puzzle game made in 1982

Popeye is a superb and demanding platform game featuring characters from the famous King Features Syndicate cartoon show of the same name. The aim of the game is to rescue Popeye's girlfriend, Olive Oyl. This is achieved by catching a set number of objects thrown down by Olive from the top of the screen; such as hearts, letters and musical notes. Popeye is constantly pursued in his quest by love rival, Brutus (originally known as Bluto). Popeye must either run away from Brutus or grab some spinach and punch him off the screen (he will, of course, return).

Should any of Olive Oyl's items fail to be caught, they will fall into the water at the bottom of the screen. Popeye will then have only a few seconds to retrieve the object or a life is lost. Several other Popeye characters also make an appearance in the game; namely Wimpy, Swee'Pea, the Sea Hag, and her vulture Bernard. The game's three levels are the dock scene, the street scene and the shipboard scene. These repeat with increasing difficulty.

The object of the game was to control a space cube and shoot the stars and points of light on each of the faces. Once you cleared a face you must rotate the cube to get to the next wave.

The object of the Q*bert game is to change the color of the top of the cubes to the Destination color indicated at the upper-left corner of the screen (below Player 1's score) by hopping onto them. When all the cubes in the pyramid have been changed to the Destination color, the screen will advance to the next round, with the player-controlled Q*bert character starting back on the top cube. At the beginning of each Level, there will be a short demonstration cycle with Q*bert hopping around four cubes to explain to the player the play action of each Level. Each level consists of four Rounds. The current level number and round number is displayed at the upper-right corner of the screen (below Player 2's score in a 2-player game).

The game play starts with Q*bert appearing at the top of the pyramid. The joystick will move Q*bert from cube to cube by hopping in any of four diagonal directions. Q*bert can move anywhere on the pyramid, but jumping off will kill him. Hopping on the rotating disk will take Q*bert back to the top of the pyramid. In the first two Rounds of play, Q*bert will have to avoid touching the red and purple balls. These deadly objects drop randomly onto the second-from-the-top level and bounce downwards. The red balls will fall off the bottom, but the purple ball will stop at the bottom and hatch into Coily, the snake which chases Q*bert. To destroy Coily, lure him to the edge, then jump unto a disk. The disk will take Q*bert back to the top and Coily will fall off, awarding 500 points and clearing the board of all other 'nasty' characters.

Starting at the 3rd Round of play, other 'nasty' characters come into play. The green characters or objects are safe to hop onto and will award points. All other 'nasty' characters are deadly to touch. In the third Round the red balls will stop falling, but two purple characters named Ugg and Wrong Way will appear at the lower portion of the pyramid and travel sideways and upwards (Ugg is the one with the snout moving from right to left on the right sides of the cubes, and Wrong Way is the one with the big eyes moving from left to right on the left sides of the cubes). They will not chase Q*bert, but will move randomly to get in Q*bert's way. In the third Round and every Round after, based on an internal timer, a green ball will appear and bounce down from the top of the pyramid. Hopping Q*bert onto the green ball will award 100 points, and freeze all the characters on the screen for a few seconds, but 'Q*bert' will still be able to move to complete the color changes.

During the 4th Round of play, two green characters named Slick and Sam will appear, based on the internal timer (Slick is the one wearing shades; Sam does not wear shades, otherwise their function is useridentical). They will drop onto the second level from the top and hop randomly downwards. If they hop onto a cube that Q*bert has already changed the color of, the cube will change to a different color to thwart Q*Bert. Hopping Q*Bert onto Slick or Sam will stop them and award 300 points.

Throughout the remaining Rounds, all the characters and objects will appear in random combinations with increasing speed.

To add variety to the game, the disks will change positions every Round, and in the higher Levels the number of disks will change.

During Level 2, the play action will increase in difficulty from changing the cubes to one color, to changing the color of the cubes twice. This mean: that each cube would have to be hopped on twice to change the pyramid to the destination color, completing the Round.

Starting at Level 3 and for all remaining Rounds, and Levels, the play action will become more difficult. The object remains to change the cubes to the Destination color, but if Q*Bert hops on any cube, that cube will change color. So even if the cube has already been changed to the Destination color, it will change again.

Here is a rundown of how all the colors change :

Legend :
S - Starting Color
I - Intermediate Color
D - Destination color

LEVEL 1 : When Q*bert jumps on S or I, it changes to D. When he jumps on D, it stays at D (NOTE : During the 4th round, when Slick/Sam jumps on D, it changes to I).

LEVEL 2 : When Q*bert jumps on S, it changes to I. When he jumps on I, it changes to D. When he jumps on D, it stays at D.

LEVEL 3 : When Q*bert jumps on S, it changes to D. When he jumps on D, it changes back to S. Q*bert must start again.

LEVEL 4 : When Q*bert jumps on S, it changes to I. When he jumps on I, it changes to D. When he jumps on D, it changes back to I. Q*bert must start again.

