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Coleco was never known for doing great ports of arcade games for systems outside their own. Don’t believe me? Check out Donkey Kong on the Intellivision. With Lady Bug, however, they really redeemed themselves and did an outstanding job. In Lady Bug you control, well, a lady bug as it moves through a garden maze full of flowers, hearts, vegetables, and letters that it must eat before the other bugs capture it. Poison skulls on the maze are deadly not only to the lady bug but also to the other insects that hunt it. This means that if the lady bug can trick one of its pursuers into a skull, dead it is. Lady Bug is clearly a game inspired by Pac-Man but it introduces new elements to the game. For example, there are turnstiles on the maze walls that can be used to change the maze around and avoid enemies. You get an extra life by eating the letters E-X-T-R-A only when they are glowing yellow (only two letters appear in each maze at a time) and the enemy insects only come out after a given time interval (which is determined by a timer on the outer wall of the maze). The hearts let you double, triple, or quintuple the score and, if all the enemy insects leave the bug box in the middle of the maze, a bonus vegetable appears for the lady bug to eat. Lady Bug is truly an amazing adaptation of the arcade original and it boasts beautiful graphics that closely resemble the arcade. Sound effects from the arcade have been well captures on this port as well. Lady Bug is a superb game for the Intellivision and should not be missed in your library.

Lock ’N’ Chase may be seen as just another Pac-Man clone but this game does offer unique qualities that take the Pac-Man formula and create a new and different experience and one that shines on the Intellivision. In Lock ’N’ Chase you play the role of a bank thief, a rather cute looking thing, and you are chased by four police officers as you collect gold coins from the bank floor. Unlike Pac-Man, there is no way to turn the tables on the cops; however, what you can do is slam doors at them so they are blocked from following you. You can only set up two of these doors at a time, so you have to be strategic about using them. The doors start to disappear several seconds after you set them (the effect is cool) and once they are gone you can slam a couple more doors at the cops. If you are able to trap one of the cops in any part of the maze, you get bonus points. You also need to keep an eye out for extra loot in the form of dollar signs, phones, crowns, etc. as these will give you bonus points. Note that the point value of the dollar sign increases the more times you are able to pick it up within the same maze. Also, picking up the dollar sign freezes the cops in place for a few moments. Once you have collected all the coins the game is far form over. Instead of the action ending and a new level starting once you pick up that lost coin, you actually have to find the exit from the maze and head to it before the cops get you! Graphics on this game are bright, colourful, and very well done. The thief is detailed, multi-coloured, and nicely animated (his hat moves up and down as he walks and his eyes move side to side). The cops are solid in colour (which differs from the arcade) but they each are a different colour. They are also quite smart and will mimic your movements and be very effective at trapping you. Like the Pac-Man ghosts, each cop has a name: Stiffy, Smarty, Scaredy, and Silly. These names, of course, are reflective of their personalities. Sound is also quite good and does show the capabilities of the Intellivision. In fact, all of the arcade sounds are here! If there is one fault with this game is the control. It is definitely sluggish and takes getting used to. I found it best to simply roll the disc in the direction you want the thief to move rather than pressing the disc to where you want him to go. This is a well known issue with this game and there are rumours that Mattel created a revised version to address it but it is not known whether or not it was released in a second wave of cartridges. There is also a hack of this game that addresses this issue and adds some additional animations that were on the arcade but did not make it into the original port. Lock ’N’ Chase has a two-player mode so you can have fun with a friend. This is an excellent port and one every Intellivision owner should have.

If you enjoy games of strategy, Locomotion is for you! Certainly a game that many might underestimate given its relatively simple graphics but one that is unquestionably addicting. In Locomotion, you are in control of the railways travelled by a train as it goes on its merry way to pick up passengers. Though you can control the speed at which the train moves by pressing the action buttons (you can also select the starting speed with the keypad), the real challenge is reorganizing the tracks so the train can pick up all the passengers. The playing field is full of squares, each with a different portion of track, plus there is one open space. You must maneuver pieces using the open space so the train can have a continuous track that takes it around to all the train stations. Unfortunately, you do not have forever to do this. You see, the passengers happen to be an inpatient lot and they get angry at you rather easily. They can send a crazy train after you or they can even riot and blow up the station! To complicate things even more, there are loop sweepers that will try to crash with the train and there are also crazy tracks that are, well, crazy. You can’t predict what will happen when the train gets on them! If all else fails, you can try pressing the panic button but that doesn’t always help! Locomotion is truly an amazingly fun game and one that will just have you coming back for more.

