A look at Dark Cavern from M-Network

In the "golden age of gaming" in the late 1970's and early 1980's, there was a great rivalry between the Atari 2600 (launched in 1977) and Mattel Electronics' Intellivision (launched in 1979), which came to be known as the first great console war. It was highlighted by a series of competing, high-profile print and television ads from the two companies. Many of Atari's biggest hits were their arcade adaptions (often titles ported from their own coin-operated division), such as the home version of Asteroids. So of course, these games were showcased in their ads, while Mattel's Intellivision ads famously featured actor and sports journalist George Plimpton touting the advanced (for the time) 16-bit graphical capabilities of their system. And these graphics spotlighted the difference between early Atari sports cartridges like baseball and football, with the more polished look of competing Intellivision titles.

A classic Intellivision print advertisement featuring George Plimpton

One would think that a console with superior graphics would have been more successful than one with more limited capabilities such as the Atari 2600. However, with the success of their arcade ports, such as their first "killer app" Space Invaders, along with unique home titles like Yars' Revenge, the 2600 was a huge commercial success. So, in 1982 Mattel Electronics joined a long list of companies making games for the Atari 2600 by introducing their M-Netwok line, which included many ports of popular Intellivision titles. And although the "Intelligent Television" system (these words combine to make up Intellivision) was known for excellent sports games, they did have other notable titles as well. One of them was a top-down maze shooter designed by Steve Montero called Night Stalker, which was ported to the Atari 2600 in 1982 as Dark Cavern.

Dark Cavern from M-Network as seen on Steam's Atari Vault (front box)

    In Dark Cavern your man enters the "underground cavern", which is a fixed maze configuration, in a quest to destroy as many enemies as possible in order to earn as many points as possible. You have a limited amount of ammunition which can be replenished along the way by running over gun symbols that flash on screen for a short time, while the threats encountered are spiders, blobs and robots. A "bite" from a spider stuns your man, leaving him totally vulnerable for several seconds, while making contact with a blob robs you of ammunition (more is lost the longer the contact lasts). But the robots are the enemies that can immediately cost you a life if they shoot your man, while at the same time being worth all the points when they are destroyed. Additionally, the speed at which you can destroy them is relevant here, because if they are taken out fast enough (before new ones enter the maze) point values increase. And this must be done with the limitation of having only one bullet on screen at a time, as there is no rapid-fire in the game.

The maze in Dark Cavern from M-Network

Dark Cavern bears some resemblance to the classic Midway arcade and home video hit Wizard of Wor in its gameplay, while being a bit more simplistic due to having only one maze. However, this limitation doesn't diminish the fun, because of how intense things become as the game progresses. Shooting robots is challenging because these enemies are deceptively good at getting off a shot when it seems like they shouldn't be able to. That is, in order to kill a robot without being yourself killed in the process, it's usually necessary to fire and immediately begin moving out of the enemy line of fire. This aspect of the game forces you to continually think on your feet, strategizing which tunnel(s) to enter in order to ambush which robot(s), before quickly retreating to safety. And while this is manageable in the early stages of the game (especially at the easier difficulty setting), it gets more difficult as robots who can fire in all directions enter the maze and things speed up. Add to that the constant need to replenish your ammunition, balanced against trying to destroy as many robots as possible quickly for the most points, and you've got that aforementioned intensity level. 

Dark Cavern from M-Network as seen on Steam's Atari Vault (back box)

Another thing that adds to the atmosphere of this game is the fact that there is no music at all, but rather just a low droning sound that increases in intensity as things get more frantic. It's actually kind of reminiscent of the unnerving sound in the aforementioned Asteroids, and definitely keeps the player's adrenaline pumping. Additionally, there is what can only be described as a jarring noise when either you or the robots bite the dust. All of this goes to show that some of the most simplistic elements can still contribute to and enhance a good game. I highly recommend giving M-Network's Dark Cavern a play, particularly with a trusted Atari-style joystick to navigate the maze.

The original Night Stalker game for Intellivision

It's worth noting also that Atari recently acquired rights to the M-Network library of games, effectively ending that long-standing console war which began all those years ago. Their first M-Network game collection re-releases the four classic titles Armor Ambush, Astroblast, Frogs and Flies and Star Strike on one cartridge (with individual games being selected by dip switches). Perhaps Dark Cavern will be included in the next release...

