How to play Superman online
- Fly: arrow keys (let go of the keys to land)
- X-ray vision: hold Space and press an arrow key to look into the next screen in that direction
- Pick up a crook, Lois Lane or a bridge piece: fly into them; land to put them down
- Pause: F11 (the console’s Select switch); press an arrow key to carry on
- Start a new game: F12 (the console’s Reset switch)
- Lois Lane help on or off: F4 (left difficulty switch)
- Enemy speed: F9 (right difficulty switch)
- Save and load your progress: Ctrl + 0–9 saves to a slot, Alt + 0–9 loads it
Gameplay
You start as Clark Kent, just after the bridge has been blown up. Walk into the phone booth to change into Superman, and your job begins. The bridge has broken into three pieces scattered around the city. Carry them back into place between the two buildings. You also have to catch Lex Luthor and his five henchmen: pick up a crook and fly through the bars of the jail to lock him up.
Three kryptonite satellites roam the city. If one touches you, Superman is weakened and cannot fly or carry anything until Lois Lane revives him, so you may have to go and find her on foot. A helicopter sometimes carries a satellite away, and sometimes moves a bridge piece you had just placed.
Metropolis does not scroll: it is a set of separate screens joined at the edges. The subway, with four colour-coded areas, is a shortcut to different parts of the city. When the bridge is fixed and all six crooks are in jail, go back to the phone booth, change into Clark Kent and take the subway to the Daily Planet. There is no score: the timer at the top of the screen, which starts with your first move, is your result, and the goal is to beat your best time.
Difficulty switches
- Left switch B: Lois Lane comes to you automatically when kryptonite hits you. A: you have to go and find her.
- Right switch A: the satellites chase you twice as fast, and the crooks run away twice as fast. B: normal speed.
Tips
- Look before you fly. X-ray vision shows what is in the next screen. You cannot move while using it, so check for satellites nearby first.
- Learn the subway. Once you know which colour leads where, it is much faster than flying across the city screen by screen.
- Fix the bridge early, before the helicopter moves the pieces somewhere else.
The story behind Superman
At the time, Atari and DC Comics both belonged to Warner Communications. Warren Robinett, who was working on Adventure, was first asked to turn his game into a Superman title, but he turned it down. He shared his code with John Dunn, who took on the project on the condition that he could use a 4 KB cartridge, twice the usual size. It was also one of the first console games with a pause feature and multicoloured sprites.
Most reviewers at the time were enthusiastic, and Video magazine named it Game of the Year in its 1981 Arkie Awards. Later critics still praise the idea of using a whole city as the playing area, even if finding your way around can be confusing.
Similar games to play next
- Adventure – Warren Robinett’s multi-screen quest, whose code helped get Superman started
- Spider-Man – the next superhero to arrive on the 2600, in 1982
- Raiders of the Lost Ark – a later Atari adventure based on a Hollywood hero
- Haunted House – explore a mansion room by room, another early Atari adventure