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Here it is, the very first homebrew game for the Intellivision! This is such a classic game for the system that it has actually been released in four different versions (Philly Classic and Non-Philly Classic in white boxes, IntelligentVision with new box and overlays; and LTO with another revised box and overlays). 4-Tris, as you can probably guess from its name, is an adaptation of Tetris. Tetraminos (seven different kinds of pieces made of four blocks each) fall from the top of the screen and you must reorient them and lock the in position at the bottom of the screen in order to complete lines. As you complete lines of blocks, these disappear and give you points. If you start leaving gaps, the blocks accumulate until you can no longer lock pieces in place to form lines, ending the game. Though the premise of 4-Tris is simple, it is a highly addictive game that just makes you come back for more. Music plays in the background as you work hard at aligning all the pieces to achieve the high score. Though the graphics for 4-Tris are simplified when compared to the original Tetris, they work well. The control is responsive and the experience is just plain fun. You do get to choose what level you start on by pressing numbers 1-9 on the keypad or you can run a sound test by pressing zero. 4-Tris also has a couple of Easter eggs to add to the fun. One of them has a message from Joe, the maker of the game, and the other is a bonus game, Pong!

Mattel must have clearly seen the success Atari had with Combat on the 2600 and they must have figured they’d not only create a tank game for the Intellivision but one that would make the 2600 game look like garbage...and I would have to say that they certainly succeeded in the looks department. Armor Battle looks fantastic. The combat field has buildings, trees, roads, bunkers, you name it. There are 240 different battlefields that the program randomly selects each new wave of the game. Armor Battle, like Combat, is a two-player only game, so make sure you have a friend to play against if you want to enjoy it. You get two tanks that you can control, though not simultaneously, in order to attack your opponent. Of course, they also have two tanks to attack you! Your job is to destroy your enemy’s tanks before they destroy yours. The tanks look great but it is somewhat weird that you are looking at the battlefield from above yet the tanks are seen at an angle. The tank that you are actively controlling looks larger and you can easily switch tanks by pressing eight. Besides shooting your adversary with your main gun turret, you also can set invisible mines that will help destroy the enemy. You will want to be able to switch tanks if the tank you are controlling gets hit because it will continue to get pounded no matter what you try. You see, the tanks don’t shift position when they are hit (as happens in Combat), so if your enemy has you in the line of fire, they may just keep at it until they’ve hit your tank three consecutive times effectively destroying it. This is your chance to switch tanks and turn the tables on your opponent. One interesting aspect about Armor Battle is that there is recoil after you shoot which does move you and changes your line of fire. This means that you have to be ready to shift position in order to keep on hitting your target. Once one of the players loses both tanks, the game goes to an information screen that lets each player know how many tanks they have left and from which you start the next wave of battle. Be prepared for a long time playing as each player gets 50 tanks and the game continues until one player loses all 50 tanks. Game sounds are basic (tank movement, guns shooting, explosions) but quite sufficient for the game. This game can be quite fun if you have a worthy opponent to play against.

Astro Smash is game where you control a laser gun that is ground based as it is tasked to destroy the falling asteroids that bombard your planet. Asteroids come in many colours and sizes and they fall at varying speeds. Be careful, though, because the asteroids are not the only things falling from the sky. Spinning bombs, UFO’s and guided missiles are all out to get you as well. Spinners must be destroyed before they hit the ground because, if they do reach the ground, your gun is blown to smithereens. Astro Smash is just plain fun shooting to destroy as many enemies as possible to get the highest score that you can. The game offers you the option of shooting a single laser beam at a time (you control this with any of the fire buttons) or you can select auto-fire mode which shoots three lasers per second letting you concentrate on moving the gun where you want it. You are also equipped with a hyperspace function so you can escape the guided missiles. This is something you may have to do more than once in order to destroy the missile before it hits you. Visually the game is well done. Whenever you destroy an enemy, you see an explosion animation. When you hit larger asteroids, they split into smaller asteroids and head in different directions. You need to keep this in mind since shooting an asteroid to close to your gun means that the explosion may destroy your gun. As your points increase, so does the speed of the falling objects and things can get hectic very quickly. Scoring in Astro Smash is rather interesting because you score points as you destroy enemies but you lose points for any asteroids that reach the ground. So, your score will be moving up and down as you play. The final score the game reports for you is your “peak” score during the game. Also, as you advance in the game, the colour of the sky changes to indicate a new bonus multiplier. I wish the colour changes were more subtle because the contrast between the playing field and the falling objects can get annoying some times. Astro Smash is a good game that every Intellivision owner should have in their library.