This is a game I have a hard time being objective about because I have been a fan of the Masters of the Universe mythos for years (actually 3 decades already...I’m getting old!). MOTU is based upon the TV show from the 1980's as evidenced by a very nice rendition of the musical theme from that show on the game’s title screen. In MOTU you play He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe, as he battles against Skeletor and his forces for Castle Grayskull, the source of He-Man’s power and the object of Skeletor’s desire. You start the game in the Mystic Mountains where your Wind Rider is waiting for you. You board the Rider and head toward Castle Grayskull. Along the way you will have to face a number of fireballs that Skeletor has created to attack you and crash your Wind Rider. You can shoot at these fireballs to destroy them. Some fireballs need two hits to be destroyed while others move in completely erratic patterns, making them hard to hit. In addition to the fireballs, there are several of Skeletor’s minions on the ground chasing you and that you need to trap with some special bombs. While your firepower is unlimited, your fuel is not. You must make sure that you keep track of the distance to the castle as well as your fuel (both are displayed at the bottom of the screen) if you want to make it there. Once you get close enough to Castle Graskull, you enter the Evergreen Forest where Skeletor is waiting for you shooting magical balls at you that you must deflect using your shield until you get close enough to Skeletor to engage him in a sword fight. Of course, Skeletor is a coward and he runs away deeper into the forest. So, you have to go through the same process again. Once you defeat him in this second forest screen, you both head into Castle Grayskull for one last battle. You must keep track of time during these fights, otherwise you can lose the game if time runs up. Once you defeat Skeletor inside Castle Grayskull, he runs out of the castle (with you chasing him) and everything starts all over at a higher difficulty level. Visually, MOTU is very well done. The Mystic Mountains in the background scroll nicely and look like real mountains. The forest is also well done and Castle Grayskull looks very impressive. Sound is simple but effective, though hearing the swords clang when He-Man and Skeletor fight is impressive. This game is simple fun and, while not stellar, is nicely done and something anyone who likes the MOTU mythos should have.

The grid....an alien ship wrecking yard. You are responsible for keeping it clean and organized. How do you do that? You must link five or more identical ships so you can blast them into nothingness with an electrical charge. Fail to keep the grid clean and its game over for you! Of course, if you are skilled, you will do a good job. Sounds like fun? Well, it should because Match 5 is one fun puzzle game on the Intellivision. The game offers two modes of play: Turn and Speed. In Turn mode you can take all the time you want to decide you’ll next move while in Speed mode you only have 15 seconds to decide what to do. Fail to decide in the allotted time and you will lose your turn. Your objective it so achieve as high a score as possible by matching at least five space ships (pieces) at a time. After every move (or missed move), three more pieces enter the board until the grid is completely full and no moves can be made. Match 5 has three skill levels to choose from with bombs available and earned varying for each level. Points are awarded by moving pieces and by destroying matched pieces. You can use the bombs to clear nine square on the grid and wild pieces to complete any set. Match 5 is addicting and is one game every Intellivision owner should have. This is an easy to learn, yet challenging puzzler that should not be missed.

Fans of movies like Fantastic Voyage and Innerspace will truly enjoy this visually stunning game from Imagic for the Intellivision. While in those movies there were miniaturised vessels with crews, in Microsurgeon, you are in control of a robotic probe that is able to move freely in a patient’s body so you can tackle diseases and infections. The story of Microsurgeon is that there has been an accident that has led to the escape of a noxious gas from a tanker. This gas causes problems with the immune system leading to fast tumour growth, infections, and other problems within the body. As a Microsurgeon, you are charged to take care of a patient who has been affected by this gas by destroying tumours, attacking bacteria, tar, gallstones, viruses, tapeworms, and any other disease they may develop. To do this, you must manoeuvre the Robot Probe through the patient’s blood vessels and lymphatics; otherwise, you will fall prey to the patient’s immune system as white cells attack your probe and drain its energy. You must keep track of your probe’s energy level for you must exit the body before the probe has no energy left. To leave the body you must head to the eyes, mouth, nose, or ears. Controlling the probe does get some getting used to as it is necessary to use both controllers simultaneously. The left controller is used to manoeuvre the Robot Probe while the right controller is used to administer the proper treatment for the diseases being treated. The Probe is equipped with an ultrasonic ray (for treating cholesterol build-ups, gallstones, kidney stones, tapeworms, tar deposits, and tumours), antibiotics (for bacteria), and aspirin (for viruses). As you play, it is vital that you keep track of the patient’s condition as a status of TERMINAL ends the game. The game also ends if the probe runs out of energy inside the patient’s body or if you cure all the diseases the patient has and exit. At the end of the game you are awarded a “fee” according to the patient’s condition. This, of course, is the scoring system for the game. I find Microsurgeon to be a fascinating game, though this is not a game for everyone. This is not a fast-paced shooter but I think it is remarkable because of its visuals and because the story that accounts for the gameplay. The only disappointing part of this game is that it does not have the entire body but just the upper part. If you have any fascination with the internals of the human body, you should definitely give this game a try.