A look at Journey Escape from Data Age

When I was in school back in the 1980's, my musical tastes leaned heavily towards the pop and emerging new wave acts of the decade. There were a few local FM radio stations that played "the hits" of the day, but one in particular that I remember seemed to always be first in introducing new bands. It was exciting hearing music from the likes of Madness, Howard Jones, A Flock of Seagulls, Cyndi Lauper and Men At Work (to name just a few). In fact, that last band mentioned was the first concert I ever attended.

However, I also remember realizing when entering high school that rock, and even more so hard rock, was very popular. Led Zeppelin (the Godfathers of heavy metal to many) always seemed to be the king at my school, while groups like AC/DC, Def Leppard and KISS were also lauded, as were bands who are today considered "classic rock" like REO Speedwagon and Journey. But of all these groups, only the last one mentioned had their own video game back in 1982. Yes, thanks to the good folks at Atari 2600 third-party developer Data Age, home video game players could personally assist "one of the world's hottest groups" in Journey Escape.

Journey Escape from Data Age for the Atari 2600

It's worth noting, before I begin discussing the game, that the early 1980's was a time when both Atari and many third-party developers were licensing all sorts of things to turn into video games. For example, two notable movies licensed by Atari were Raiders of the Lost Ark (the first game based on an official movie license), and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. And movies licensed by third-party developers include Alien, Buck Rogers (Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom), Flash Gordon, Tron (Tron Deadly Discs), Fantastic Voyage, Ghostbusters, James Bond 007, Star Trek and Star Wars (no less than three games were produced based on the Star Wars films). Other intellectual properties made into games included television program characters from Sesame Street (Alpha Beam with Ernie, Big Bird's Egg Catch and Cookie Monster Munch, all from Atari), cartoon characters (Snoopy and the Red Baron), television shows (M*A*S*H), and superheroes (Superman and Spider-Man). Additionally, there were games based on promotional characters such as Kool-Aid Man from M-Network and Chase the Chuck Wagon from Purina, as well as titles created having seemingly little to do with entertainment in general. The rarities Tooth Protectors from Johnson & Johnson, Tax Avoiders from Dunhill Electronics, and the religious title Red Sea Crossing come to mind for this latter category.

The game Journey Escape begins after a concert has ended, when you have to help the five members of the band get to their scarab escape vehicle in order to proceed to the next show. In this timed task, you must maneuver each band member (signified by their initials in the upper right of the screen) one at a time past various obstacles. These include Love-Crazed Groupies (giant hearts with legs), Shifty-Eyed Promoters (shifty looking characters), Sneaky Photographers (giant light bulb characters), and stage barriers. Contact with any of the characters costs you both time and some of your starting $50,000 (presumably revenue from the previous show), while the barriers simply slow you up. 

Try to avoid the Sneaky Photographers and Shifty-Eyed Promoters in Journey Escape

However, you do have some help in your quest. Making contact with your Loyal Roadie (a funny-looking little blue character) will render you invulnerable for a short time, while your Mighty Manager (who looks like Kool-Aid Man!) will provide unlimited vulnerability plus $9,900 in cash. So, when these folks make appearances, definitely don't miss them because they are worth their weight in time and money! The game ends when a player fails to reach (or passes by without touching) the escape vehicle before the time runs out.

Those Love-Crazed Groupies are seemingly everywhere in Journey Escape

Journey Escape is a vertical scrolling game that moves at a fast, crazy pace and is a lot of fun overall. Technically speaking, the graphics are in line with what one would expect from an Atari 2600 game, with colorful characters and snippets of the band's music providing a nice additional touch. The background is meant to represent a "kaleidoscope of strobing stage lights", but reminds me more of the look of a space shooter starfield (such as in Galaga). This is fine though, because it fits nicely with Journey's futuristic Escape album art.

This is another game that has a nicely balanced difficulty progression (which is of course further affected by difficulty switch settings). That is, the action starts with a moderate level of difficulty and slowly increases. However, that being said, I realized after a couple of VERY quick games that it is necessary to push the joystick upward immediately and hold it there. This puts your band member near the top portion of the screen, which makes him move faster, while leaving less reaction time to dodge obstacles. If one stays at the bottom of the screen (allowing more reaction time), the clock will usually run out before the escape vehicle arrives. So, Journey Escape is all about the challenge of having fast reflexes and quick maneuvers, in order to avoid the aforementioned characters that will eat up time from the clock with each collision.  

