My affair with PAM

[Dgriswell]

Back whe I was seven, I got a 5200 for Christmas. It was love at first sight, and one that grew with the passing years. I had a dozen or so games, my favorites being Megamania, Zaxxon, Pengo, and Centipede. I played Megamania in my SLEEP!! Time passed, my interests changed with age, and when I was sixteen, my parents had a yard sale. I gave them my 5200, and told them to get what they could for it. In the end, it sold for twelve dollars.

 

WHAT A FOOL I WAS!!

 

Anyway, the other day I was at a rummage sale, and lo and behold, in a box with a bunch of miscellaneous electronics....was Pam! I asked how much they wanted for it. They said twelve dollars....Deja-vu! After getting it home, I noticed there are some items missing. The 4 port switchbox, for one. I know it'll take me a while to get all my games back. From what I hear, Zaxxon is getting rare. So is Megamania.

 

I'm wondering if anyone has any advice for a thirty-something who is looking to rebuild this piece of his childhood. Are they hard to fix if they are broken? How hard will it be to find all my games? I had Centipede, BluePrint, Pengo, Frogger, Zaxxon, Megamania, Gremlins, Defender, Ms Pac Man, and Pac Man. I also had the trakball controller.

 

I know I'm going to end up spending a mint. What an idiot I was at sixteen...man...

 

Anyone got a spare Megamania cart?

[AtariLeaf]

Don't feel bad. I think a lot of us got rid of our original systems when we were kids because they weren't "cool" anymore.

Hell, I had a crapload of vintage Star Wars toys that I eventually either melted with a magnifying glass or gave to my cousins who smashed them with rocks.

[NoahsMyBro]

If you want to collect a bunch of the old games, FOR PLAY-VALUE (as opposed to collectability), I recommend you buy one of Sean Kelly's multicarts. The cart is $125, but includes nearly every game ever written for the 5200. Every game you mentioned is on the cartridge.

 

I believe the only games not on the multicart are:

*)modern homebrews

*)Super Pac-Man -- it's actually on the cart, but locks up at the title-screen.

 

As for the Trak-Ball, I think you can probably get one of those from eBay for about $30. Every time I've looked I've seen them listed.

 

You could probably get the 4-port switchbox for $10-15. I think Best Electronics still has new units, and they are also pretty common on eBay. Worst case, if you can't find one I might have a working extra I could sell you for $10.

 

Now go enjoy the best videogame system ever.

8-)

[+Allan]

I believe the only games not on the multicart are:

*)modern homebrews

*)Super Pac-Man -- it's actually on the cart, but locks up at the title-screen.

 

Don't forget Bounty Bob Strikes Back is not on the MultiCart.

 

Unfortunately these two games are must haves. Super Pac Man can be had here at Atari Age but not Bounty Bob. You'll have to find it on eBay or in the wild. It's unfortunately very expensive when you find one.

 

Allan

[NoahsMyBro]

Whoops. I knew I was forgetting something. Thanks for keeping me on my toes.