Lauren Tyler

I've been fascinated with hacking for the longest time, but all the programs I've seen are far too complicated to use. Is there some kind of tutorial someone can point me to (or someone who'd be willing to assist me in learning?)

Shoot first and ask questions later, I always say...

It's reasons like that that make me wish my classic 4-switch woodgrain still worked!

The killer-app for the 2600 gets its day in HSC, and while I'm usually good at this, I don't think I'll be doing so well this week!

I'll definitely get a Revolution, I just hope that Nintendo actually makes good on their Wi-Fi claims. After Satoru Iwata fouled up the GameCube by not allowing anyone to make their games online, I'm kinda skeptical.

It's a fun game, I remember in 1995 working hard to get the fastest time for each fighter.

About time, I've seen those Super Joy 3 guys at my mall several times, and the first time, I just gave it a try to see what it was about. Then I realized what it was and tried to walk away, but the owners of the cart tried to convince me to buy one. Naturally I told them no several times, and I finally did convince them I wasn't changing my mind.

Car Race might be a pirate of Night Driver.

War may be hell, but it's also fun!

Q*Bert's Qubes Another port of the arcade game with the same name, this time Q*Bert had more of a unique approach in that the qubes (sic) he would jump on would rotate, changing to a different color each time. The goal was to line up four of the same colors in a row, which is easier said than done, given the fact that the playfields are shaped differently than the original playfields in the original Q*Bert. In addition, you've got a plethora of various nasties out to get Q*Bert. Also included in this version are bonus stages. Unfortunately, Q*Bert's Qubes was only available through Sears and Hill's Department Stores, meaning it was hard to find as it was. It was also released in 1984, during the Great Video Game Crash. It's too bad, too, since the graphics are done very well for an Atari 2600 game, combined with the unique gameplay. Strawberry Shortcake's Musical Matchup Strawberry Shortcake's Musical Matchup was pretty much an effort to give girls a game that they could play. The player would be given the task of matching up three parts of a character from the famous doll/cartoon series with head, torso, and legs. When all three were matched, the character's name would appear on the bottom while they did a dance to their own unique theme. If they were mixed up, a portion of the song specific to each character part would play. There was the option to play freely to see who all the characters were and to see them dance (and create bizarre music combinations) and then there was a timed game where you tried to make as many matches as possible. It's one of those games that were best suited for very young children. James Bond 007 James Bond makes a unique appearance on the Atari 2600 by combining elements from three classic Bond movies. While operating a vehicle that has the abilities of a car, airplane, and submarine, and equipped with some high-tech firepower, you must save the world from three classic Bond villains. First, you must stop Serrafino and rescue Tiffany Case in Diamonds Are Forever, which involves a ride through the desert and then going into the ocean, while dealing with enemy forces intent on stopping you. Next, it's Moonraker, where you must prevent Hugo Drax from destroying the world so he can populate it with his own super race. Finally, in The Spy Who Loved Me, you must stop Karl Stromberg from continuing to capture nuclear submarines, and rescue your fellow agent Anya Amasova from his clutches. The gameplay seems simple enough, but there is a fair deal of variety in it, and the graphics are very nice too. The game even gives you an agent rating after each game, with 006 being the highest on Novice, and 007 being the highest on Expert!

Kabobber Kabobber was originally a prototype game that was programmed by Rex Bradford, known for his work on Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Jedi Arena. It was discovered in 2000 and improved upon a little before being released to the public in ROM format. Kabobbers are strange (but cute) little creatures who just love wreaking havoc. Your objective is to send in your Buvskies to krush the Kabobbers before they krush you. You can have up to nine Buvskies onscreen at one time, but you have reserves waiting offscreen should one get krushed. You move your Bruvskies across the grid, jumping on enemy Kabobbers in order to defeat them and earn additional reserve Bruvskies. The baby Bruvskies become big ones when they defeat an enemy. The enemies get tougher and tougher, meaning very good timing is required in the later stages. Above all, you must reach Princess Buvsky before she reaches the rainbow energy at the other end of the level and devours it. A very unique game, but also somewhat fun. And to finish things off... Sky Jinks Sky Jinks was programmed by Bob Whitehead, best known for programming games such as Chopper Command, Private Eye, and Stampede. You are in a pylon race in your P41 plane, trying to complete the course in the shortest time possible, so you can earn the coveted Thompson Trophy. You must pass red pylons on the right and blue ones on the left, with a 3 second penalty given for each missed pylon. There are five game variations, each one getting more and advanced, with the fifth one generating a new course every time one plays. Players who completed Game 1 in 37 seconds or less without missing any pylons were eligible to receive an 'Activision Sky Stars' patch by sending a photograph of their achievement to Activision.

