This is a challenging submarine shooter with decent graphics. I never played the arcade game it was based on ( the one arcade I found that had it, it was out of order at the time), nor have I played any of the early computer ports based on it. However, I think if Atari had released this back before the crash, it would have sold very well.
There are four game variations, or skill levels, and the challenge ramps up pretty quick. I don't think I ever topped 7000 points. After awhile though, the game can seem a bit repetitive, and I wish there was a bit more music, other than the opening tune.
Once again, Xype did an excellent job on the label and the manual artwork. I only wish I could have gotten one of the limited-edition blue cartridges, but those probably sold out long ago.

This is based on the Midway arcade smash hit from 1976. But this version is more advanced than the original arcade game.

Really great game. The booklet is great quality (excellent color, glossy, heavy stock). The graphics are top notch. Ships are in a variety of shapes and colors. Speeds vary and the occasional sub sails out and sinks (shoot fast to hit it before it submerges!). Watch out for ricocheting shots from the red cross ships.
Challenge is fairly high and I find myself juuust missing the fuel before my fuel and torpedo's run out. But I know I can get it if I try harder! I find myself coming back to this game over and over again. The only slight drawback (personal opinion only) is that the repetitive music can start to drive you mad after awhile. I highly recommend this game. You can't beat the $20 price tag either.

Play Time: about 1 hour.

Game System: 1978 Atari VCS "Light Sixer" (ROM loaded from computer via Arcadia Supercharger)

Review:
When you first load the game, you are greeted with an 8-bit rendition of the theme from Das Boot (youtube.com/watch?v=dkgtA30tZn8). If you're anything like me, then that alone should be enough to warrant giving this game a try. I've never played the arcade original, but i assume the game play is mostly faithful. My main issue with the game is that it seems to lack a difficulty curve; the ships all seem to move at random speeds to begin with instead of starting out slow and getting faster as you rack up more points. This can make the game totally frantic right from the start if the RNG happens to produce a lot of fast moving ships at the beginning of your game. Thankfully, the difficulty can be adjusted somewhat. Setting the left difficulty switch to "B" seems to disable the destroyers that drop depth-charges on you, which makes for a slightly less chaotic game. All-in-all this is a solid game with a few little niggles that keep it from being truly amazing.

It's me again for one final comment about Seawolf. Although I said game was hard, I did
find a way to keep game going a little longer and perhaps get a full fuel refill after the first one. I found that firing a lot of double shots would sink more ships. So because of that and ratings of the other reviewers, I give it a 4.

Sea Wolf has all the elements of a great game and is fun to play until you run out of fuel and see Sub after Sub go down, because you don't get a total fill up, then you don't make it to the next fill up. Playing the arcade version at the arcade, I notice'd the land mines don't come in till harder levels, but Seawolf has them on every level, making you miss the fuel thing as well as being frustrating. I checked the different modes and didn't sea the mines disappear. A good game would be to have them appear about every third level. A hack of this game would be nice to make those corrections, then it would rival the arcade version. I would give it a 3 and a half, but they don't have that. Well done game though.

Absolutely amazing. Seawolf is a must-have for every Atari enthusiast. The game is as close to perfect as I think you are going to find for this system.

A shooter that rewards strategy over button-mashing is always a welcome addition to my gaming rotation. You'll have to be a crack-shot and be quick about it, if you are to last very long.

Seawolf is smart shooter that gradually introduces new and more challenging elements to its gameplay (or you can start with everything at once if you like) and provides enough challenge to keep you coming back, but not enough to run you off. The game is rewarding and high scores are earned, but the replayability is high and you'll while away many hours trying to beat your best.

This game belongs in every collection.

This is the first homebrew I got after buying my first Atari some months back. It is based off of the 1976 Arcade game by Midway of the same name. However, the Atari port by Manuel Rotschkar is greatly enhanced over the original in every possible way.

The first thing I noticed when I booted the game up for the first time was the amazing graphics. Everything was easily identified and vividly detailed. It reminded me of Activision's best work! There is also a cool tune that plays when the game is first booted up that really put me in the right mood. The sound effects work great and sound as close as the real thing as the 2600 can allow.

