Puck Monster (1982)

Puck Monster (1982) Before the Game Boy came along, individual handheld games were fairly popular toys. In the early 1980s, these were LED based and the batteries didn't lat all that long, at least by modern standards. The types of games available in this format were pretty varied. However, it was quite popular to clone other popular games of the time. Puck Monster was really just a slight variation on Pac-Man. Pac-Man was an extremely popular game and there were a huge number of clones and knock-offs in various forms. I still own one that I believe was produced by Tandy/Radio Shack called Hungry Monster that I received for Christmas in 1982. I haven't played this particular game but I always though Hungry Monster was quite fun despite being a clone. Puck Monster looks very similar. While some handheld games can command premium prices, a lot of times knock-offs like these can be had for a reasonable amount. I really love the look of LED games, especially compared to the later black and which LCD based games that came along. You should be able to find a Puck Monster in reasonable condition for a reasonable price if you are patient anyway. The ad above is from the Winter 1982 issue of Activision Fun Club News which was a newsletter published by Activision in the U.K. It seems odd to me that Activision was running a contest to give away a product not created by Activision but I'm sure there must have been some deal behind it.