Do you remember a certain sunken city? Yes, that one. Well, you are charged with protecting it from the attacking Gorgons before it ends up demolished in the bottom of the ocean. The Gorgon fleet is comprised of nine different types of vessels: squid bombers, rocket rallies, spar modules, bandit bombers, bi-winged bullets, spider fighters, recon rockets, astro orbiters, and cosmic crawlers. These vessels use their death rays to attack Atlantis and damage its beautiful structures. Each type of vessel has a different type of motion so you have to stay alert in order to properly defend against them. The Gorgon will attack in waves during the day, dusk, and night giving you no time to rest. You are equipped with two anti-aircraft guns, one at either side of the screen, and one sentinel saucer which you use to defend the city structures. Crosshairs allows you to target the enemy as they approach so you can shoot them with the anti-aircraft guns (which have unlimited ammo). You may also take the battle to them by launching the sentinel saucer but you must be careful not to run out of fuel or your saucer will crash and you will not have a replacement until the next day (if you survive that long). To replenish the saucer’s fuel, land it back at its berth while you continue using the guns to defend Atlantis. Atlantis is an excellent game for the Intellivision. The graphics are remarkably well done with renderings of the city domes, the city itself, the guns, and everything else that are beautiful. The explosions are also quite well done and play into how you destroy your enemies. The game starts at daytime and advances to dusk and then night and it is this latter stage that is the most challenging as you have two spotlights pointed to the sky that give you glimpses of the enemy ships as they attack. Your enemies only attack the city structures when they are close to them (i.e. towards the bottom of the screen), so you need to make every effort to destroy them before they can make it that low. Sound is simple but quite effective with an alarm going off every time an enemy vessel approaches. The controls do work well for this game, though for some strange reason, the programmer decided to use the top and bottom buttons for firing from the left and right guns, respectively, instead of what I’d consider logical (left for left, right for right), go figure. In any case, it is not difficult to get used to this. It is also fun using the sentinel saucer to attack enemies rather than just firing from the guns. Atlantis can be played alone or alternating with a friend (the two-player version alternates by waves of attack) and it offers three different skill levels to choose from. This game even has a “pause” option! Imagic really made a superb game here, a must have for any Intellivision owner.

Auto Racing is a game with a rather unassuming name and one that looks great. Sadly, looks can be deceiving. In Auto Racing you control any of five different cars which you can race in five different tracks. The game can be played solo or with a friend and game goals are determined by how you choose to play. If you play the game solo, you are competing against yourself for getting the best time possible at any given track by completing five laps. If you play with a friend, the goal is to reach 50 points first. Points are awarded for being ahead of your competitor far enough to reach the edge of the screen or for making them crash. Each of the five tracks is very different from the other. Each of the five cars you get to choose from also has different characteristics in regards to colour, speed, cornering, and acceleration. Cars four and five have the same characteristics and should be used in head to head competitions. Something interesting in this game is that there is no need to accelerate as the cars do that automatically. What you do need to do is push the breaks. Breaking is accomplished by pushing the lower buttons. Steering is accomplished by touching the control disc in different sections. Sadly, this is where the game falters. Assuming the disc is a clock, you can gradually steer right or left touching the disk anywhere between 1 and 2 for right and 10 and 11 for left. For a more hard turn, hit the disc at 3 for right or 9 for left. Going under the equivalent of 3 or 9 is over steer and the car will turn more than you need. This steering system just doesn’t work very well, which is unfortunate because the disc controllers could easily have been adapted to work more like a steering wheel to make controlling the cars better. This is also unfortunate because the game really does look nice. The roads, the houses, the bushes and trees, all look fantastic from the overhead point of view. Based on these looks, you’d expect a stellar game and that simply is not the case. Sound is also horrible, particularly the engine sound which is more like radio static (or an electronic bug, I can’t decide) and it gets annoying after a while. If you crash, it takes several seconds for the game to restart at the point where you left off (there are “checkpoints” through the tracks for this purpose. I’m afraid I was hoping for a cool overhead racing game but instead found myself quite disappointed with Auto Racing. Maybe I just need to spent a lot more time practising the steering.

