Recommended variation: 3
Our high score: 7200
Publisher: Micro Fun (1982)
Reviewed: 2004/11/26

This cheesy-looking platform game is a slick combination of Donkey Kong and Pac-Man, and it's probably more fun than either one of those. The star of the game, Bounty Bob, looks like a complete dork, but moves with a swiftness rarely seen in this type of game. Each of Miner 2049er's eleven well-designed screens contains a series of girders connected by ladders. The girders are initially hollow, but solidify as Bob walks over them. To complete each stage, Bob must walk over every inch of girder on the screen. Slow-moving, blob-shaped "mutants" patrol the girders, but these are easy to avoid and far less dangerous than the running jumps you'll need to execute. Touching a floating tool lets Bob attack the mutants for points, just like Pac-Man. Yes it's all very derivative, but Miner's speedy pace and crisp graphics make it exceptionally fun and addictive. It's also intriguing to see what sort of imaginative challenge each new stage has in store. The second stage is clearly inspired by Chutes and Ladders, and the third has an elevator controlled by the numeric control pad. Miner 2049er is a whole lot better than it looks, and is regarded by many as a classic. © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.
Our high score: ER 8,950
1 or 2 players
Montezuma's Revenge
Grade: D
Publisher: Parker Bros. (1984)
Reviewed: 2009/5/6
Recommended variation: 1
Our high score: SLN 5500
1 player
Publisher: Coleco (1982)
Reviewed: 2007/2/7

In this likeable arcade classic you are a mouse being pursued by cats through a maze full of cheese. What makes Mouse Trap unique is the ability to toggle red, blue, and yellow doors by pressing color-coded buttons on the keypad. This adds a nice element of strategy as you manipulate the maze to your advantage, creating escape routes and sometimes even trapping cats into confined spaces. Until you really get the hang of it however, you'll need to peek at the keypad a lot, and that can get you killed! Collecting scattered bones generates a cool "ruff" sound effect, and also lets transform into a dog (via the dog button) to turn the tables on those evil felines. Just remember to keep an eye out for the deadly hawk that constantly glides over the maze. Mouse Trap for the Colecovision is a nearly flawless translation with its crisp graphics, fast pacing, outstanding sound effects, and bouncy background music. The one thing that could be improved is the controls. Instead of easily lining up with corridors, your mouse has a tendency to "stuck" on corners. I struggled with the controller and it took its toll on my hands, putting a serious crimp in the fun. Other than that, this game is money. © Copyright 2007 The Video Game Critic.
Recommended variation: 3
Our high score: 74050
1 or 2 players
Publisher: Coleco (1983)
Reviewed: 2011/6/4
Recommended variation: 3
Our high score: SLN 55,700
1 or 2 players
Publisher: Imagic (1984)
Reviewed: 2001/11/18

This Defender clone has so-so graphics and mediocre gameplay. A side-scrolling space shooter, your ship can drop bombs as well as fire lasers. Your mission is to protect cities on a planetary surface, giving the game a Missile Command flavor. The cities are surrounded by shields, which weaken after sustaining enemy hits. You can recharge them by transporting energy from "energy depots". Although it's probably the most original aspect of Nova Blast, the process of transferring energy is tedious and not the least bit fun. The rapid-fire shooting action is better, but the bomb controls are weak and trying to hit your target can prove frustrating. Overall, Nova Blast is too generic to hold my interest. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.
Recommended variation: 5
Our high score: 15500
1 player
Publisher: Sierra On-Line (1984)
Reviewed: 2017/7/15

Here's an oldie-but-goodie I fondly recall playing on my Atari 1200XL back in the early 80's. Oil's Well is a vaguely Pac-Man-like game that feels awkward at first but turns out to be surprisingly entertaining. The screen consists of an underground maze filled with dots and creatures moving side-to-side. You control a little Pac-Man shaped "mouth" connected to an oil refinery at the top of the screen. As you wind down into the maze, pipes extend to keep you connected to your starting point. If any creature touches your pipe you lose a life. You can't reverse direction, but you can quickly "wind up" at any time by holding in the fire button. It's like pressing the button on a vacuum cleaner that sucks in the electric cord. As you venture into the deeper parts of the maze you'll need to keep an eye out for critters and be ready to hit the button. Then again, there's usually a bomb (that looks suspiciously like a power pill) near the bottom of the maze which freezes all enemies. This adds an exciting risk-versus-reward dynamic. During later waves the underground maze is replaced by a little town of buildings. The scenery looks a lot more interesting but the dots tend to be squirreled away in hard-to-reach nooks. I suspect most gamers have never heard of Oil's Well, but it's kind of an ingenious little game. © Copyright 2017 The Video Game Critic.
Our high score: 9360
1 or 2 players
Publisher: Coleco (1983)
Reviewed: 2006/6/25
Recommended variation: 3 (tunnel and laser gates)
Our high score: 78550
1 or 2 players
Publisher: Coleco (1983)
Reviewed: 2000/6/14

