Electronic Games Issue 21

PRIMARY SYSTEMS COVERAGE THIS ISSUE

• Atari VCS - Atari 2600
• Atari 5200
• Odyssey2
• Intellivision
• Astrocade
• Vectrex
• Arcadia 2001
• Channel F
• Ultravision (never released)
• Atari computers
• Commodore VIC-20
• Apple II
• PC
• ColecoVision
• Coleco ADAM (news coverage)
• stand-alones
• arcade

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

(This issue of Electronic Games introduces a recurring controller review section, In Control.)

Switch On! - Bye, Bye High Score Hijinks (editorial by Arnie Katz; decision to stop printing high scores)

Electronic Games Hotline (news section)

• Imagic Changes Publishing Course (Imagic plans computer games)
• Coleco Unveils Adam
• Special Olympics Adds Videogames
• All-Star Poster Art (Videogame All-Stars videogame club printing game posters)
• "Moonbase Io" Winners Announced
• Fox Lowers Cost of MASH
• Atari, Bushnell Bury Hatchet
• Game Publishers Aids PBS (Milliken Publishing donates EduFun software for auction fundraising)
• 'Dragon's Lair' Debuts At Reese
• New Names At Atari (John J. Morgan replaces Ray Kassar)
• Are Computers "Really" Tax Deductible? ('Tax Breaks for Computer Buyers' book)
• AT&T Considers Tele-Gaming (AT&T considering game download service via modem add-on)
• Parker Licenses Astro Chase
• Atari To Publish For Other Systems
• MCA, Atari Link In Movie-Game Deal (Atari licenses MCA properties)
• Start Your Day Off Right - With Cereal (Pac-Man, Donkey Kong cereals)
• Teens Spend More On Videogames
• E.G. Readers Pick Their Favorite Games (top lists)

Newsmakers (Newsmakers: Dragon's Lair - Don Bluth Builds a Dragon's Lair' by Tracie Forman; Don Bluth and the development of Dragon's Lair)

Readers Replay (letters column)

Inside Gaming ('Consulting Activision's Kitchen Cabinet' by Bill Kunkel; Steve Kitchen, Gary Kitchen, Dan Kitchen developers profile)

Arcade America ('Third Star from the Sun!' by David Lustig)

Programmable Parade ('Blast Some Sense out of the Turmoil!;' console video game reviews)

• Turmoil (2600)
• Mission X (Int)
• London Blitz (2600)
• Robot Tank (2600)

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FEATURES

The Videogame Hall Of Fame

The votes are in - and two games entered the shrine. Find out if your favorite made it - or will they have to wait for next year? ('Two Great Games Attain Immortality' by The Editors of Electronic Games)

• Donkey Kong (Nintendo/Coleco)
• Zaxxon (Sega)

Scary Games

A few electronic shudders are waiting for those of you who believe Halloween tricks are treats. ('Games That Go "Bump" in the Night' by Bill Kunkel)

Goodies For Gamers

Here are some nifty little gadgets and accessories that can make anyone's arcading more fun! ('Products to Increase Your Gaming Pleasure' by The Editors of Electronic Games)

Video Pinball Flips Out

Video versions of the traditional flipper games are turning on thousands of electronic gamers. ('The Silver Ball Keeps Rolling' by Rick Teverbaugh)

It's the holiday season, and for the scoop on the leading programmables, from the ColecoVision to the Atari 2600, read The Players Guide To Videogame Systems. ('Players Guide To Programmable Videogames;' sections:)

• Atari 2600: The People's Choice
   
  • 2600 Hardware
  • Peripheral Paradise
  • VCS Software Explodes
  • The 2600 Gourmet List
  • Among The Missing

• Odyssey: The Flexible System

  • A Change For Odyssey?
  • The Pink Pussycat
  • Notes To The Survivors

• Astrocade: A System That Couldn't

  • Enter The Astrocade
  • Hardware Chitchat
  • The Astro Underground

• Intellivision: Redesigned For Today

  • Where's Pappa?
  • Son Of Intellivision?
  • Steering A Fresh Course
  • The Talkies

• ColecoVision: The Third Wave Keeps Rolling

  • The Hard Facts
  • Software And Such
  • Caveat Dept.
  • Modern Shopping

• Atari 5200: The Living Arcade

  • Atari's Top Of The Liner
  • Discussing The Downside
  • So What's Next?

• Vectrex: Where No Videogame Has Gone Before

  • The Portable Programmable
  • The Importance Of Being Vector
  • The Overnight Game Library

• Whatever Happened To... Channel F, Ultravision and the Arcadia 2001?

  • Did Somebody Turn Off Channel F?
  • Demise Of The Ultimate Arcade?
  • Whither The Arcadia 2001?

Q*Bert Comes Home

If you love Mylstar's block-hopper, there's Q*bert merchandise awaiting you! ('A Catalog of Q*Bert Merchandise' by Susan Cooke)

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Computer Gaming ('Webbing Through Life In Arachnoid - The Game that Will Drive You Buggy!;' computer game reviews)

• Arachnoid (VIC20)
• Squish 'Em (Atari cart)
• Gold Fever (VIC20 cart)
• Shamus, Case II (Atari disk)
• Hi-Res Computer Golf 2 (Apple II disk)
• M.U.L.E.S. (Atari disk)
• Night Falls (Apple II disk)
• River Rescue (VIC20 cart)

In Control ('The World's First Controller Review Column!' by Tracie Forman; brief introduction and the following reviews:)

• Questar Control Console (Questar; 2600)
• The Kraft Switch-Hitter (Kraft; Apple,PC)
• The Supr-Stick (D-Zyne Products; 2600)

Insert Coin Here ('Save Yourself! The Sinister Sinistar Lives!' by Tracie Forman; arcade game reviews)

• Sinistar
• Congo Bongo (includes 'How It Plays' control section)

Q&A ('The Logarithmic Lowdown from the Doctor' by the Game Doctor)

Stand-Alone Scene ('Two Games for Thrill-Seekers' by Joyce Worley; brief introduction and the following reviews):

• Zaxxon (Coleco; tabletop (shown))
• Tomytronic 3-D Thundering Turbo (Tomy; handheld (shown))

Reader Poll