If you ever fantasised about being a World War II bomber pilot, this is the game for you! It is the last years of WWII when the Allied Forces are invading Europe across the English Channel and attacked with air raids done by USAAF B-17 bombers, Lancasters, and Sterlings. It is the mission of the B-17's to carry heavy explosives to targets including factories, airfields, refineries, and warships. In this game, you are in charge of a B-17 and your goal is to pick targets across Europe and bomb them, must like during WWII. But you are not alone, several crew members are with you in your bomber and they alert you if there are bandits heading your way so you can shoot them so they don’t stop you from carrying your mission. And how do these crew members alert you? They TELL you, of course, as B-17 Bomber is an Intellivoice game with effective speech synthesis that enhances game play. B-17 Bomber is one of those games that you want to play with the controller overlay as there are several functions that require use of the keypad: gun selection (12-9-6-3 o’clock), map, bomb bay, pilot, preview target, gauges, etc. Without the overlay, you’ll have to remember which number does what and it can get confusing. The action buttons also have various functions depending on the screen you are on: change bomb load, fire gun, drop bomb, set target, fly faster, jettison fuel, etc. You start the game at the map where you select your target. You then need to fly while avoiding enemy fighter planes or engaging them when necessary. Should you sustain damage, you can fly back to England for repairs before continuing with the next mission. If you continue your missions without doing repairs, your plane may crash which will end the game. This game is fantastic! It is complex and has lots going on which will keep you busy. Voices in this game are not just a gimmick as you are given pertinent information necessary to complete missions. This is definitely a must for any Intellivision owner.

When you first look at Beauty and the Beast (BATB) you may immediately think it is another Donkey Kong rip off. While this game may have been inspired by DK, it is a sufficiently different game to not be a clone. In BATB you play the role of Bashful Buford, a man who is trying to rescue his love, Tiny Mabel, from a giant man called Horrible Hank. Horrible Hank is a mean guy who plays bowling with boulders and eats buttered bricks. He must have tried something with Mabel that got him rejected, leading him to take Mabel hostage. Buford chases them to the Mutton Building where Hank throws boulders at Buford as he tries to climb the building to rescue Mabel. So, we have a hero, a damsel in distress, and a monster (not a gorilla) but beyond that, BATB is its own game. You see, Buford can only climb the building through open windows in each floor. Windows open and close randomly, so you have to be careful. Hank will throw boulders at you while birds, bats, and rats try to make you lose your balance and fall. As you climb the building, Mabel throws hearts at you which, if you grab, give you temporary invincibility. When you reach Mabel and Hank, Hank moves further up the building and you have to continue the chase. There is an intermission sequence that shows the entire Mutton Building and identifies the levels you have cleared, the number of lives you have left, and your score. A biplane flies above the building with a sign that congratulates you if you are successful. If you are able to reach the top of the building, you are rewarded with an animation of Hank falling from the top of the building followed by a pick up for Buford and Mabel by the biplane that had been floating the signs before. When this animation ends, the game starts all over again (Hank must be very good at hunting down Mabel!). Despite having a similar story to that of DK, visually this game is nothing like DK. The building is clearly rendered and has a nice background. As you climb, the building narrows and this is evident as you advance. Hank may not be a gorilla but he sure does look like one, though. Mabel isn’t much to look at as she is rendered as a simple blue figure that Hanks holds. Buford is nicely animated (his arms move as he walks) and he changes colour while a tune plays when he grabs the hearts Mabel throws at him. This is really a fun game, Imagic did a good job with this title and it would be a shame not to get it assuming it is nothing more than a clone of DK.

