TI-99/4A Reviews A-Z

Generic maze games were standard issue for systems of the late 70s/early 80s. These included Maze (Channel F, 1977), Amazing Maze (Astrocade, 1978), and Maze Craze: A Game of Cops 'n Robbers (Atari 2600, 1978), just to name a few. Maze generation algorithms were pretty well-known so banging out random mazes on the fly was no big deal. Writing programs to navigate them however was considered "artificial intelligence".

A-Maze-ing arrived on the scene a little late, so to compensate it offers you an endless number of ways to configure each game. One or two players? Escape maze or cheese hunt? Simple or complex maze? Visible walls? Obstacles? Fast or slow mice? Cats or no cats? Smart or dumb cats? Sudz compared setting up a single game to filing a damn tax return!

Once the action is underway the game plays well. You control a tiny mouse head that moves at a moderate pace, but definitely slower than Maze Craze. The "complex mazes" are optimal in that you can't tell just by a glance what the correct path is. The sound effects can be a little annoying. Where is that high-pitched squealing coming from?

One thing I hate about TI-99 games in general is how after each game the menus prompt you to hit keys like "proc'd", "redo" and "back" which don't appear anywhere on the keyboard! Only through some research did I learn these functions are mapped to function+6, function+8, and function+9. How would you know that?

A-Maze-ing is a decent little "create-your-own-game" game. Try the variation with two fast cats in a complex maze, but make sure they are "dumb" so they can't easily home in on your position. That way, when on the run, you can duck into a nook and hope they pass by. When you escape the maze your best time is displayed. There's nothing amazing about this but the game can be fun if you make the proper selections. Just be sure you run it by your accountant first! © Copyright 2025 The Video Game Critic.

Alpiner was a groundbreaking title back in the day. I remember playing it over my neighbor's house as a kid. Your mountain climber was absolutely huge compared to other video game characters of the time. The game also boasted amazing voice synthesis. Upon getting sprayed by a skunk, I recall my climber exclaiming "yuck!"

Even by today's standards, Alpiner's production values shine through. Boot it up and you're prompted to select one of seven languages. This affects the game text but not the voice samples. Now that would have been impressive!

Your challenge is to ascend six progressively larger mountains: Hood, Matterhorn, Kenya, McKinley, Garmo, and Everest. The controls are simple. Using a joystick (or keyboard) you move your climber in one of eight directions. Your climber advances one small step/grab at a time. The action is complemented by excellent harmonized music that sounds like a traditional Austrian folksong.

While methodically making your way upward, you'll encounter fires, snakes, bears, and panthers. These hazards do not move but consume a lot of space so you'll want to give them a wide berth. The real danger comes in the form of falling rocks which look like charcoal briquettes. The collision detection is somewhat forgiving, but if you take a hit you're falling all the way to the bottom. That's pretty brutal, especially when you've nearly reached the summit.

Like many vintage games you can move off the right side of the screen and will reappear on the left side and vice versa. When you finally reach the top you're treated to a scene of your climber standing victorious next to a flag he's planted to the sound of an heroic refrain.

The voice samples remain impressive to this day, exhibiting remarkable clarity. Both a man and a woman chime in, practically provide color commentary. They can be helpful, advising you to "look out!" or "beware of falling objects". At other times it feels like they're mocking you with remarks like "walked right into that one" and "getting tired already?" Sudz was told "you forgot to duck" although there's really no way to do that. I guess they were just being sarcastic!

Alpiner is a unique, easy-to-play title with charm and personality. Since its mountains are randomized, you never know what to expect. Sudz claimed the falling rock was a little cheap but it definitely keeps you on your toes. Be sure to acquire a TI-99/4A speech synthesizer with this game, because the two really go hand in hand. © Copyright 2026 The Video Game Critic.

Whenever I acquire a new system I'm on the look-out for exclusive titles. These differentiate the systems and make collecting fun. Ambulance happens to be one of those obscure games made by a small company, and I enjoy it quite a bit.

