantasized about being an airport baggage handler (and who hasn't?), Lost Luggage is the game for you! A lame Kaboom clone, the object is to catch a bunch of suitcases falling from the top of the screen. Depending on the difficulty setting, you'll control one or two men who move in unison. The joystick control allows you to move up and down as well as sideways, but the action is more tiresome and predictable than it is fun. The first few waves are downright boring, but at around 2000 points the challenge abruptly shifts from "easy" to "impossible". Well-constructed games are able to find the "sweet spot" in terms of difficulty, but Lost Luggage fails miserably in that regard. In terms of graphics, the planes in the distance look nice, but the baggage carousel looks like a triangular island in the middle of the runway. The game's only highlight occurs when you miss a suitcase, causing it to pop open, revealing "unmentionables" such as underwear, bras, socks, and shoes. It's cute, but that gimmick can't overcome the tepid gameplay. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

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Recommended variation(s): 1A 1 or 2 players