Most retro wrestling games tend to be a bit simplistic in their gameplay but are still enjoyable. Well, forget about that stereotype when it comes to Body Slam! Super Pro Wrestling! This game is a pretty remarkable bit of programming. As with any wrestling game, your goal is to defeat your opponent, be it another human player or the computer. There are 12 different characters to choose from and you can play by yourself or in a tag team match. The characters are have some crazy names that fit their personas and the physical attributes (e.g., Baron Von Thud, Jack Hammer, Doctor Pain, Chief Big Thunder). Once you choose your wrestler you then select from 26 possible moves that you will use in the match you’re going to play. Depending on the skill level selected (there are six to choose from), the number of moves you get to use ranges from four to nine. The movies are assigned to particular keypad numbers so that you can control when each move is used. When the game starts, you’ll see the wrestlers make an entrance through the crowd and then they’ll climb into the ring. The screen then shows a bikini-clad woman who shows the round numbers and who will even wink if someone from the crows whistles at her. The action then starts and each round lasts four minutes. The rounds keep going until a winner is declared. Body Slam has some pretty nice graphics as well as some rather cool animations. There are plenty of moves to select from and some of them even let you throw your opponent off the ring! I love seeing the ropes “vibrate” as the wrestlers bounce of them. Overall a pretty impressive game that shows off what the Intellivision can do.

If you’ve ever experienced road rage, you will most certainly love Bump ’N’ Jump! You see, you’ll get to finally bump off the road the slug who is blocking your lane or you can just crush the idiot that dangerously cuts in front of you. All, of course, in the virtual world provided you by Bump ’N’ Jump! Bump ’N’ Jump is a port of the arcade game of the same name and it is masterfully adapted on the Intellivision. The goal of the game is to bump and jump (with the objective of crushing) cars on the road while you drive as fast you possibly can (anywhere from 20 to 220 mph) on a road with all sorts of twists and turns. You view the road from above and you control your car by accelerating (pressing the disc up), decelerating (down), turning right or left, and jumping by pressing any of the action buttons. Bump onto other cars to push them off the road and jump to either crush other cars or avoid obstacles on the road. You can also jump of you find yourself boxed in between cars. Don’t go jump crazy, though, as you may end up falling in water (a river or lake) which costs you a life. If you reach the end of the road, you are awarded bonus points and taken to the next road to continue your road rage “therapy.” By the way, there are 10 different vehicles on the road for you to bump with: tractors, cycles, skull cars, race cars, dump trucks, white cars, green cars, yellow trucks, blue cars, and brown cars. Each of these vehicles behaves differently and each have different difficulty to be bumped. Bump’N’Jump is truly a gem for the Intellivision. Graphics are excellent(there’s even a nice, animated title screen!), sound is great, and there is even the in-game tune from the arcade all here to give you a superb gaming experience. There is also a two-player alternating mode so you can play against a friend for the highest score. Bump’N’Jump is another must-have for your Intellivision library.

Over the years, I have played various versions of Burger Time but it wasn’t until recently that I got try out the Intellivision version which, I must say, is excellent! Burger Time is a port of an arcade game of the same name in which you play a chef who must make burgers by walking on top of the different burger pieces that are laid out on several platforms. Sounds somewhat unhealthy but that’s unimportant! Of course, our little chef doesn’t have an easy time putting together these burgers as he is chased by hot dogs, fried eggs (over easy), and pickles who are deadly to the touch. The chef has some pepper he can use as a weapon to temporarily paralyse his enemies but he must use the pepper wisely as he only gets it in a limited supply that can only be replenished when bonus items (i.e. french fries and other food items) appear on the screen. Burger Time is a fun game that translates very well on the Intellivision. The game retains the elements of the arcade, has multiple screens of play, excellent music and sound effects, and is paced to be challenging. Visually, the characters are all well represented and the burger parts have different colours and can be easily identified as bread buns, lettuce, and burger patties. If you are a fan of Burger Time, this game is well worth getting.

