Vanguard

Vanguard is a scrolling shooter arcade game, with a port for the Atari 2600 console released by Atari, Inc. in 1982. Similar to Scramble, players control a ship that automatically flies forward through scrolling levels while consuming a limited fuel supply. Fuel is replenished by destroying enemies, making fuel depletion less common than in Scramble. … Read more

Video Checkers

Video Checkers, released in 1980, is a video game created and published by Atari, Inc. for the Atari 2600 platform. The game was developed by Carol Shaw during her time at Atari. As one of the first female programmers, Shaw’s work on Video Checkers (alongside 3D Tic-Tac-Toe) marked one of the earliest instances of a … Read more

Video Chess

Video Chess is a game that is played from an overhead perspective. The player uses an “x” cursor to select and move pieces instead of using chess notation. When an attempted move is illegal, a warning sound is made, and the move is not executed. The game provides two options for players to choose from … Read more

Video Olympics

Video Olympics is one of the nine 2600 launch titles Atari published when that system was released in September 1977. The cartridge is a collection of games from Atari’s popular arcade Pong series. Sears title: Pong Sports Video Olympics gameplay The games are a collection of bat-and-ball style games, including several previously released by Atari, … Read more

Video Pinball

Video Pinball is a loose simulation of an arcade pinball machine: ball launcher, flippers, bumpers, and spinners. Hitting the Atari logo on the playfield four times awards an extra ball. To play the Arcade Pinball game on Atari, you use the joystick controller to interact with the pinball machine. To launch the ball into the … Read more

Track & Field

Track & Field is a 1983 Olympic-themed sports video game developed by Konami for arcades, with a version for Atari 2600 that utilized Atari’s “super chip” technology for enhanced graphics and gameplay variety. The game features six events: 100-meter dash: Run by quickly alternating button presses. Long jump: Run by alternating button presses and use … Read more

Swordquest: Earthworld

SwordQuest: EarthWorld is an action-adventure game released for the Atari 2600 and is part of the SwordQuest series. The gameplay involves navigating through rooms, collecting items, completing action stages to find more items, and discovering sets of numbers when the right combination of items is placed in the right rooms. These sets of numbers (e.g., … Read more

Swordquest: Fireworld

SwordQuest: FireWorld is the second installment in the SwordQuest series for Atari 2600 and shares many similarities with its predecessor, EarthWorld. In FireWorld, you explore different rooms, collect and drop items, complete action stages to find more items, and discover sets of numbers that flash on the screen when you have the correct combination of … Read more

Swordquest: Waterworld

SwordQuest: WaterWorld is an action-adventure game released for the Atari 2600, and it was part of the SwordQuest series. The gameplay involves navigating through rooms, collecting items, completing action stages to reveal more items, and discovering sets of numbers when the right items are placed in the right rooms. These sets of numbers (e.g., 8-4) … Read more

Street Racer

Street Racer, also known as Speedway II in its Sears release, was one of the two launch titles for the Atari 2600, along with Air-Sea Battle. Developed by Larry Kaplan, Street Racer offered a total of 27 game variations, providing players with a diverse gaming experience. The game was divided into six sub-games: Each sub-game … Read more