Electronic Games Issue 6

PRIMARY SYSTEMS COVERAGE THIS ISSUE

• Atari VCS - Atari 2600
• Milton Bradley Microvision (MV)
• Mattel Intellivision
• GCE Vectrex (news coverage)
• Atari 400 - 800
• Commodore VIC-20
• Apple II
• Odyssey2
• Astrocade
• stand-alones
• arcade
• pinball

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(TOC excerpts follow, with (notes) and bullet lists added for clarity)

Switch On! - Is This Gaming's Golden Age? (editorial by Arnie Katz)

Electronic Games Hotline (news section)

• Power To The Pac-Man! (top video games)
• Apollo Launches Four (upcoming games; Lockjaw, Lost Luggage, Space Cavern, Racquetball)
• Freedom Fighter Blasts Off (upcoming Odyssey2 games; Freedom Fighters, The Great Wall Street Fortune Hunt)
• The Ultimate Stand-Alone? (GCE Vectrex)
• Coin-Op Records Set
• Coin-Op Records Tumble
• Astro Bits (upcoming Astrocade titles; Conan, G.I. Joe)
• Odyssey Outlook (upcoming Pick-Ax Pete; K.C. Munchkin removed from shelves)
• Electronic Games' Picked Hits (readers' top lists; video, computer, coin-op)
• Atari Report (upcoming games; Dig Dug, Caverns of Mars, Berzerk, Defender)
• The National Vanity Board - Today's Top Coin-Op Scores
• Raster Blaster Named Top Apple Program
• Introducing... The National Arcade Scoreboard

Readers Replay (letters column)

Q&A (by the Game Doctor)

Test Lab

Our computer expert opens up the VIC-20 to find out what's inside. ('Is The VIC-20 the King of the Low-Priced Microcomputers?' by Henry B. Cohen)

Feature - Games On Disc

Videodisc players can do a lot more than just show old movies, they can also present a new breed of electronic game! ('Playing Around with Videodisc Machines' by Henry Cohen)

Arcading Italian Style

America isn't the only country going crazy about coin-op amusement centers. ('Coin-Op Machines Are Lapping Up the Lire' by Tom Hirscheld)

Joystick Jury

Our readers discuss what makes a videogame top-notch. ('What Make a Videogame Great?')

Computer Graphics Energize Tron

Here's the whole story behind those unbelievable animation sequences. ('Videogame Graphics Inspired Disney's Blockbuster' by Les Paul Robley)

Exploding The Arcade Myths

A noted educator and social scientist separates fact from fancy. ('A Scientist Evaluates the Coin-Op Gaming Scene' by B. David Brooks, Ph. D.)

Passport To Adventure

Venture to the mysterious Middle East with Ali Baba! ('Save the Princess and Reap the Rewards' by Arnie Katz; review of Ali Baba (400,800 disk))

Programmable Parade

Our two-headed critic tells which games are tops - and which are turkeys. ('Make a Million - or Lose Your Shirt!' by Bill Kunkel and Arnie Katz; console video game reviews:)

• Great Wall Street Fortune Hunt (Ody2)
• Cosmic Swarm (VCS)
• Star Voyager (VCS)
• Demon Attack (VCS)
• Snafu (Int)

Special Section - The Players Guide To The New Coin-Ops

EG's magazine-within-a-magazine previews the hot new coin-op games that will be snatching up our quarters over the next year or so. (coin-op preview commentary, divided by genre into the following sections:)

• Travel One-Million Light Years For a Quarter - Outer Space Arcading
• Mayhem in Mazeland - Corridors of A-Maze-Ment
• Coin-Ops Court the Electronic Athletes
• Hot Battles, Cold Wars
• Powerhouse Pinball - Tables Explode with Fabulous Features

Reader Poll

Insert Coin Here

Get ready to assault the mighty space fortress of Midway's Bosconian. ('Take the Money and Run - if You Can' by Bill Kunkel; coin-op reviews:)

• Thief
• Bosconian
• Looping

Video Pinball!

Flipper games are creating lots of excitement on the home TV screen. (running pinball video game commentary, with the following featured:)

• Raster-Blaster (Apple II)
• Bally Pin (Astro)
• Thunderball (Ody2)
• Video Pinball (VCS)
• David's Midnight Magic (Apple II)

Coin-Op Classroom

Save the survivors in Defender with our arcade ace's handy hints. ('Save the Survivors in Defender' by Bill Heineman; strategies)

Strategy Session

Here's where would-be cowpokes can learn how to rope more steets in Activision's Stampede cartridge. ('Lasso More Dogies in Stampede' by Frank Tetro Jr.; strategies for the following:)

• Stampede (VCS)
• Galactic Invasion (Astro)
• Crossfire (400,800 disk)

Glossary ('A Glossary For Gamers')

Arcade America

Buckle your seat belts, we're blasting off for Star Fleet Command! ('A Visit to Star Fleet Command' by David Lustig)

New Products

• Video Bumper Stickers
• Pac-Man Puzzle and Pac-Man Card Game
• Video Game Cart
• Teledapter and Joystick Wire (stereo audio adapter; joystick name plates and extension cords)
• Microcomputer Dictionary

Mini-Arcade Gallery

Enter the world of programmable stand-alone cartridge games. ('Hunt Down the Cosmic Criminals!' by Joyce Worley; programmable stand-alone game reviews; this issue, dedicated to Milton Bradley's Microvision system:)

• Cosmic Hunter (MV)
• Phaser Strike (MV)
• Connect Four (MV)
• Bowling (MV)

Games Library (book reviews by Charlene Komar)

• The Electronic Cottage by Joseph Deken
• Score! by Ken Uston
• How To Master Home Video Games by Tom Hirshfeld

Computer Playland ('Fly Through the Night on a Wing and a Prayer!;' computer game reviews)

• Nite Flyer (400,800 disk)
• Congo (Apple II disk)
• Peeping Tom (Apple II disk)
• Ruskii Duck (Apple II disk)

Stand-Alone Scene

The latest hand-helds and table-tops get the full treatment. ('Death Swoops From the Skies!' by Joyce Worley; stand-alone electronic game reviews; includes 'State-of-the-Art: Stand-Alone Games' sidebar)

• Galaxian (by Coleco)
• Digital Daredevil (by Tomy Corporation; Digital Derby Auto Raceway shown)
• Othello (by Gabriel; shown)