Carnival is a port of the arcade game of the same name. The goal is to shoot all the targets on a carnival-type shooting range before running out of bullets. The player’s gun is at the bottom of the screen along with a bullet counter. In the range there are three rows of targets moving in alternating directions. The targets include rabbits, ducks, owls, and bonus items. It is important to shoot the ducks quickly for if they survive, the come alive and move to where the bullets are and eat them away! There are bonus letters that spell “BONUS” and must be shot in order if the player is to get the bonus points. You can also get more bullets or points if you shoot the changing target on the left of the screen but you must be careful as, sometimes, shooting that target will deduct points or bullets (you must read what you are shooting!). In addition to these targets, there is a wheel of pipes at the top center of the screen. If you finish shooting all the targets and have bullets remaining you are awarded a bonus. This adaptation of the arcade for the Intellivision is fair, at best, and has a number of failings. The background music is constantly interrupted (and restarts) when you hit a target, which makes it very annoying. In addition, the sound cue from the arcade for the ducks as they move down is gone. Targeting is difficult and the game is slow. Though the graphics are good and do make this an attractive game, they are not enough to make up for problems with gameplay. The 2600 version plays much better.

The highly successful arcade game, Centipede, saw its fair share of home adaptations created and the Intellivision was not left out. This version of the game was ported by Atari, who did a very good job at adapting the arcade game to the system. In Centipede, you control a bug zapper (according to the manual, a wand that shoots sparks) and your goal is to kill the centipede as it comes down a field of mushrooms. Accompanying the centipede are some fleas, spiders, and scorpions that attack you in different ways. The fleas start bugging you after you shoot away most of the mushrooms near you. It drops straight down, creating mushrooms as it falls. The spider jumps all over the battlefield and the scorpion scurries across the battlefield, poisoning every mushroom it touches. If the centipede hits a poisoned mushroom, down it comes towards you at top speed. Centipede boasts nice graphics that do reproduce the arcade visuals fairly well. The mushrooms do look like they are supposed to but they are rendered in only one colour. All the enemies are easy to recognize also and the centipede is rather large. The game plays very well (albeit a bit slow) and it introduces a couple of options to help Intellivision players. First, autofire can be engaged using the numerical pad. This allows the player to concentrate on movement alone. Speaking of movement, you can also press the lower action button to move faster on the screen. Overall a pretty good game.

Can you save Christmas? That is the question you are asked when you read the manual to this holiday title for the Intellivision. You play the role of Carol Greenleaf, an elf who has been tasked by Santa Claus to recover the presents the Evil Snowman has stolen from his shop. The Evil Snowman has taken the games into Frozen Ice-Cube Caverns in the Himalayas and this is where you must go. The Ghost of Christmas Presents assists the Snowman by haunting the caverns to protect the presents. Though his touch won’t kill you, the Ghost will take any presents you’ve recovered back into the caverns forcing you to start again. Of course, the Evil Snowman doesn’t leave the Ghost to do all the work. He enters the caverns seeking to freeze you with his touch. Thankfully, Santa’s magic will thaw you back a limited number of times so you can continue your mission. To assist you on this mission, the caverns have been filled with magical snowflakes that you can use to confuse your enemies temporarily, giving you an opportunity to avoid their touch. Elves love candy and there is plenty of bon-bon candy Carol can pick up as she moves through the caverns for extra points. Should Carol pick up all the objects on each cavern without being frozen, she is awarded bonus points. Christmas Carol is a fantastic title for the Intellivision. The title screen has a beautifully rendered Christmas tree and it plays “Carol of the Bells.” You can choose practice levels or get into the game itself. You can practice in all but the final level of the game. There also are some very entertaining intermissions every two levels that always make me smile. This is another winner that no Intellivision owner should be without.