You drive an ambulance in this one (big surprise there). The opening screen plays a morbid Alfred Hitchcock-style refrain, which is less-than-reassuring when people's lives are in your hands! The game screen displays an overhead view of several city blocks, and you can freely navigate your ambulance around its streets.

The idea is to pick up sick patients from blinking houses and transport them to the hospital on the far right. Unfortunately the city planners were totally incompetent, placing the hospital directly on the opposite side of some railroad tracks! And with each patient you save, the trains riding those tracks get longer!

The controls feel responsive as you weave through traffic at busy intersections. When you reach a blinking house you just pull over and press the button to load the patient in. This also activates your sirens which is pretty awesome. Unfortunately while heading back to the hospital other cars will not stop and get out of your way. Just the opposite really!

You score each time you deliver a patient, with point values based on the condition of the patient. If the patient is in poor health you'll earn 300 points. But if he's in critical condition he's only worth 100. It's a shame you can only transport one at a time. When you reach a certain threshold (like 2000 points) the city layout changes which adds variety and amps up the difficulty.

Ambulance has a few rough edges. The game ends when you lose five patients or three ambulances, but the indicators can be confusing. The traffic can be pretty unfair as well, especially when you're at the end of a one-way street and a car materializes at the start of it.

Patient locations are randomized, so there's some luck involved. If a series of patients appear in close proximity to the hospital, you can quickly shuttle them over for easy points. But when a patient is all the way across town, it makes your life extremely difficult. Such is the life of an emergency medical technician. But if you can save one pixelated person, it will all be worth it. I don't think I've ever played anything quite like Ambulance before, and I mean that in the best way possible. © Copyright 2026 The Video Game Critic.

They can't all be winners, folks. The nicest thing I can say about Black Hole is that it's dirt simple to play. One or two players move little orange spaceships around a screen with stars in the background. Purple fighters enter the fray two at a time. They aren't aggressive at all; they just sort of aimlessly bounce around the screen.

You can move your ship wherever; there's no sense of momentum. You just approach an enemy, shoot, move to the next, rinse and repeat. Or you can just position your ship at the bottom, shooting continuously upward while waiting for them to fly into your line of fire. The only danger lies in moving too close to an enemy and colliding with it. Even that's no big deal because the game doles out free ships like sauce packets at Taco Bell. This game is pointless.

The background depicts the Earth off to one side and Saturn on the other. So where is this "black hole"? Well, after doing some cursory research, I arrived at a monumental discovery: there is none! Oh sure enemy craft are referred to in the instructions as "black hole ships" but what does that even mean? Did they emerge from a black hole? How is that even possible? This game makes a mockery of physics, and I won't stand for it! [Remains seated]

Playing Black Hole with a friend effectively doubles the pain. You can't shoot each other, but maybe that would have been a good idea. Enemy ships do eventually begin firing random shots, but by then your wrist is tired and you just want the misery to end. Black Hole is so terrible, scientists have speculated that not even a glimmer of fun can escape from its event horizon. © Copyright 2026 The Video Game Critic.

At a glance Defender for the TI-99 looks like a surefire winner with arcade graphics, fast action, and faithfully-recreated audio effects. You get the angular planet surface, well-defined aliens, and laser blasts that stream across the screen. An ominous intro tone resonates like a call to arms. Ten pixelated humans are counting on you!

Once you engage your thrust it becomes readily evident that side-scrolling is not the TI-99's strong suit. It feels fast and jerky, lacking both precision and a sense of momentum. When things get hectic the action becomes choppy and the frame-rate goes to hell. When your ship explodes, it happens in slow motion.

Despite the rough animation it's surprisingly easy to line up your shots with aliens. When a bunch of them are on the screen, you can fire like a madman, obliterating them from top to bottom. The collision detection is forgiving as well.

