They can’t all be cherries. For every Galaga, Q*Bert and Moon Patrol, dozens of lesser-known or quicker-gone arcade games begged for quarters in the games boom of 30 years ago.
To make a game of it: Which of the following was not a video game? -
Food Fight. Charley Chuck scampers around the screen, throwing pies and hoping to reach his goal of an ice cream cone. Uncommonly high-tech forits time, the game was said to have 125 levels of play - 122 more than a triple-layer cake.
Cheeky Mouse. A nameless little blue guy sees how many mice he can bonk on the head with a hammer. He winks every time he bops another one, even as more rodents fall from the sky.
Lawn Chair Larry. How high can Larry go with helium balloons tied to his chair? Every time a balloon pops, he loses altitude.
Frisky Tom. Determined to take a shower, Tom the plumber tries to connect a jumble of mouse-infested and leaky water pipes.
Ninja Baseball Batman. Not the Caped Crusader, this strange little slugger comes to the plate to bat and battle baseballs.
(Answer: Lawn Chair Larry was a famous flier in 1982, not a game. Expecting to rise maybe 30 feet, Larry Walters lofted three miles high.)
Style, Pages 28 on 02/18/2014