A promotional poster from Data Age for Journey Escape featuring the band members

It is worth noting that third-party developer Data Age released fewer than a dozen Atari 2600 games before going out of business, with Journey Escape being one of their more well-known titles. And as mentioned by the Wikipedia page linked above, it was a commercial and critical failure, despite a large advertising campaign. However, I find this game to be great fun, primarily because of how challenging and addicting it is. It’s one of those games I play often by continually hitting the reset button, despite how frequently my band member gets tangled up with those obsessive groupies, ultimately leading to the clock running out. And I’m also always intrigued by a pop culture oddity such as this, with a level of uniqueness or novelty to it. So, despite Data Age being short-lived, it’s great that Journey’s most iconic album and song (at least in a short musical snippet of Don't Stop Believin') were immortalized again in this title from the early days of console gaming.

Check out this Journey Escape TV commercial, as well as a short interview with band members about the game.

The New Atari - Part 3 - The Atari 2600+

During the early days of the home gaming industry, Atari released several different consoles with ports of their popular arcade titles to go along with them. And in this infant industry they played a big part creating as they went along, no console was more popular than their initial cartridge-based system The Atari 2600 (first called the Atari Video Computer System or VCS, and later renamed after its serial number). With sales catapulted by the success of their first "killer app" cartridge Space Invaders (a licensed game), and further aided by arcade ports like Asteroids, as well as Atari original home titles like Yar's Revenge, the 2600 was the system to beat for several years in the late 1970's and early 1980's. 

An Atari 2600 six-switch model

The first Atari 2600 "killer app" - the home version of the arcade hit Space Invaders

Much has been said about the legendary Atari 2600 and its historical significance and importance to the video game industry. And in fact, in a future blog post, I may take a deep dive and give my own thoughts and opinions on it as well. But for this third installment in "The New Atari" series, I'd like to jump ahead in time and discuss the more recent, surprising announcement of Atari's new iteration of the system The Atari 2600+.

Years ago, I began following developments in the retrogaming world, along with collecting and playing the games themselves. The announcement of the Atari VCS (2021) was of course a big surprise, since it was the first new console the company had released in decades. Of course, that hybrid system (part modern, part retro) was introduced over several years, being that it was a crowdfunded effort initially called the Atari Box that had many starts and stops before it eventually became available. Conversely, I found out about the Atari 2600+ directly from Atari, as I'm sure countless others did as well, via an Email announcing the product and its definitive release date. So, needless to say, the sudden out-of-the-blue news about a new cartridge-based home system in late 2023 came as an even bigger surprise. And from the videos I watched from others in the retrogaming community, it appears that absolute surprise (if not shock) was the reaction across the board.

The Atari 2600+ is Atari's cartridge-based system released in 2023

* The Atari 2600+ home gaming console does have some modern touches, most notably an HDMI connection (as opposed to the RF connection of Atari's classic consoles), plus the ability to choose between standard and 16x9 aspect ratio, and the ability to receive firmware updates. But overall, it's mostly designed around and marketed towards the retrogaming audience. That is, it is aimed squarely at people who played Atari 2600 games in their youth. In line with that nostalgia-based approach, the unit is a slightly smaller in size replica of their pioneering system (four switch model) which plays most original Atari 2600-compatible cartridges, including both those from Atari and third-party developers, while having the added advantage of also being compatible with Atari 7800 titles. And Atari's new line of recreated joystick and paddle controllers look and feel like their original counterparts from back in the day. Additionally, the unit is compatible with original controllers that work with the Atari 2600.

Atari's CX30+ paddle controllers - replicas of the originals

Atari's enhanced edition of the arcade title Berzerk - a new 2600+ cartridge release

I see this surprise retro console release as another positive step for the newly reemerging company. Like Atari's acquisition of AtariAge, this new cartridge-based console binds the company closer to the audience who made their games such a success in the first place, while hopefully luring some modern gamers in as well due to the curiosity factor. And I'm sure many folks are even now torn between buying this or a used classic Atari console, while completist collectors will undoubtedly want both. Whatever the case, it appears the unit has created a lot of discussion and attracted even more attention to Atari, their classic systems, and retrogaming in general. And I say this due to the ever-increasing number of articles, videos and YouTube channels that now focus on, and celebrate, these subjects. I for one was very excited, given that this new product in a sense reintroduces Atari's most classic console onto the market over 40 years after its initial release. And the company's gradual reemergence onto the scene with new systems, controllers and cartridges is feeling more and more like a true renaissance, bringing with it good memories of gaming from back in the day. ** It also makes me wonder what Atari has in store for us retrogamers next.