The gameplay is perfectly executed, and much more fun that the original. Your job is to take out as many ships as you can, without running out of fuel or torpedoes. It sounds simple, but Manuel has added lots of wonderful new features, like several different kinds of ships, each with their own characteristics. There are battleships that take multiple hits to destroy, ones that drop depth charges, Red Cross boats that bounce your torpedoes back, etc. Every 1,000 points you get, you get a chance to refill on fuel and torpedoes. If you run out of either, you lose a life.

There's a lot of strategy, too. You can bounce your torpedoes off of Red Cross Ships and into another ship, for instance. If you fire too much, you'll run out of torpedoes; but if you fire too little, you'll run out of fuel before you can get more!

The game also makes great use of the Difficulty Switches. One switch controls game features. The B setting introduces new game features slowly, and the A setting throws everything at you from the start. The other switch controls who is stronger, you or the ships.

All in all, this game is a real treat. I couldn't imagine it playing any better. It's loads of fun, the graphics and sounds are great, it has lots of replay value, and the gameplay is stimulating.

Gameplay: 10/10

Graphics: 10/10

Sound: 10/10

Replay Value: 10/10

Fun Factor: 10/10

Overall: 50/50

Collin's Thoughts: Get it. Get it NOW!

This was my first homebrew, and I must say, I chose wisely. This game is spot on in every way. It has all the wonder of the great Atari classics, and is a game I could see myself playing for many years to come.

It is actually pretty hard for me to write this review. I have immensely enjoyed 2 of Manuel's games already, Crazy Balloon and Starfire. I loved both of those titles and have since become aware that both of them are ports. I can only assume that what I found lacking in THIS game was also lacking in the original.

Let me begin with the positives. The graphice are superb, the extra large sprites are real, real dope. The control is excellent, "responsive" doesn't cover it. Strategy is required to prevail. Furthermore, the cartridge and manual are done really well.

Now for the negative. Notice the singular "negative". The game play just didn't move me! Yeah, it's fast-paced, yeah, it's a challenge. But it really doesn't go anywhere. In that respect it reminded me of "Astroblast".. a real challenge with no pay-off to speak of. I just sat there and kept blasting away for hours!

I'll break it down like this: if you like River Raid (and you will be in very respectable company if you do), you will definitely like this. I don't care for River Raid but I respect the opinions of a lot of people that do!

Bottom line: the game is worth having just for the technical beauty of it, but if you're like me, you won't play this one for days and days.. maybe just hours and hours!

Manuel Rotschkar's Seawolf is an exceptional title with stellar graphics and gameplay. Seawolf starts off at a casual pace and steadily becomes an enormous challenge. This is not one of those games that you can just run up points endlessly on. Seawolf is my 2nd Xype purchase and I'll be adding more to my 2600 collection in the near future. Do yourself a favor and snag a copy today!

Seawolf is one of the all-time great arcade videogames, and Manuel has done an amazing job bringing this classic to the 2600. The graphics and sound are excellent, with large, colorful sprites, a variety of enemies, and no flicker. But what really makes Seawolf great is the gameplay. The original feel of the arcade game comes through intact, but there are also new additions to the game which add more challenges, increasing replay value and longevity. Having to manage both your fuel and torpedoes, while still sinking enough enemy ships to keep playing becomes quite a trick at higher levels. The difficulty ramps up gradually, but you can also choose to start the game with everything being thrown at you at full-speed. So no matter what your skill level, you'll find something to challenge you with Seawolf.

Seawolf attempts to add some realism to its game play. You can't just shoot everything on the screen... some strategy is required. This makes this game very diff than any others like it. The graphics & sounds are the best I have seen in any game in this genre for the 2600.

That's it. I'm buying every Atari homebrew in which Manuel Rotschkar is involved in the future. This game is yet another outstanding piece of work from Rotschkar and would have been a hit had it been released for the 2600 back when the system was in it's prime. The idea of being in charge of a submarine and blasting surface ships might not be completely novel, but it's implemented here extremely well. Great game!

Xype makes some good games! This game is similar to Air Sea Battle, but it adds complexity and depth (no pun intended).

Having an opening song is great! Also the manual is very well done.

Seawolf is a high quality title, and is also very fun to play.

Two thumbs up here!