How to play Winter Games online
- Joystick: arrow keys (each event uses them differently, see below)
- Fire button: Space bar
- Second joystick (head-to-head speed skating): T/F/G/H to move, A to fire
- Practice mode, and cycling through events in practice: F11 (the console’s Select switch)
- Back to practice from the middle of a game: F12 (the console’s Reset switch)
- Back to the country selection menu: F11 and F12 together
- One or two joysticks: F4 (Player 1 difficulty switch); position A uses two joysticks for head-to-head play
To enter the competition, each player picks a country from the list (USA, USSR, U.K., Japan, Canada, France, Norway or Sweden) with up and down and confirms with fire. Choose “Done” when everyone has signed up.
The seven events
- Slalom: press fire to start, then steer left and right through 36 gates. Each missed gate adds three seconds, and crashes cost time too. You get one run.
- Bobsled: steer through the curves and rock the joystick up and down in rhythm to build speed. There are no brakes. Three runs.
- Ski Jump: fire starts your run down the ramp and a second press at the yellow flag launches the jump. In the air, keep your body and ski tips in position with the joystick; a close-up view shows your jumper. Longest jump wins, three attempts.
- Biathlon: ski by moving the joystick left and right in rhythm, then shoot at the range: pull down and push up to cock the rifle, and press fire to shoot. Three rounds of five targets, with five seconds added for each miss.
- Speed Skating: another rhythm event, left and right in time with your skater’s strides. You race either the computer or a second player on the other joystick.
- Hot Dog: freestyle aerial skiing. Each joystick direction performs a different trick (such as a daffy, a swan or a flip), and fire turns the skier. Harder tricks earn more points, but only if you land facing forward and upright. Three tries.
- Luge: much like the bobsled, but you cannot rock for speed. Instead you steer and use fire as a brake. Three runs.
After each event, medals are handed out: 5 points for gold, 3 for silver and 2 for bronze. When all seven events are over, the player with the most points is named Grand Champion.
Tips
- Use practice mode first. Several events need a very specific rhythm or timing. Practise each one before you start a full competition with friends.
- Rhythm beats speed. In the bobsled, biathlon and speed skating, a steady beat usually works better than moving the joystick as fast as possible.
- Time the take-off. On the ski jump, holding off a little before the second fire press at the yellow flag gives a longer jump.
History
Epyx released Winter Games for the Commodore 64 in October 1985. It was not an official Olympic product, but it borrowed the Olympic mood, and it became Epyx’s best-selling Commodore game by late 1987. It was converted to many other systems, including the Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, PC, NES, Atari 7800 and the Atari 2600.
The 2600 cartridge came out late in the console’s life. It keeps most of the computer game’s events, but the figure skating and free skating routines of the computer versions are not on the cartridge.
Similar games to play next
- Summer Games – the Epyx companion cartridge, with summer events
- California Games – Epyx’s surfing, skating and BMX events
- The Activision Decathlon – ten track and field events driven by fast joystick work
- Skiing – Activision’s downhill and slalom racing
- Track & Field – Konami’s arcade athletics on the 2600