You also have a supply of "smart bombs" that instantly zap all the aliens on the screen. This is detonated via the space bar. Any other key (besides P for pause) initiates hyperspace, relocating your ship randomly over the planet surface. These keyboard controls are well-designed and easy to use.

While perusing the playing tips in the manual I uncovered a strategy that had never occurred to me before. Normally the planet self-destructs when all ten humans are taken. However, if you catch a falling human and keep it in your possession, the aliens can never destroy the planet, at least not without destroying you!

The aliens are not particularly fast or aggressive. More like sitting ducks. The game dispenses an excessive number of them over the course of each wave to ratchet up the difficulty, but it has the opposite effect. By giving you more targets, it's far easier to reach the next 10K mark, allowing you to rack up a substantial amount of extra ships and smart bombs.

Defender offers two difficulty levels but the difference between "easy" and "hard" is negligible. I guess aliens abduct the humans quicker on the "hard" setting, but even then experienced gamers will find this game very easy. You'll notice my high score topped 100K which is unheard-of for a Defender game. I probably could have played indefinitely. © Copyright 2026 The Video Game Critic.

When it comes to TI-99/4A arcade ports, Donkey Kong sets the bar for excellence. I've reviewed versions of this game for several consoles and home computers, but this version does an uncanny job of capturing that arcade feeling. The graphics appear super-high in resolution, the control is tight, and the animation is fluid. Best of all, it contains all four screens!

For those who weren't around last century, Donkey Kong popularized the platforming genre while introducing both Mario and Donkey Kong. The idea is that Mario must climb girders while jumping over barrels to save his girl Pauline. He can occasionally grab a hammer to smash them for bonus points. Each screen has its own unique configuration and strategy.

The first screen totally knocked me out with its graphics. I like the "shiny" oil barrel at the very bottom and the way Pauline yells "HELP!" at the top. The barrels roll smoothly and come in a variety of colors. The controls are very good, although it is possible to get hung up on a ladder if you try to walk sideways before completing your ascent.

Grabbing the hammer is a risky proposition. You can net big bonuses with it, but it's hard to anticipate when it's going to expire. Holding it does not make you invincible, so it's possible a barrel could sneak under the hammer on occasion. Sudz noted that the game lacks that satisfying "smashing" animation; the barrels just disappear.

The audio is fair. While the intro jingle rings true, it lacks the harmony of some versions. Also, when things get hectic the action and background music have a tendency to slow down a tinge.

What's most notable about this Donkey Kong is how it contains the highly-coveted conveyor belt screen! That was practically unheard of in the early 80's. You'll need to be a real pro to reach it however. All in all this may just be the definitive home version of Donkey Kong, setting the bar quite high for subsequent TI-99/4A arcade ports. © Copyright 2026 The Video Game Critic.

Every system worth its weight from the early 80s required a version of Pac-Man (Atari 2600, 1982), or at least a cheap imitation. Munch Man delivers maze-chomping action with its own unique style. The maze is bright white with pseudo-3D walls that change color throughout the game. The characters are tiny but speedy. The audio is so quiet I had to double-check to make sure the volume was on.

The maze design is more sprawling than Pac-Man, with not one but two tunnels that wrap around to the other side. Instead of eating dots you leave a "chain" in your wake. To clear the screen you must traverse every pathway to create a complete chain, but it's easy to miss a spot here and there. It's somewhat alarming when you think you've cleared the maze and yet the baddies keep coming, prompting you to frantically scour the screen for a missing link.

Your four adversaries are referred to in the manual as "hoonos" and they change from stage to stage. At first they're spinning whirlybirds, but later they assume the form of UFOs, stamps, jellyfish, and bats. Apparently there are 20 different forms in all. Not too shabby!

These hoonos move unpredictably, often stopping on a dime and reversing direction. Power pills can be found in each corner assuming the form of flashing Texas Instruments logos. Snagging one causes the hoonos to turn tail. It also gives Munch Man a burst of adrenaline, making it easier to chase them down those hoono bastards.