Minehunter is an Intellivision game derived from the classic Minesweeper. You are solider who has been tasked with identifying the areas in the field that have mines so your tanks and soldiers can safely pass through the field without activating any of the mines. If you make a mistake and a bomb is not tagged properly or your time runs out, it is KABOOM and game over! In Minehunter you use your disc to move around an arrow which represents your “scanner” for the mines. As you move over the squares on the field, you can examine squares to determine whether or not there are mines nearby. When you examine a square, one of three things can happen: (1) the square is mine-free but it touches one or more squares with a mine, in which case the surrounding squares will have numbers giving you an idea of how many have mines; (2) the square is mine free as are the squares surrounding it, in which case the surrounding squares will be left blank; or (3) there is mine, it blows up, and the game is over. You complete a level once all the mines have been properly tagged or if you expose every safe square on the field. Minehunter is a nice take on this classic puzzle game but it isn’t anything too special. On the menu screen you can choose both the size of the field and the skill level. Sound is minimal and I must say that it would have been nice to have some kind of military theme playing the background for ambience. If you enjoy this type of puzzle game, then Minehunter is for you.

After playing Mission X, I had the feeling that the programmer was inspired by the likes of Xevious (is that why it is Mission X?). Instead of a futuristic environment and ship, in Mission X you’re in the World War II era in charge of a bomber plane which must destroy multiple targets including combat ships, aircraft carriers, tanks, trucks, and trains, among others. You are able to fly your plane up (by pressing the disc down), down (pressing up), sideways (pressing left or right), and even in angles as you attack your enemy with your bombs (by pressing the top action buttons) and bullets (lower action buttons). Be careful, though, as the enemy does indeed shoot back! Avoid their attacks so you can complete your mission. Your mission starts during the day but you will continue your relentless attack well into the night. Sounds fun? Mission X certainly has all the elements to be an enjoyable game but it does have its faults. While it is certainly cool to have to also account for altitude when attacking your ground targets and for avoiding their fire, it is hard to judge where your bombs will drop with accuracy. It would have been nice to have crosshairs ahead of the plane to target your enemies and give you a better sense of where the bombs will fall. Most of the time you are dropping bombs like a nutcase trying to hit something below. If an enemy plane approaches you, both your altitudes come in to play in order for your bullets to hit its target (or vice versa!). Visually the game is stunning, there are all sorts of terrain, day/night scenarios and lots of targets below you that are easy to identify. Sound is also good and quite effective as you fly up and down (the plane also changes perspective as it moves up and down) and for enemy weapons and explosions. You even get a brief break that displays your hits as you over fly runways (you can also land on them and even hear the tires skidding!) in between “sectors.”

If you’re looking to have some fun on a mountain bike, Motocross is for you. In this game you play the role of a daredevil as he races on mountain tracks against the computer or another player. The game has an isometric perspective and looks quite impressive for a game made in 1982. The physics of the game try to emulate reality instead of playing like an arcade game that has arcade physics (you know, unrealistic physics). This means that you must learn to properly control your motorcycle if you are to effectively complete a race. This can be tricky, particularly because the animation is a bit slow and does take some getting used to. The graphics of the game are impressive with a great deal of detail. Motocross also has some interesting features. First, you can choose from three already predesigned courses (largest, rough, and popular) or you can even create your own course! This is impressive by itself as very few games of the time allowed the player to do this. Second, you determine how many laps will be run, anywhere from one to ten by using the keypad. Third, you choose wether to play alone, against another player, against the computer, or whether you simply want to be a spectator of a one motorcycle or two motorcycle race. You even get to select how you want to steer (directional, which is screen oriented, or left/right, which is bike oriented). Most players will prefer directional control. One interesting feature is that on a two-player race, should a player fall behind, the first player is frozen in place until the other player can appear again on the screen. Overall a pretty good game for the system.