Pepper II borrows heavily from both Pac-Man and Qix, but has enough originality to be interesting. You control an angel that moves around mazes, "zipping" up different areas. It's a bit like playing Qix -- on tracks. You are pursued by sets of eyes, which you can turn the tables on by zipping up an area containing a pitchfork. This causes you to become an invincible "demon" for a short period of time. One cool feature is the ability to move between four different maze screens, which you can complete in any order. Pepper II features good control and fun music ranging from the Alfred Hitchcock theme to Zip-a-dee-doo-da. It may be derivative, but Pepper II is definitely a good time. NOTE: No, there was not a Pepper I. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.
Recommended variation: 3
Our high score: STP 141,180
1 or 2 players
Publisher: Activision (1983)
Reviewed: 2000/4/13

This is basically the same game as the classic Atari 2600 version, a few subtle differences aside. First of all, the sound effects are slightly improved. The trees and bushes in the background are more detailed, but the treasures actually look
worse (what the heck IS that thing??). But the most noticeable change is Pitfall Harry himself! He definitely looks "thicker" in this version. Apparently he got lazy after his Atari success and let himself go a little. I'm not saying that the guy is overweight, but he's picked up at least 20 pounds! Otherwise, the game plays like every other version of Pitfall. Too bad they couldn't improve upon the graphics for this Colecovision edition. Even the scorpion looks exactly the same. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.
Our high score: 5576
1 player.
Pitfall II: Lost Caverns
Grade: B+
Publisher: Activision (1984)
Reviewed: 2017/7/15
Publisher: Epyx (1983)
Reviewed: 2000/3/10

Here's a racing game with a cool gimmick - you need to stop every few laps to repair your car and also refuel. Your view is from overhead and slightly behind you car. You never see the horizon, just a winding road with green grass on both sides. The oncoming cars are large and detailed, and bumping into them wears out your tires, as does hitting the walls. Eventually your tires start to change color, and if you let them turn red, they can bust -- ending your game. That's where the strategy comes in - should you pull into the pitstop now, or can you squeeze in another lap?? The highlight of this game is the remarkable pitstop screen, with four members of the pit crew (two for tires, one fuel, one flag) which you control individually. It takes practice to get in and out as quickly as possible; it's a nice bit of realism. The game offers a plentiful number of tracks, but since there's no scenery, they all look the same. Pitstop really isn't very hard as long as you keep your wheels in good shape. The longer races (9 laps) can get pretty monotonous. You may also want to try playing this with the Colecovision steering wheel controller. © Copyright 2000 The Video Game Critic.
Recommended variation: semi-pro single
Our high score: 53,000
1 player
Publisher: Parker Bros (1983)
Reviewed: 2010/7/20
Recommended variation: 2
Our high score: 32,350
1 or 2 players
Publisher: Parker Bros. (1983)
Reviewed: 2004/6/12

