Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (Atari 2600)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Platform: Atari 2600 The Atari 2600 had a very long life that started all the way back in 1977. The last commercial games for that system were not released until 1991 (1992 in Europe). As a consequence, there were a large number of games that production started on but for one reason or another were never finished. Many prototypes have been found throughout the years, some quite playable and others not so much. One Such prototype is Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

Apparently, Atari went so far as to license Snow White from Disney (or maybe it was part of some other larger licensing deal?) but managerial indecision about what kind of game it should ultimately be led to delays that eventually led to cancellation. It was thought that no coding was ever done until a prototype showed up on eBay in 2000.

It turns out there were two prototypes (that anyone knows about so far anyway). The first is dated November 9th, 1982 and is about 50% complete and has parts that are somewhat playable though it doesn't make for a very enjoyable game. The second, dated December 9th 1983 is a somewhat different game that is simpler but less complete. Screen shots above are from the more complete version.

VCS Owners Club Bulletin (September 1982)

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While the Atari 2600 (A.K.A. VCS - Video Computer System) was not the very first console, it is the one most responsible for popularizing home video games. While no doubt most popular in the U.S., it was a worldwide phenomena.

This is the September 1982 issue of VCS Owners Club Bulletin. This was the official Atari publication for the VCS in the U.K. It consisted of only a few pages and typically included new game release information (Demons to Diamonds is once such new release mentioned in this issue and it's on the cover too) and at least one article (in this case, one on the regional Pac-Man Competition in the U.K.) and a few other items like high scores and tips.

Amidar (Atari 2600)

Amidar (Atari 2600)

Amidar was released as an arcade game by Konami in 1981. As this was near the height of the popularity of the Atari 2600, it's unsurprising that it received an Atari 2600 port the following year. While this ad doesn't specifically mention the Atari 2600, that was the only home system that it was released for at the time.

This game makes fun of the endless maze games that were essentially knock-offs of Pac-Man. Ironically though, this game was really just another take on that concept. Amidar is really nonsensical as far as what you are doing in the game. On odd numbered levels you control an ape who must collect coconuts while avoiding headhunters. On even number levels you control a paint roller and must paint over each spot on the board while avoiding pigs. I have no idea what these two things have to do with each other.

Other play mechanics are very much like Pac-Man. Touching enemies normally kills you but by clearing a board you are temporarily able to kill enemies by touching them (as if you ate a power pellet in Pac-Man). However, there is the rather unique jump button. Instead of making you jump it makes all your enemies jump and you can then walk under them. As you might expect, as the level increases, your enemies get faster and more numerous.

The Atari 2600 version along with a 1983 release for the obscure Japanese only Casio PV-1000 are the only official releases I could find reference to. There were various knock-offs for various home computers that came a few years later. However, if you want an official home version you'll have to find the Atari 2600 version. You can also always emulate this game but if you are going to do that, you might as well find the arcade version. Apparently, the arcade version of Amidar was re-released for the Xbox 360 and Windows via Game Pak 12 for Game Room in 2010 but I believe that it is no longer available.

Screen shots above are from the Atari 2600 version of Amidar. The ad is from the January 1983 issue of Video Games magazine.

Q*Bert (Atari 2600)

Q*Bert (Atari 2600)

While there can be no doubt that Q*bert is one of the great arcade classics and one of the most recognizable classic arcade characters, I always found it to be incredibly frustrating. Yes, it was a difficult game but it isn't really the difficulty itself that really bothered me. It was the fact that I was always leaping to my death by accident because I never quite grasped the pseudo 3D viewpoint. For those that don't know, in Q*bert you controlled...well, Q*bert...in his effort to escape various creatures and obstacles by leaping around a pyramid. Game play was fairly simple. You just jumped from square to square up or down the pyramid. The goal was to hop on each square to change its color. Once all squares were changed, you proceeded to the next level. Of course you had to avoid getting trapped by the various on-screen enemies. However, for me the view point always caused me issues. It seemed like I was always leaping to my own death by accident. As the levels progressed, things got harder. You would have to jump on each square multiple times, enemies would move faster and there would be more of them, etc. Q*bert was first released to the arcades in 1982. Ports to various systems started appearing the following year. While this add is targeted towards the Atari 2600 version (and mentions the upcoming Intellivison version), there were a wide variety of systems this game was ultimately available for. Because of the limited nature of the Atari 2600, it really isn't one of the better ports. The graphics were actually ok for that system but the pyramid was smaller and there were fewer enemies. The controls also suffered (and I already hated the controls anyway). If you are looking for an original copy of the Atari 2600 version then they are relatively common and can be had for a reasonable price. You can always use emulation too. However, if you really want to play Q*bert you are better off using MAME to emulate the arcade version or checking out the more recent release Q*bert Rebooted which was released for various modern systems in 2015 and includes a port of the original arcade game. The ad above is from the August/September 1983 issue of Video Games Player magazine. Screen shots are from the Atari 2600 version of the game.

Star Raiders (Atari 2600)

Advertisement for Star Raiders for the Atari 2600 from the September / October 1982 issue of Atari Age.

Atari Age Volume 2, Number 4, November 1983/February 1984

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November 1983/February 1984 issue of Atari Age, the official publication of the Atari Club - http://cb44429f.tinylinks.co