* Technically speaking, the way the new Atari 2600+ displays the games is different from the way Atari's classic system did. The Atari 2600+ loads the read-only memory (ROM) on the cartridge to internal memory, then uses emulation, producing the same result (albeit taking a few seconds to load the game). 

** As I was getting ready to publish this blog post, another Email arrived from Atari which once again surprised and delighted me. The company has announced the upcoming Winter 2024 release of the Atari 7800+, which is (you guessed it) an updated version of the classic Atari 7800 console. So soon everyone can "get their pixel fix like it's 1986". I'm sure I'll be writing about this system as well.

The New Atari - Part 2 - Atari's acquisition of AtariAge

In my first For the Love of Atari blog post I touched on the fact that I didn't fully grasp how much renewed interest there was in Atari and all things retrogames until really perusing the AtariAge site. Originally launched way back in 1998 and still going strong today, AtariAge.com is far more than a historical site spotlighting a once popular home gaming company. Besides history, it includes active user forums, a thriving store with new homebrew titles for sale, retrogaming news, reviews and more. In essence, it is a one-stop place for an active and enthusiastic retrogaming community to converse and celebrate all things Atari (as well as other classic gaming consoles like ColecoVision).

The most surprising thing to me when I originally discovered AtariAge was the fact that new titles for Atari's old consoles were being developed, produced and sold in physical format just like "back in the day". Specifically, one can buy a game cartridge, printed instruction booklet, and (more often than not) glossy box just like they were sold back in the heyday of the Atari 2600. Yes, these complete-in-box (CIB) games are in fact packaged like the ones I so enjoyed taking home after a trip to my favorite retailer Toys R' US in childhood. In short, every effort has been made by both the creators of the game and its packaging, and the folks at AtariAge, to recreate the nostalgic experience of buying a new Atari cartridge (although of course they are now purchased online, rather than in the physical store).

A Roach In Space - one of many homebrew games from AtariAge for the Atari 2600

One thing I did initially wonder about is how AtariAge functioned in relation to Atari the company. While the question of whether third-party developers can legally create new games for the Atari 2600 was answered way back in the 1980's (they can), many homebrew releases sold through AtariAge are specifically aimed at duplicating the design and color scheme of Atari's own artwork and packaging. For example, many homebrews created for the Atari 5200 have the same silver / blue industrial look Atari used for games they made for that system. And while I don't remember reading anything specifically addressing this, companies in any industry generally don't like (to put it mildly) competitors duplicating their product / marketing design(s). However, in this case common sense suggests that these homebrews have always been welcome, particularly from a once-prominent company that has changed ownership multiple times over several decades and struggled to stay relevant. Put another way, these "homage" products, and the fans who love them, have no doubt helped Atari and its legacy from fading into obscurity.

RealSports Curling (cartridge) - An AtariAge homebrew game for the Atari 5200 

This brings us to more recent news, which is that it was announced Atari was acquiring AtariAge as of 9/7/2023. And though the announcement was something of a surprise, it makes sense when considering the slow reemergence of the company. As detailed in my June 2024 For the Love of Atari blog post, in 2021 Atari released The Atari VCS, their first new home gaming console in several decades. And while the Atari VCS definitely aimed to bridge the gap between classic and modern gaming with its connectivity and downloadable capabilities, this acquisition clearly connects Atari more securely with their most prominent retrogaming online resource and supporters. 

AtariAge - New Games for Classic Systems

In looking at an acquisition such as this, a question that comes to my mind is what advantages and disadvantages it brings. Generally speaking, it seems like a great idea, because as mentioned it aligns the company squarely with an enthusiastic fan base. This can only aid them in communicating with consumers about their products, such as asking for feedback about, and creating buzz around, new releases. In today's world that is incredibly important. And in the case of Atari, having a built-in, well-established resource like AtariAge can only be an asset. And of course, this is even more relevant since both end users and creators / programmers are a part of the AtariAge community. 