The action unfolds at a brisk pace but the controls feel a little stiff. It's really imperative you use a high-quality joystick via a joystick adapter. I also noticed the speed tends to fluctuate throughout the game which affects the responsiveness of the controls.

It takes a while for the challenge to kick in, so the early waves can lull you into a false sense of security. Later this game dares you to take risks. Munch Man is so much fun, you might forget it's just another Pac-Man knock-off. © Copyright 2026 The Video Game Critic.

Playing Parsec rekindled long-dormant memories from the early 1980s. When I was a kid, my neighbors had acquired a TI-99 computer with all the trimmings. One day my friend Andy invited me over to sample the games in his basement. He gave me a whirlwind tour of their collection, but only two cartridges really stand out in my memory. One was Alpiner and the other was Parsec.

Parsec was clearly inspired by Defender (Atari XE, 1982), a wildly popular side-scrolling, rapid-fire shooter. This game looks similar but its gameplay is more simplistic. Your ship is situated over a planet surface on the left side of the screen. Alien craft swoop down from the right, moving into your line of fire before attempting to ram you.

The voice synthesis module is utilized in this game, featuring a disinterested female reading lines like "alien craft approaching" and "nice shot". At least her voice is very smooth and clear. Most voice synthesizers of the time tended to sound stilted and robotic.

You can tell the Parsec programmers had some fun with rendering the planet surface. There's all sorts of futuristic structures including radar dishes and giant robots. There's even a Texas Instrument logo carved into a mountain. I also noticed letters spelling PARSEC and JED-URB. I'm sure that means something to someone.

The waves offer a bit of variety, but Parsec's gameplay is sloppy. The controls are awful. When you move up and down it feels very stiff and delayed. Even with a rapid-fire laser it's remarkably hard to hit incoming ships. You also have the ability to move slightly right or left, but I have no idea why you would want to do that. If you fire too often your ship explodes due to overheating.

Andy wasn't a fan of Parsec. In fact, I clearly remember him dismissing the game as "stupid" while yanking it out of the system and moving on to the next game. He may have been a bit harsh, but not totally out of line. The TI 99/4A had some impressive arcade conversions, but this was not one of them. © Copyright 2025 The Video Game Critic.

I fully expected the TI-99/4A to have an obligatory Space Invaders (Atari 2600, 1980) clone, but I didn't think it would be this good. Sudz deemed it indistinguishable from the arcade game, but I think it's far better. There are two skill levels: "merely aggressive" and "downright nasty". Since I'm an old pro I felt obligated to choose the latter, and the difficulty felt just right.

The descending alien armada consists of three types of mutants, and they tend to change as the waves progress. The animation is so smooth and the colors really pop. A large mothership periodically crosses the top of the screen which is pretty easy to hit. I like how its point value appears right there on the screen.

Enemy bombs drop rapidly, but your cannon is small and nimble enough to dodge the bombardment. Your shots travel up the screen quickly and often cancel-out the bombs. I appreciate how holding in the button allows for continuous fire. When your cannon is destroyed, it's hauled to a little "junkyard" on the bottom right.

Especially when playing on the "nasty" skill level you'll want to take cover behind the four white barriers. You can poke holes in them, keeping in mind that will also allow bombs to pass through. As any experienced Space Invaders player will tell you, it's best to take out the columns on each end of the armada to slow their descent.

One area where TI Invaders rings hollow is in the audio department. When you hit an invader, it makes a static sound instead of a boom. I was however caught completely off-guard with the bonus stages between waves. It lets you take a series of shots at a low-flying mother ship, a la the "shoot the bear" stage in Carnival (Colecovision, 1982). Suffice to say this arcade adaptation goes well beyond the call of duty. © Copyright 2025 The Video Game Critic.