How to play Picnic online
Picnic was made for the Atari paddle controller, a dial you turn to move. The emulator switches to paddle mode automatically for this game.
- Move the swatter: left and right arrow keys
- Swat: Space bar
- Start a new game: F12 (the consoleās Reset switch)
- Choose a game variation: F11 (the consoleās Select switch)
- Large or small swatter: F9 toggles the right difficulty switch
- Switch between paddle and joystick mode: Alt + L
- Save and load your progress: Ctrl + 0ā9 saves to a slot, Alt + 0ā9 loads it
Gameplay
Bugs fly down towards your burgers, and you knock them away with the swatter. A plain swat scores points, but the real aim is to swat bugs into the bug trap, which is worth double. After each wave comes the Super Bug, which can attack from much higher up than the normal bugs, so you need to deal with it early.
The catch is timing. A bug passes straight through your swatter unless you press the button at the exact moment it sticks out its needle-like tongue, and the swatter springs back a split second after each press, so you cannot just hold it out.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Swat a bug | 10 |
| Swat a bug into the trap | 20 |
| Swat the Super Bug | 40 |
| Swat the Super Bug into the trap | 1,000 |
Variations and switches
There are six games. Games 1 to 3 are for one player at beginner, intermediate and advanced level, and games 4 to 6 are the same three levels for two players. In the two-player games both players share the left paddle and hand it over when the turn changes. The right difficulty switch sets the swatter size: position A gives you a large swatter, position B a small one.
Tips
- Watch the tongue, not the bug. Wait for the tongue to come out rather than pressing as soon as a bug is close.
- Stay near the middle. Keep the swatter between the trap and the burgers. Saving the food matters more than filling the trap.
- Go after the Super Bug early. Trapping it is worth 1,000 points.
History
U.S. Games was an American cartridge company bought by the cereal maker Quaker Oats in 1982; its small catalogue also included Gopher, Eggomania and Squeeze Box. Picnic was sold in Europe under the Carrere Video label, and the U.S. Games cartridge is rated rare by collectors today.