One concern voiced by some in the retrogaming community regards AtariAge losing its independence. That is, some feel there should be a separation between Atari the company and AtariAge the community, as there always has been. That's a legitimate concern of course, because traditionally with corporate takeovers of formerly independent entities (usually smaller companies), the risk is that once innovative, creative products can become more homogenized or "watered-down". But again, I think this is a special case, one where AtariAge has primarily been responsible for (or at least contributed heavily to) Atari's continued presence in the public eye over many decades. So it only makes sense for the newly reemerging company (under CEO Wade Rosen) to take this step and merge with such a valuable asset. 

And it's worth noting Atari has announced that Albert Yarusso, who founded and manages AtariAge (aided by a team of volunteers), will continue to do so. Additionally, he is also being employed as the company's historian (which of course is fitting). So, Atari is pledging their ongoing support to the site to help it grow and thrive, while seemingly leaving it intact in the same capable hands it has always been in. All this definitely sounds good, and only time will tell how things work out. 

The New Atari - Part 1 - The Atari VCS (2021)

In my very first For the Love of Atari blog post I mentioned how several years ago I became interested in classic video games again, first through reading the book Art of Atari by Tim Lapetino, then through the discovery of the website AtariAge. And it became quickly apparent perusing the site that although Atari had long since been dethroned as the dominant force in the video game industry (an industry they played a big part in creating), interest in their classic consoles and games remained strong. However, at that time it appeared that the company was still relatively dormant, other than continuing to license their titles and/or change ownership frequently. In fact, I remember reading online about Atari being referred to as a "lumbering zombie", long since having faded from prominence, but never quite having gone completely away (or something to that effect). But sometime after that I started to hear rumblings about a new console in the works, first called the Ataribox, then later renamed the Atari VCS. This was apparently the company's first foray back into the console industry since the 1990's, and arguably, the first real step in their reemergence into the video game industry. So in this post I'll be sharing some thoughts on the Atari VCS and the new age of this pioneering company.

A quick skim of the Wikipedia page linked above informs that the partially crowdfunded Atari VCS was first announced in 2017, went through various design stages, delays and other hurdles, and was eventually released to the general public in 2021. The page also discusses the technical nuts and bolts of the new console, which basically boils down to the fact that it is part video game console and part gaming computer with a decent processor inside it. 

The Atari VCS (2021) with wood grain front finish

Looking back in retrospect at this surprising release, it seems to me that Atari had the right idea for this first step in their comeback. I say this because obviously the video game industry has changed drastically since the heyday of their flagship console the Atari 2600. Modern gamers do not generally play games using physical cartridges, and any new console would be expected to embrace that. And the computer part of the Atari VCS does just that, facilitating a modern gaming experience with titles that can be downloaded, and storage devices that can be used or connected to store them. At the same time, the unit comes pre-loaded with numerous classic Atari titles that look and play just like they would if old-school cartridges were being used. So, in this respect, Atari addressed both the past and present with the new console.

The Atari VCS 800 with modern black finish and wireless controllers

The aesthetics of the Atari VCS are also in line with its functionality. The console comes in two general flavors - one with a "classic" look featuring a wood grain front panel, and one with sleek, modern black trim. Similarly, the wireless controllers are of two flavors - one resembling the classic Atari 2600 CX40 joystick (with a couple menu buttons added), and one in the design of modern controllers. This further compliments the idea of linking past to present.

The classic Atari 2600 CX-40 Joystick

I could conclude by offering my thoughts on the pros and cons, and strengths and weaknesses of the system, but there are numerous review videos and opinion sites that do just that. So rather than opine on how good of a gaming device it is, I'll wrap up with a few more general observations about Atari's reemergence into the industry with this product.

Referring to the linked Wikipedia page again, it states that initial sales of the unit far surpassed what Atari had anticipated (although in the years since the release, they have trended downward). But reviews of the Atari VCS have been decidedly mixed overall, with a frequent observation being that the unit's technical power may not quite match that of modern systems from Sony, Microsoft, etc. And this comparison may be telling, perhaps signifying that Atari didn't throw all their resources into creating a technical juggernaut aimed specifically at competing directly with current industry leaders Microsoft and Sony and the latest versions of their X-Box or PlayStation consoles. But rather, it seems to me, they created a system with enough technical prowess to give most gamers a good, modern (and connected) gaming experience, while at the same time remaining firmly rooted in their past history. Or, put another way, they were aiming at a core audience of people who grew up with their consoles and titles, who may also sometimes want to play modern games as well.