(Just so you know, I've had a lot of difficulty trying to play the game, so I'm writing this based on the instruction 'manual' posted, as well as what I've seen.) Cubicolor Cubicolor was written by Rob Fulop while he was working Imagic, but the company refused to publish it. Nevertheless, he proceeded to sell it himself in a very limited amount of cartridges. It's a truly interesting game that mixes the classic 'Rubik's Cube' with sliding puzzles. You have a grid made of up different colors, and on either side of the screen you will see a 3x3 pattern of different colors. The goal is to get the 9 squares in the center of the grid (which form a 3x3 pattern) to match the same pattern. To do so, the player uses the joystick to slide the different colors around the grid by maneuvering a black space (supposed to be the empty part of the puzzle.) The game is complete when the player successfuly gets that pattern replicated. There is no real method of scoring, nor is there a timer, so the only goal seems to be to get the pattern replicated in the fewest number of moves. One or two players can play simultaneously. Unless you were lucky enough to acquire a copy of the game from Rob Fulop (he's sold out now, and it's highly unlikely you can find a copy on eBay) the only way to play this game is on an emulator. (With this one, I'm really hazarding a guess, since I've had little luck playing on emulator, so I'm combining what I did manage to get out of the emulated version with what I read in the manual and on the box.) Wing War Wing War was a rather unique game that was only available in Europe. The gameplay is a little like the classic arcade game Joust, except it's a bit more complex and involves a lot of exploration. A mystical dragon sets out to find crystals of fire, air, and water, in order to gain special powers, and eggs which will hatch into new dragons. The dragon must defeat enemies by shooting fireballs, which is accomplished by pushing the joystick upwards and in the direction the player wishes to shoot in. Some enemies can be killed with one shot, others with two, and some take more and more fireballs to be killed as the game progresses. What is truly unique about this game is that the fire and water crystals must never be dropped off consecutively, or else they will destroy one another. An air crystal must separate the two. Also, players must learn to conserve fireballs, otherwise they will find they have no way of defending themselves against their enemies. It's a very unique game, and a shame it was never released in the United States.

Getting a bit better. Gotta figure out how to deal with those damn tanks!

Rampage Rampage is a port of the arcade game by Midway with the same title. This version was programmed by Bob Polaro, who also worked on games such as Road Runner and Defender. The premise is simple: You have been turned into a gigantic mutant creature, either a giant ape, a giant lizard, or a giant wolf, and are now bent on wreaking havoc across the entire United States. You must wreck buildings and eat anyone that stands in your way. Naturally, the army will be trying to stop you using their guns, bombs, and whatever else they can use. The menu screens are actually very well done in terms of graphics, and the portraits of the monsters look very nice. Unfortunately, the actual in-game graphics are very crude at best. The buildings all look the same, and there isn't much detail to the monsters or the humans. It's a good effort at porting it to the Atari 2600, even if the graphics suffered a bit.

Gyruss Gyruss is an Atari 2600 port of the arcade game of the same name designed by Konami. The most notable feature was how your ship would move around the edge of the screen in a circular motion as the enemies came at you from the center of the screen. The objective was the defeat all the enemies so you could progress through the galaxy, passing planet after planet untill you eventually reached the Earth. The rotation style gameplay is still intact, and even though the graphics are a bit crude, they still get the job done, which is very notable since in the arcade version, the player's ship had to be hand drawn in every angle and size. The gameplay sounds simple, but it's actually very challenging and fun.

Yech, lousy for a first attempt! I think if I can find the digital camera, I'll boot up my Atari 7800 (finally!)