LEVEL 5 : When Q*bert jumps on S, it changes to I. When he jumps on I, it changes to D. When he jumps on D, it changes back to S. Q*bert must start again.

LEVELS 6-9 : Same color pattern as Level 5. The difference is the increased speed of Q*bert and the 'nasty' characters.

There are also bonus points awarded at the end of each round for successfully completing the round. The bonus for the completion of the 1st round is 1000 points. This Bonus will progressively increase each Round by 250 points to a maximum of 5000 points at Level 5.

QIX creates a new dimension in arcade-type fun. Experience geometric challenge and creative strategy. Branch out and claim your territory before the QIX traps you. Watch out for those feisty Sparx

The game itself has an interesting concept, similar to "Qix". You have to encircle various particles using a trackball controller.

This prototype was never released. Qwak was a '15-puzzle' game with cute animations and it shares with MM2 the distinction of using 'Motion Objects' for text. Designers were unsure whether it was originally designed for a touch-screen or not. It could have been a joystick game that happened to be in development when they were interested in evaluating touch-screen technology. They felt that the touch-screen would make a more intuitive interface, but were apparently wrong. The most common comment at the focus-group was 'could you put a joystick or buttons on it. It would be easier'...

A maze game similar to Qix.

shootemup game made in 1982

White water everywhere! And hidden in the strong current are any number of dangers lying in wait to capsize your log raft. Your mission is to make your way downstream as far as possible, avoiding treacherous rocks, feisty moose, and sections of tree which have been cut down by a pesky beaver. Skillful maneuvering is not without rewards, however, because there are also gold nuggets appearing in the river, which, when touched, can be accumulated to extend your trek into the wilderness.

You and Indiana Jones have a mission: Find the lost Ark of the Covenant. To find the Ark, you must travel to ancient Egypt and follow clues that lead to the Well of the Souls. Use Indy's bullwhip and your own wits to get out of danger - and watch out for snakes!

EEEEEK! Green is going wild! Red on your right! Blue at your back! Yipes, yellow! Quick! Jam it, slam it. Ram It! Put your Ramroid into action and rifle away. Strike a color and it plays a looney 'lectronic tune. Bash the bonus bar and you'll win big. Ram It! It's a rainbow race against time. A contest between color and claustrophobia. A medley of musical mayhem. Do you have the rare skill and rapid reflexes it takes to repulse these rainbow raiders? Play it to the max and you might!

First called 'Ram-It', then 'Expander', Reactor was Skelly's first game design upon going independent. Skelly was one of the first independent game designers. He designed a number of games for Gottlieb (none of which were released) before taking an extended break in which he watched horror movies, drank margaritas and wrote a screenplay!

Your ship is trapped inside the heart of a nuclear reactor - a reactor whose core is rapidly approaching meltdown. Time is running short and you must act quickly. As nuclear particles bombard your craft, you fight to blast them and destroy the reactor's control rods. If you succeed, the core will shrink. But if you don't...

Hit a home run, make a spectacular catch, or force a triple play! Here's your chance to prove your skills on the baseball diamond. Your job - to guide your team to victory. You control the ballplayers and the strategy. Play against your friends or the computer. And keep an eye out for that fastball - it's a scorcher!

RealSports Football is a Football Sim game, published by Atari, which was released in 1982.

You're the quarterback on a 4th and goal situation. You gotta have this touchdown to win, but that defense is tough, real tough. You call a rollout pass. Good choice. Uh-oh, here comes that blitzing linebacker. Do you run or pass? Quick, decide! Ah, there, your receiver is free. Hurry, the clock's running out.

Hi, soccer fans! Here's Atari's new life-like three-dimensional SOCCER with the most exciting games you'll ever experience outside a stadium. Beat the computer, trounce the visiting team, or cheer from the stands as the computer plays against itself in Auto-Play mode. Halves last from 5 to 45 minutes and there are 4 skill levels.

Do you like to play Volleyball on the beach? Well, get out your suntan lotion and swimsuit becasue this Atari RealSports Volleyball game offers a beach setting: the sea, the sand, the sun - even a shark!

The player pilots a rescue helicopter and must try to rescue numerous airmen who have parachuted into the sea below. The rescue chopper is under constant attack from enemy helicopters, while sharks swim in the ocean below and will kill any floating airmen they come across. Later levels also have enemy subs and ships all intent on foiling the rescue mission. Players must be careful to avoid the falling wreckage of any enemy helicopters they have just destroyed, and also need to be wary of hitting any parachuting airmen with their 'copter blades, as this will kill the airmen instantly.

In a very similar vein to Williams' legendary "Robotron", also released in '82, the rescue chopper is armed with a gun that can fire in eight different directions, irrespective of the direction the rescue chopper is flying in. In addition to the eight-way gun, the 'copter can also drop missiles from its underside, which is essential for destroying enemy subs and ships.