In the era of modern gaming, Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and perhaps a few others are no doubt king. And Atari's reemergence won't likely change that. However, their initial step back into the industry with the Atari VCS was clearly aimed at capitalizing on a niche market fueled by nostalgia for a bygone era and cultivated over the years by AtariAge and other sites like it. Over the next few posts, I'll discuss Atari's next steps as they have unfolded since the release of this system.

Space Cavern - another fun early space shooter from Games By Apollo

"You are in command of a Mark XIV intergalactic star-cruiser in an uncharted quadrant of outer space. You land on a mysterious planet riddled with a subterranean maze of tunnels and caverns inhabited by savage Electrosauri whose horns generate electro-molecular charges capable of disintegrating you and your crew." Sound scary? This is the beginning of the storyline in the instructions booklet for Space Cavern, another space shooter from Games By Apollo for the Atari 2600, released in 1982 (a year after their debut Spacechase). The description then goes on to talk about controlling your weapons, the colorful way your man will disintegrate if hit by an enemy "electro-molecular blast", and the additional danger lurking around the corner in the form of "shaggy marsupods". My oh my, this strange planet just doesn't seem friendly at all!

First, it's worth noting that Space Cavern was heavily inspired (to put it kindly) by the classic Imagic space shooter Demon Attack. That game was a big hit for early third-party developer Imagic, and it surely inspired other Atari 2600 games of the era as well. However, according to the Wikipedia page linked above, Games By Apollo's president was impressed with Demon Attack and wanted a game like it. So, it's not surprising there is some similarity in look and gameplay between them (as well as backstory).

Having acknowledged the obvious, and also acknowledging my being a big fan of Demon Attack, let's take a look at this lesser-known space shooter.

Some very cool poster art for Space Cavern from Games By Apollo

I like the overall look of this game, particularly the colorful graphics. Now of course, the limited graphical capabilities of the Atari 2600 always factor in, and in this case the enemies that attack your guy aren't well defined in terms of their fine details. However, the multiple colors and odd shapes of the Electrosauri are visually appealing, and their movement erratic, making for a fun battle. And it's also a nice touch that when destroyed their "ghosts", which look like little faces, float down to the bottom of the screen.

There is also some nice attention to detail with regards to your on-screen galactic warrior, because when the joystick button is pressed, he points and fires a laser blast upward. This really does look like someone gripping a gun tightly with both hands and firing a single shot straight up into the sky. And when the joystick is pushed forward or pulled back, he turns left or right to fire a "disruptor" charge, which looks more like the video equivalent of buckshot, to either side to stop the advancing Marsupods (which kind of resemble a set of chattering teeth). So there is a differentiation in terms of weapons used against the enemies.

The Electrosauri attack in Space Cavern from Games By Apollo!

Complementing the colorful look of the game is the fun sound of the space battle, particularly when destroying the enemies. Hitting an Electrosauri makes a high-pitched, chirpy sound somewhat reminiscent of running water, while taking out a scurrying Marsupod has a much lower-pitched sound that is memorable and seems appropriate for that particular threat. Again, there is contrast and attention to detail here. And it's also worth mentioning that when your man is "electrified", he's really electrified both visually and audibly! It's shocking!

Additionally, this is another game that has a nicely balanced difficulty progression. It does of course depend on what level a player begins on, but generally speaking, the action starts with a moderate level of difficulty and slowly gets harder as the levels go by. I appreciate it's not one of those games that is so tough I'm defeated in thirty seconds the first dozen times I play. And it's also not so easy that it quickly gets boring. I suggest starting on a game variation with only two Electrosauri with Marsupods, then moving to a four-Electrosauri with Marsupods game. But naturally, players may want more or less challenge right from the get-go.

An appropriately aged blue variation Space Cavern game cartridge

And finally, it's worth mentioning that Space Cavern has some nifty box and cartridge artwork, with a particularly impressive red dragon creature (Electrosauri I'm guessing) prominently displayed on both the red and blue cartridge variations. Overall, Space Cavern from Games By Apollo is a fun and engaging early Atari 2600 space shooter with enough of its own uniqueness to make it worth a look. 

To watch some gameplay, see The No Swear Gamer's review of Space Cavern.