Riddle of the Sphinx Riddle of the Sphinx is an adventure game put out by Imagic, and truly one of (if not the only one) their most complex games put out for the Atari 2600. You are the son of a Pharaoh, who must traverse the desert of Egypt in search of great treasures which must be offered at various temples in order to appease the ancient gods and lift a curse off of Egypt. The trek is not easy, however, as the prince must deal with thieves, fatigue, and thirst. In addition, the player must keep an eye on their status by using the right difficulty switch and the TV-type switch to change the status views. The right joystick is used to select items, while the left moves the prince and throws rocks at enemies. Attacking thieves with rocks results in bonus points, while things like attacking a trader or a god will result in points being lost. The prince can also be attacked by scorpions, thieves, and also sustain damage for angering a god. Time heals wounds, and oases will cure the prince's thirst. It's a very complex game, meaning that one should read the manual if possible. However, once you figure out what you need to do, it's a very unique and fun game.

I'm not at home, so I can't submit a score yet. I do realize there are some errors on the page, but I'm sure you'll correct them ASAP. Here's a suggestion for the description for this week's game: It's dangerous. It's mean. It's WAR! And now, you are there! Your mission? Invade enemy territory and knock out the fortress. To do it, you'll have totravel over tricky terrain and fight against overwhelming odds at every step. Evade attacks, search and destroy lumbering tanks! Storm the river bridge to face your most difficult challenge: the enemy fort! You must demolish it or die. And if you succeed? A new assignment is yours on another front, against a more experienced army. There's no rest, no relaxation, no letting down your guard. You're in the Army now, because this week's game is Front Line!

G.I. Joe - Cobra Strike G.I. Joe - Cobra Strike is a unique game that, while seems to bear little resemblance to the actual line of toys and cartoons, posesses a unique style of gameplay. A giant cobra is attacking the G.I. Joe base, attempting to use its weapons to capture new recruits as they run from the right side of the bottom of the screen to the left. You control a moving shield in an effort to shield them from this, while firing shots at the cobra in an effort to destroy it. You use the paddles to control your shield, and the button will fire shots. While firing, you can steer the paddle to direct your shots. Up to three people can play at once, with two players cooperating to defeat the cobra, one player attacking as the cobra with the other one defending, or two people defending the recruits and the third player attacking as the cobra. It was one of (if not the only) game that used both paddles and a joystick. Star Wars: The Arcade Game The title pretty much says what this game is: A port of the famous vector graphics arcade game by Atari to the Atari 2600. The vector graphics, obviously, couldn't be used on the Atari 2600, so they had to make do with sprites instead. You are piloting an X-Wing in an effort to destroy the Death Star before it can be fully completed by the evil Empire. First, you take on TIE fighters as you approach the death star, then go on to shoot at tower turrets, before finally going into the trench and shooting enemy TIEs as you go for the exhaust port in an effort to launch the photon torpedo and blow up the Death Star. The joystick controls feel a little awkward at first, since you are not only moving your cursor, but at times steering your ship as well. In addition, the up and down are reversed to give it more of a flight simulation feel, which can also feel weird with the cursor. Still, aside from that, it's still a great port of the arcade game.

I can't believe I actually picked that instead of Pole Position! At any rate, here's some more descriptions, just for the hell of it. Sky Skipper Sky Skipper is a rather unique game that was actually designed by Nintendo, before they went into the console business. You are the pilot of an airplane who is given the task of rescuing animals who have been kidnapped by a mischievous gorilla. In order to do this, you must drop a bomb on the gorilla, which will cause him to turn upside down and allow the animals to jump out of their cages in a manner similar to flashing sprites. This only lasts for a few seconds, and once the gorilla recovers, the animals go back into their cages. The gameplay sounds simple, but it is very difficult, since colliding with anything except for an animal causes you to lose a life. Fortunately, the controls are very precise and allow you to fly with little difficulty. Spider-Man Spider-Man marks the webslinger's very first foray into the video game field, yet it turns out to be a mixed bag. The Green Goblin has set up bombs on a high voltage tower atop a skyscraper, and it's up to Spider-Man to defuse them and save the day. Of course, this won't be very easy, since there are numerous thugs inside the buildings waiting to ambush Spider-Man. Spider-Man climbs the building by shooting his webbing and then climbing up. He can also swing from side-to-side by shooting it diagonally. He can swing into thugs to take them out and earn extra points. However, if his webbing lands in a window, or it touches a thug, he'll begin falling. The only way to save Spider-Man from being flattened is to shoot another webbing onto the skyscraper in order to save himself. Spider-Man must also watch his web fluid, which acts as a timer of sorts, and can be restored by capturing thugs or disarming bombs. However, the Green Goblin also has a Super Bomb ready to blow up the skyscraper if Spider-Man takes too long, and will cut his web if he tries to get past him. If Spider-Man manages to disarm the Super Bomb, however, he'll earn a bonus and move onto another building. The controls are rather unusual, but the gameplay is very unique. Super Cobra Super Cobra is a port of the arcade game made by Konami, where the objective is to fly your helicopter into enemy territory, destroying their missiles and blowing up their structures. You can also bomb their fuel tanks and regain some fuel yourself. The primary problem with this game is the fact that the controls are very unusual. The fire button alternates between firing missiles and dropping bombs. An easier solution would've been to tap the button to fire missiles, and hold it to drop bombs (similar to the Activision version of Commando.) The graphics are also very bland and could've been done better, even for an Atari 2600 game.

