Starpath began in 1981 as Arcadia Corporation and changed its name shortly after launching the Supercharger in August 1982, because Emerson had a console called the Arcadia 2001. The Supercharger plugged into the 2600’s cartridge slot, added 6 KB of memory to the console’s own 128 bytes, and loaded games from an ordinary cassette player. Only Starpath made games for it. The extra memory allowed more detailed graphics and bigger games, and some tapes were “multi-load” games in several parts.
As the market collapsed, the company ran into financial trouble. Its last tapes were sold only by mail order, and Epyx took Starpath over in 1984. The site has twelve Starpath games, and you don’t need a tape deck to play them. Some highlights:
Phaser Patrol (1982): the first-person space combat game packed with the Supercharger.
Dragonstomper: Stephen Landrum’s fantasy role-playing game, ending in a fight with a dragon.
Escape from the Mindmaster (1982): Dennis Caswell’s 3-D maze game, with no shooting at all.
The Official Frogger (1983): Konami’s arcade game, closer to the original than the Parker Brothers cartridge.
Fireball (1982): a juggler hurls fireballs at a wall of blocks.
Sword of Saros (1983): a dungeon adventure from Starpath’s last, mail-order days.
Load any of them below and play in your browser.
Communist Mutants from Space Overview Game Development “Communist Mutants from Space” is a classic fixed shooter game, crafted by Stephen H. Landrum for the Atari 2600, utilizing the Starpath Supercharger cassette add-on for enhanced gameplay. Released in 1982 by Starpath (originally known as Arcadia), the game is often compared to “Galaxian,” albeit with more diverse … Read more
Phaser Patrol is a first-person space combat game designed by Dennis Caswell and released in 1982 by Arcadia, the company soon renamed Starpath. It was the first numbered release for the Supercharger, an add-on that plugged into the Atari 2600’s cartridge slot, gave the console extra memory and loaded games from a cassette player. Phaser Patrol came packed with the Supercharger, and reviewers held up its detailed instrument panel as proof of the add-on’s sharper graphics. You can play it here in your browser, with no tape deck needed.
Survival Island is a 1983 action-adventure by Starpath, programmed by Scott Nelson. It was not sold as a normal cartridge but on cassette tape for the Starpath Supercharger, an add-on that plugged into the Atari 2600’s cartridge slot, added 6 KB of memory and loaded games from an ordinary cassette player. After a shipwreck you must drift to an island, cross it and find the way through a temple maze. You can play it here in your browser, with no tape to load.
Sword of Saros is a 1983 dungeon adventure for the Starpath Supercharger, the add-on that let the Atari 2600 load bigger games from audio cassettes. Programmed by Jon Leupp and Stephen Landrum, it sends you through an evil wizard’s seven-level maze to collect the pieces of a magic sword and find the way out. Starpath sold it only by mail order after the company ran into financial trouble, so very few copies were made. You can play it here in your browser, with no tape to load.
Suicide Mission is a 1982 action game for the Atari 2600 by Steve Hales and Stephen Landrum, released on cassette by Arcadia, the company soon renamed Starpath. It ran on the Supercharger, an add-on that loaded games from an ordinary cassette player and gave the console extra memory. You are shrunk down to microscopic size and pilot a tiny submarine through a patient’s bloodstream, blasting a virus that is spreading near the heart. If it reminds you of Asteroids, there is a reason. You can play it here in your browser.
Rabbit Transit is a 1983 game by Starpath for the Starpath Supercharger, an add-on for the Atari 2600 that loaded games from audio cassettes. It was designed by Brian McGhie. You guide a rabbit across a busy meadow in a Frogger-like first stage, then hop around colour-changing ledges in a second stage that plays a lot like Q*bert. You can play it here in your browser, with no add-on or tape deck needed.
Party Mix is a 1983 collection of five paddle games for two or four players, programmed by Dennis Caswell and published by Starpath. It came on cassette tape for the Starpath Supercharger, an add-on that plugged into the Atari 2600’s cartridge slot and loaded games from a cassette player. There is no computer opponent: the manual’s whole idea is that other people are more fun to beat. You can play it here in your browser.
The Official Frogger is Starpath’s 1983 version of Konami’s arcade game, programmed by Stephen H. Landrum. It was not sold on a cartridge but on a cassette tape for the Starpath Supercharger, an add-on that plugged into the Atari 2600’s cartridge slot and loaded games from an ordinary cassette player. The extra memory let Starpath get much closer to the arcade look and sound than the better-known Parker Brothers cartridge. You can play it here in your browser, with no tape loading needed.
Killer Satellites is a space shooter programmed by Kevin Norman and released by Starpath on cassette tape, most likely in early 1983. It ran on the Starpath Supercharger, an add-on that loaded games from an ordinary cassette player. Old satellites orbiting the Earth have woken up and are attacking your hometown, and you fly the only rocket ship that can stop them. A radar scanner, a fuel gauge and an overheating gun give you more to watch than in most 2600 shooters. You can play it here in your browser, with no cassette player needed.
Escape from the Mindmaster is a first-person maze game designed by Dennis Caswell and released by Starpath in November 1982. It came on cassette for the Starpath Supercharger, an add-on that gave the 2600 far more memory. Kidnapped by an alien called the Mindmaster, you find your way through six mazes shown in 3-D while he tests your mind and reflexes. It is an unusual 2600 game with no shooting at all. You can play it here in your browser.