To complete a stage, players must pick up a set number of fallen airmen from the sea (determined at the start of each level) and deposit them safely onto a nearby island.

We have a serious problem on Terra I. The colonies sole purpose is to mine Zenbar Crystals which are used for 72% of Earth's energy production. Mining dangers plus security needed to safeguard crystal shipments required the creation of the most complex computer-controlled robotics system ever devised. This system had been doing a tremendous job. But... something is wrong. Crystal shipments have stopped, and returning crystal freighters have been destroyed by Terra I's own planetary defense system...

Riddle of The Sphinx is an Action game, developed and published by Imagic, which was released in 1982.

River Raid is a vertically scrolling action game. You fly a jet up river in an attempt to destroy bridges which are vital to the enemy. The river is heavily guarded, however, with tanks, choppers, and enemy aircraft trying to stop you. Along the way you will need to fly over fuel depots to refuel your jet and keep flying.

Mission: Code Name River Raid. Jet down the river. Break the enemy blockade and blast the bridges to halt enemy troop advances. Terrain: Code Name River of No Return. An ever-changing, ever-challenging waterway. Expect huge islands, narrow channels and treacherous bays crawling with enemy choppers, tankers and jets. Weaponry: Code Name StratoStrafer. Your B1 StratoWing Assault Jet has been retrofitted with sophisticated, rapid-fire guided missiles. Your craft is super-sensitive to the stick. Accelerate, slow or bank radically with only a touch. Tactics: Jet low to the river to avoid radar. Stop periodically at depots to refuel. A warning claxxon will alert you. Top speed! Best of luck!

Set in the year 2084, Robotron is a single-screen shoot-em-up in which super-intelligent self-aware robots known as 'Robotrons' - designed and built to help mankind - have revolted against their creators and vowed to either reprogram the humans into Robotrons or, failing this, wipe-out the human race entirely.

The player must destroy the robots and rescue the Earth's remaining human families. The player's only weapon is a multi-directional Anti-Robot Laser Gun. Used effectively, it will give players the power to destroy all the Robot waves, with the exception of the indestructible 'Hulk' unit.

At the start of the attack wave, players will have three chances to wipe out the enemy and advance to the next wave. Every 25000 points players are granted another chance to complete their mission.

MAN, WOMAN, CHILD : These are the only three types of human clones left on Earth. Defenseless and easy prey to the Robots, they are totally dependent upon players for their survival and will wander aimlessly until the player makes contact with them. Touching them will place them under the player's protective powers and earn them the following points: 1000 for rescuing the 1st human; 2000 for the 2nd: 3000 for the 3rd; 4000 for the 4th; 5000 for the 5th; and 5000 for every additional human saved. At the beginning of each new wave and when the player loses a turn, rescue scoring will again begin at 1000.

- ROBOTRON UNITS -

TANK: Its goal is to kill the player by firing rebounding Shells. Annihilate the Tank for 300 points; the Shell for 50 points.

BRAIN: Red alert. The Brain is the most clever and dangerous of the Robot species. Its two-pronged attack will be launched every 5th wave. If it collides with the player, it will electrocute them where they stand. It also possesses the devastating power to fire Cruise Missiles which will follow the player until either contact is made or they are shot and destroyed. Kill the Brain for 500 points; demolish the Cruise Missile for 75 points.

The victims of the 2nd prong of the Brain's attack are the defenseless humans. If captured, a human will be irreversibly transformed - literally re-programmed by the Brain's incredible mind powers - into a Prog: a Robot that will viciously turn against its own protector, the player. Annihilate the Progs for 100 points or meet a violent death at their hands.

SPHEROID : This pulsating sphere may at first look harmless, but it is the mothership which spawns deadly Enforcer Embryos. Players must try to explode the Spheroid before it ejects the Embryos to earn 1000 points.

ENFORCER : The Embryos grow into evil Enforcers. Kill them for 200 points. Let them live and they will lessen the player's chance for survival by launching Enforcer Sparks. Destroy the Sparks for 25 points.

HULK : In all attack waves except every 5th, the Hulk will stalk his prey. He alone of the Robot species cannot be killed. The player's Laser Gun can only slow him down or divert him from his objective of crushing all life from the humans and the player. Players must avoid this Robot at all costs or the mission will be lost at the outset.

GRUNT : The least sophisticated species of Robot is the Grunt. He has no weapon and possesses only minimal intelligence. This does not mean he is to be dealt with lightly. He will single-mindedly pursue players to capture and destroy them. Kill him and score 100 points.

ELECTRODES : The pulsating, immobile Electrodes will attempt to block the player's path. A collision with them means instant death. Fortunately, the Grunts will also be annihilated by contact with the player. Electrodes must be avoided or destroyed with the Laser Gun. In each new attack wave they will assume a different shape, but remain just as deadly if contact is made.