Tutankham Tutankham puts you in the boots of an intrepid explorer who is exploring the tombs of the great King Tut. You must guide your explorer through numerous mazes while avoiding various deadly creatures such as spiders, scorpions, and snakes. Pushing left or right on the joystick while pressing the button will allow you to fire your gun at these creatures, while moving the joystick upwards and pressing the button will set off a flash grenade which destroys everything onscreen. However, you only have a limited number of these grenades. In each level, you must move through secret passages (which are noted by small squares in the walls) and gain the treasures before you can move to the next level. It's a simple game in terms of concept, but the difficulty level is very high and poses a great challenge. Montezuma's Revenge Before there was Lara Croft, there was Panama Joe in Montezuma's Revenge, a unique game where you go through an aztec pyramid, trying to collect treasures while dodging enemy creatures and booby traps. You can collect keys to open doors, but only certain colored keys will open certain doors. You can also pick up daggers to use against some enemy creatures. There is a scepter which will make you invulnerable against the enemies for a limited time as well. The game is very deep and complex, in some ways similar to Pitfall!, yet it was released in 1984 during the Great Video Game Crash, so very few people were able to enjoy it. It's truly a unique and fun game. Q*Bert Q*Bert is a well-done port of the arcade game of the same name, featuring everyone's favorite foul-mouthed (or foul-nosed?) creature. The goal of Q*Bert is simple enough: You hop up and down on the blocks of a pyramid, changing them to a different color. All the while, Whammy Balls, Coily the Snake, and other hazards are trying to get you. Q*Bert can hop on a flying disc on the side of the pyramid and try to lure Coily to his death, and he can also pick up a Green Ball which makes him invulnerable for a short time. At first you only need to jump on a block once, but later on you must jump on a block twice to get it to change to the appropriate color. Eventually, you reach a point where the colors keep changing no matter how much you jump on them, making it even harder to get them to the color you need. It's very simple but addictive and fun.

Now I'm starting to get the hang of this I think!

Getting a little better. Gotta figure out what the pattern is for the guy throwing the color-changing rocks.

Skiing Skiing is one of the few games that replicate this familiar winter sport on the Atari 2600, and does it very well at that. You can either take on a slalom run, with time penalties assessed for any missed gates, or go for a downhill run, where the objective is to ski the given distance as quickly as possible. The first four game variations for each game type are preset, whereas the fifth one generates a random course each time, providing for a new challenge each time you play. Players who could beat a time of 28.2 seconds on game 3 could earn an 'Activision Ski Team' patch.

Quick Step! Quick Step! is a unique take on the Q*Bert formula by adding two player action and a more frantic pace. You are a kangaroo, who loves to paint trampolines green. However, a squirrel likes to paint them pink. Naturally, this can result in some hectic competition between the two. Jumping on one of the trampolines will turn it the color of your character and earn you points. As the game goes on the trampolines scroll down to the bottom of the screen before they disappear. Naturally, you must avoid being on a trampoline when it disappears, otherwise you will lose a life. Occasionally, you may find a special square that will cause your character to flash. If you jump onto a trampoline where the other character is, they will be stunned briefly, giving you an opportunity to make them lose a life. What is truly unique is how the computer player also has a limited number of lives just like the human player does. If one player uses up all of their lives, the other player is awarded extra points for remaining lives. This means that the game may not go on forever if played too competitively, like most games of this generation, meaning that if you want to get big points, you have to adopt a different strategy to avoid having your opponent lose all their lives. Truly a unique and fun experience.