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.

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.

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.