This is a good-looking adaptation of the likeable arcade hit. In Q*bert, you control a cute little round guy (with a long nose) traversing a pyramid, trying to turn its squares the same color. This edition is impressive, with all the elements of the arcade game including those squiggly green things that move across the pyramid sideways. There are even short "intros" to each level. I'm glad to see that the "escape disks" sport that cool swirl pattern, but I must say I'm disappointed Q*bert doesn't have any eyes. He's just not the same loveable freak without those big, white eyes. Also, when he "curses", it doesn't look like he really means it. I had difficulty with with the control, until I realized you need to turn the controller forty-five degrees and play it like that. It feels strange at first, but it's not bad once you get the hang of it. The characters are animated smoothly, and the sound effects are faithful to the arcade. Q*bert has three skill levels, and provides plenty of old-school fun. © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.
Recommended variation: 3
Our high score: 11,355
1 or 2 players
Publisher: Parker Bros. (1984)
Reviewed: 2018/12/5
Q*bert (Parker Bros., 1983) was a universal hit starring a loveable, profanity-spewing creature. Its simple gameplay involved hopping around a pyramid until all the blocks were the same color. Q*bert's Qubes adds a Rubik's Cube twist to the formula, narrowing its appeal considerably. Now the cubes you jump between have colors on all sides, and when you jump off a cube it rotates in the opposite direction. The goal is rotate them to match the "model cube" in the corner. This is harder than it sounds and extremely irritating. It's often necessary to hop on and off the same cube several times to get it right, and when you have dangerous snakes and balls bouncing around you, cube orientation is the last thing on your mind. As if the developers sensed the headache they had created, they lowered the bar a bit. Instead of changing all the cubes, you just need to complete any single row. Believe me, when this happens it's completely by accident. Q*bert's Qubes has all the tedium of a puzzle game and absolutely none of the fun. © Copyright 2018 The Video Game Critic.
Recommended variation: 2
Our high score: 6905
1 player
Publisher: Activision (1984)
Reviewed: 2004/6/12

There's not a single bad thing I can say about this terrific version of River Raid. Unlike the Atari 5200 version, which bore a striking resemblance to its Atari 2600 cousin, Activision has given this version the royal treatment. All of the graphics have been completely redone, and the multi-colored ships, helicopters, and tanks look far more realistic. The riverbank winds in irregular patterns, and you'll have to squeeze through some very narrow openings. Numbered bridges allow you to track your progress, and it's always satisfying to blast a bridge to smithereens as a tank's rolling over it. This edition of River Raid even throws in a few extra challenges to ratchet up the difficulty. Special helicopters can fire missiles at you, and tanks line up and fire at you from the riverbank! Your plane is a pleasure to control, and your precision-guided missiles make it possible to obliterate everything in your path. Just make sure to keep an eye on that fuel supply, since fuel barges become more and more scarce as you progress. River Raid has four levels of difficulty. If you're getting tired of the Atari 2600 version, give this one a try. © Copyright 2004 The Video Game Critic.
Recommended variation: 3
Our high score: 18550
1 or 2 players
Publisher: Xonox (1983)
Reviewed: 2010/7/20
Recommended variation: 1
1 or 2 players
Publisher: Coleco (1983)
Reviewed: 2001/7/4

Roc N Rope was a minor arcade game that pushed the Donkey Kong formula a little too far. Instead of climbing ladders, your man shoots ropes diagonally between cliffs, then climbs them to higher ground. Monsters lurk in caves on the cliff faces, and they will either shake the rope, or climb down after you. To defend yourself, you have a flashlight that temporarily stuns them. If you make it to the top of the screen, you'll rescue a magic egg and move on to a tougher level. Subsequent levels include elevators and more complicated sets of platforms. I can see why Roc N Rope never really caught on. The controls have a steep learning curve and the game lacks personality. © Copyright 2001 The Video Game Critic.
Recommended variation: 2
Our high score: 16340
1 or 2 players
Publisher: Coleco (1983)
Reviewed: 2013/2/2

This is the kind of game I really
want to like, if only because it looks so freakin'
awesome. Based on the third Rocky film, Rocky is pitted against Clubber Lang, played by Mr. T. The game opens with a digitized title screen and building music that gets you totally pumped. It makes me want to put down the controller and start working out! Not really. The graphics are extremely attractive and downright
stunning by 1983 standards. The muscular fighters are large, colorful, and closely resemble the real actors. There's even a referee wearing a bow tie that oversees the fight. Rocky uses the Super Action Controllers, but despite all of those buttons, your control feels limited. You can only move your boxer in four directions, and he's slow and stiff. The top two "grip" buttons let you punch high and low, and the bottom two are for block and duck. The buttons are responsive enough but the punches don't generate much power. You can't deliver a devastating uppercut; the best you can hope for is a jab to the face. Boxing games should be cat-and-mouse in nature, but this feels more like rock-paper-scissors. The scoring is odd, and knockdowns rarely correlate to your score. Skill level one is playable because the CPU is easy and there are only three rounds. The remaining skill levels run five or more rounds, and will leave your hand aching. At the end of each bout the winner is shown donning the belt in the ring, arms raised in victory. Rocky looks amazing but even the best graphics can't save a bad game. © Copyright 2013 The Video Game Critic.
Recommended variation: 1
Our high score: 113-108
1 or 2 players