In 1981 Exidy decided they would try to cash in the Pac-Man fever by creating a game that used the same principles but offered its own twist. That game would be Mouse Trap. Coleco obtained the license for creating home ports and adapted the game to their console, the Atari 2600 and the Intellivision. Clearly Coleco learned from prior mistakes when creating this port and, with the Intellivision version, created a rather impressive game. In Mouse Trap, the player plays the role of a mouse (a mouse head, really) who must collect all the cheese in a maze while being chased by cats and hunted by a hawk. As the mouse moves through the maze, it can open and close doors in the maze to stop the cats from pursuing it. Spread through the maze you may find bones. If the mouse eats this bone, he can turn into a dog (by pressing button 5) and chase the cats. The more cats that are captured, the more points can be obtained. This is a temporary effect, so this must be kept in mind. The hawk appears in skill levels two, three, and four and the only way to escape it is to enter the “IN” box at the center of the maze to be transported to another part of the maze. Bonus items will also appear within the maze at random times for the mouse to grab. Mouse Trap has excellent graphics and good sound effects. There’s in-game music but it keeps getting interrupted by sound effects which makes it a bit annoying. Nonetheless, this is a great port and one fun game for the Intellivision.

Ms. Pac-Man has to be one of the most acclaimed sequels of any game in the arcade. It was adapted to many consoles and computers but, for some odd reason, it was never ported to the Intellivision. This omission is now corrected thanks to the folks at IntelligentVision. This port, however, is more than just a direct adaptation of the arcade. When the game starts you are welcome to a beautiful title screen that lets you start the game or takes you to an options menu. The player can select to play as either Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Man, or Jr. Pac-Man. You can then choose from Normal or Hard mode, the number of lives, when you want to have a bonus life, the speed at which your character moves, the ghosts’ speed, the game rules, and the mazes. You can just play the original four mazes or one of other four themes: Extra, Wide, Strange, and Random. There are over 24 mazes in this game! In terms of gameplay, you know what the rules are already. You must clear the mazes from all dots while avoiding the ghosts in them. Eat the power dots so you can turn the tables on the ghosts and eat them for bonus points. Your goal, of course, is to achieve the highest possible score. So, how well does the game actually play? Splendidly! Ms. Pac-Man on the Intellivision is gorgeous. The game has excellent graphics and, though the mazes are not quite arcade-perfect, they look fantastic. The Pac-characters looks great and the ghosts also look pretty good despite not having filled eyes. Game sounds are top notch, matching those of the arcade pretty well. Overall, Ms. Pac-Man is a remarkable title for the Intellivision and one that should not be missed by anyone who owns the system.

You are man trapped in a maze where robots give chase with the intention of eliminating you. Bats and spiders are also in this maze. Touch either one and you’ll be temporarily paralysed, turning you into an easy target for the robots to hit. Your objective is to find the guns that lie around the maze in order to fight back and destroy the robots before they eliminate you. You can also kill the bats and spiders to prevent them from paralysing you but keep in mind that you only get six bullets at a time. Use them wisely because once you’ve used up your six bullets, you must find another gun within the maze before your enemies get to you or you can hide within the wall of the bunker in the middle of the screen for protection. The maze becomes more difficult once your score hits 5000 points as now the bats do not get destroyed by your fire (or the robot’s fire) but, rather, they transform into new robots! Robots come in four colours: grey, blue, white, and black - the colour of the robots you have to fight is determined by your score. The higher the score, the more powerful the robots are and more of a challenge to your survival. Night Stalker has an interesting premise but is somewhat slow as a game. Control also isn’t the best as you can easily get stuck in corners and firing your gun is tricky as it is done using the number pad and not the action buttons. You have to press 8 to shoot up, 2 to shoot down, 4 to shoot left, and 6 to shoot right. It would have made more sense to allow the player to fire in the direction of movement using the action buttons. Your bullets move at slug speed (and so do you) and you can’t fire and move at the same time. This means that you have to carefully time your shots if you want to hit your enemies. Thankfully, the robots shots are slow as well but this just makes for a slow-paced gaming experience. I’m certain that game would be more fun if it had a faster pace. Mind you, that I played it at its top speed! You actually can choose to make the game go even SLOWER if you so desire. I have no idea why anyone would want to do that. In any case, not a bad game, you just need to be patient playing it.