How to play Gauntlet online
- Run: arrow keys
- Jump: Space bar
- Duck: hold the down arrow first, then press Space
- Start a game: Space, or F12 (Reset) to start over
- Joystick response: F4 (left difficulty switch); A is less responsive and harder, B easier
- Jumping and ducking: F9 (the right difficulty switch); A makes them harder, B easier
Gameplay
Your “lives” are three glasses of water, and the aim is to put out as many ceremonial fires along the trail as you can before it is gone. Every time you touch an obstacle, a flying projectile or the edge of the trail, you trip and spill water. Each fire you put out refills your glass and makes the trail harder. The game ends when you run out of water.
You jump over rocks and logs, and you duck under arrows, stones and tomahawks, but you cannot do it the other way round. Old Men and trees cannot be jumped or ducked at all, so you must steer around them. The Old Men are not enemies, though: give one a drink for points. According to the manual, the trail is different every time you play.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Jumping over a rock or log | 50 |
| Ducking under an arrow, stone or tomahawk | 100 |
| Giving an Old Man a drink | 250 |
| Ducking under the Secret Talisman | 500 |
| Putting out a fire | 500 |
Tips
- Stay in the middle of the trail. The edges trip you up too, and the centre leaves room to sidestep.
- Duck through tight spots. Ducking makes Sir Robert smaller.
- Move on straight after a collision, or you will hit the same thing again.
- Look for the Old Men. There can be up to three between fires.
- When in doubt, go around. Once you jump, you cannot steer until you land, and it is hard to judge whether you will clear an obstacle.
History
Answer Software made only three 2600 cartridges: Malagai, this game (model ASC 1002), and Confrontation, which never reached the shops. According to AtariAge, Gauntlet was sold only by mail order, direct from the company, in a thin foam case with no box, and it rates the cartridge “unbelievably rare”. The one review AtariAge lists, by Jess Ragan of The 26 Hunter, liked the graphics but found the play dull and a little sluggish.
