How to play Steeplechase online
Steeplechase uses the Atari paddle controllers. The emulator switches to paddle mode automatically for paddle games. On a keyboard you can realistically ride one horse, or two with a friend; the computer rides the rest.
- Set the jump height: left and right arrow keys turn the paddle
- Jump (and join the race): Space bar
- Choose a game: F11 (the console’s Select switch)
- Start a race: F12 (the console’s Reset switch)
- Switch between paddle and joystick mode: Alt + L
Gameplay
The goal is to be the first to get your horse to the right side of the screen. Hurdles of different widths come towards you from the right. Turning the paddle sets one of four jump heights, shown on an indicator bar, and pressing the button makes your horse jump. A higher jump clears a wider hurdle but keeps you in the air longer, so it costs time. Hit a hurdle and you lose ground.
Before each race you have four seconds to press your button and claim a horse. Any horse nobody claims is ridden by the computer. The four computer riders even have names and personalities: Little Dictator, Just Missed, Absent Mind and Lucky Devil. The race ends when a horse reaches the right edge, or when the clock reaches 3:00 without a winner.
Game variations
There are six games. In games 1 to 3 the hurdles are evenly spaced, so you can find a rhythm. In games 4 to 6 the spacing is random. Within each group, the computer riders get better: poor in games 1 and 4, good in 2 and 5, and excellent in 3 and 6. The difficulty switches have no effect in this game.
Tips
- Use the lowest jump that works. Big jumps are safe but slow. Match the height to each hurdle’s width.
- Learn on games 1 to 3. Evenly spaced hurdles let you practise the timing before you try the random courses.
- Adjust early. Set the height while the next hurdle is still approaching, not at the last moment.
History
The original Steeplechase arcade game, designed by Lyle Rains, came out in 1975. Its extra-wide cabinet let up to six people play at once, each with a coloured button, while the machine controlled a seventh horse. The 2600 version followed around 1981, only through Sears catalogues and stores, which makes the cartridge fairly scarce today. It was developed under the working title AstroTurf.