A look at Spacechase from Games By Apollo

In 1980 Atari released their home version of the Taito arcade hit Space Invaders. It was a huge smash which pushed sales of the Video Computer System (later renamed the Atari 2600) into the stratosphere, making it the dominant home video game console on the market at the time. Due to this popularity, many third-party companies emerged to develop games for the system, the first and arguably most famous being Activision. Video game sales boomed in the early 1980's, but as many who are passionate about Atari and retrogaming in general are aware, this huge influx of companies would be a factor (one among many) in leading a few years later to the great video game crash of 1983. That was the year when the market for home, console-based video games started to reach a saturation point that over the next two years caused cartridge prices to plummet, revenues to drop, and many game manufacturers to go bankrupt (while bigger companies like Atari survived but were damaged).

"The Crash" is a fascinating topic of historical significance, and one I'd highly suggest reading more about at the Wikipedia page linked above as well as on other sites. What I've always found most interesting however, is the sheer number and variety of third-party developers that emerged before that happened. Some were new divisions of established companies, such as Parker Brothers, or M Network from Mattel Electronics, while many others were brand new startups. And interestingly enough, there were also games released by companies in seemingly unrelated industries, such as the rare titles Tooth Protectors from Johnson & Johnson (the pharmaceutical company), and Chase the Chuck Wagon from Purina Mills. But what I'd like to focus on here is a cool game from the startup company Games By Apollo, another early third-party publisher in the Golden Age of the Atari 2600. This Texas-based startup only released about a dozen titles in their short existence, but Spacechase, a space shooter which was one of their earliest releases (and best-selling titles), was quite a lot of fun and worthy of a second look. 

Spacechase from Games By Apollo

The 1981 title Spacechase is a relatively simple game. In it you are, according to the instruction manual, "commanding a squadron consisting of three heavily armed Mark 16 Starcruisers." The battle takes place over the scrolling landscape of the moon in either the day or night (depending on the game variation one chooses). In the early stages there are four enemies on screen attacking your ship in waves where they fly back and forth firing "neutron missiles", as well as the occasional "Lazer-directed Heat-Seeking Proton Missile". This latter missile type can home in on its target, and more enemies are added in later waves as the action speeds up.

Like many early Atari 2600 games, the graphics here are relatively simple. Your ship looks much like a chess piece, the first-stage enemies somewhat like the tanks in the system pack-in title Combat, with little green skull-like ships appearing after 10,000 points. Visual explosions are small white clouds for enemies and a flashing screen when your own ship is destroyed. The sounds are similarly simple, with bleeps and blips when missiles are fired, an appropriate boom sound for enemy ships being destroyed, and a more pronounced boom when you lose a Mark 16 Starcruiser.

Battling the first-stage enemies in Spacechase (daytime)

I enjoy Spacechase a lot and find it is a game to continually come back to. The first reason for this is because it has a nice difficulty progression and therefore inspires repeat play. It's simple enough that you can quickly get a feel for it from the first time playing and score some points before being wiped out by the enemies. Conversely, it's challenging enough that after scoring those points you'll want to hit that reset button to try and get farther into the enemy waves. That's not something that can be said about all Atari 2600 games, as some can be frustratingly difficult too quickly and others overly easy, with neither type encouraging the gamer to want to play again.

I also like the pace of the game, particularly the way the enemy ships zip back and forth in their attack formations over the scrolling landscape background. It's another aspect of that nice difficulty progression. Because although the action is frantic, I figured out pretty quickly that the trick is to aim your missiles just ahead of the moving targets, so they run into them. When done well, it's easy to get into a groove and move through stages quickly. However, this can be easier said than done while trying to avoid enemy fire. So, I'll often fall into the frustration of firing haphazardly instead and mostly missing. Either way, all of this keeps the fast-paced game fun and exciting, while I'm sure being great for hand-eye coordination (or something similarly beneficial like that). And it's also worth noting that the flexibility in being able to move the ship around in all directions in the lower third of the screen (similar to Gorf) facilitates the action nicely.

Spacechase - second box design

Additionally, I'd like to add that the simple graphics and sounds work fine for me. As noted, the gameplay moves quickly and is very addictive, which makes the simplicity of the shapes of the ships, missiles, etc. secondary. And I actually quite like the ship explosion sounds and have found that the loud boom of my ship being destroyed, combined with the flashing screen effect, can be quite startling. And being startled means that I was really focused on the on-screen action. I highly recommend this fun little game.

To watch some gameplay, see Classic Game Room's review of Spacechase.