Fatal Run

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Sculptured Software

Fatal Run is a decently-made racing game that, unfortunately, was a few years behind - both in terms of gameplay and the hardware that it was on. Games like OutRun and Rad Racer, with similar gameplay, had already been out for years when Fatal Run came out and both were superior games. That said, it IS impressive that this game is on the Atari 2600, and had it been released back in the late 70's or early 80's, it would have been amazing for its time...Unfortunately, Fatal Run was instead released in 1990 when Atari made an attempt to revive the Atari 2600 console…and in 1990, Fatal Run on the Atari 2600 simply couldn’t compete with other racing games on the market. Fatal Run is still a passable game. There’s nothing technically wrong with it, and the visuals that they were able to get out of the Atari 2600 were impressive, but the fact remains that when it released, there were many better options out there if you were looking for a quality racing game.

Review added: 09/24/2019

Fishing Derby

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Activision

I honestly did not expect to be saying this, but I really, really like this game. The concept has you battling against either the computer or a friend in an effort to catch the most fish. Fish deeper down in the water net you more points than shallow water fish, but the catch is that there's a shark swimming near the surface that'll eat your fish before you can get the points. So what's your strategy? Spend the time going for the big points knowing that the shark might have made your effort a waste of time or go for the little points and hope that the small numbers eventually add up for the win? It’s such a simple concept, but it works very, very well. It shows off what’s great about video games – they don’t need to be complicated with extravagant stories and life-like graphics…they just need to be fun. And Fishing Derby is quite fun. This is a very good game, and one that I feel gets overlooked far too often when people list off quality Atari 2600 games.

Review added: 08/06/2019

Flag Capture

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Atari

Flag Capture seems to get a lot of hate on the ol' internet, but I'm not entirely sure why. I don't think it's an amazing game by any stretch, but it's passable for what it is, especially if you've got a buddy to play against. Basically, Flag Capture is a game where you and your opponent each start out in opposite corners of the screen. Your goal is to find the flag before your opponent does. You want to enter the rectangles around you and press the button on the joystick to reveal what that is inside that rectangle. It'll be one of three things inside - hints or directions of where you need to go to retrieve the flag, a bomb that sends you back to where you started, or the flag itself. The end result is a game where you've got to memorize what each rectangle contained, in case you get bombed back to the beginning and need to get back to where you were, but also follow the clues contained in the non-bomb rectangles to find your way to the flag. Again, Flag Capture isn't a mind-blowingly great game, but it's passable as a game to play with some friends to kill a little time.

Review added: 11/21/2025

Frankenstein's Monster

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Data Age

For a game that doesn't seem to be well-known from the early days of video games, Frankenstein's Monster sure is quite impressive. It almost feels like a single-screen, horror-themed game of Pitfall, with climbing and jumping both being part of the formula, and while the gameplay itself isn't quite on par with Activision's fantastic platformer, Frankenstein's Monster is still solid in its own right. As odd as it sounds, though, Frankenstein's Monster may be the first game where dying is almost as enjoyable as trying to survive. The reason being that if you fail as you play, Frankenstein's Monster may break loose and sprint towards the screen - an impressive technical feat for the time. Though, many younger folks may see it today and not think it’s anything special. If you decide to try to avoid the monster, then the goal is to grab a block at the end of the level then return up to the monster, where you'll switch to a second screen and have to avoid a swarm of green bats to reach the monster and place that block by him. You'll want to repeat this process until you've enclosed the monster in the blocks. There's a catch, though, you're on a time limit. If you're not fast enough, you'll see that monster break free and come towards the screen…like the Boogeyman, he’s comin’ to getcha. Anyway, I'd highly recommend this game as a horror-themed title on the Atari 2600. It's not only one of the better horror games, it's one of the better games of any kind released late into the life on the Atari 2600. Though, that's also like being the nicest guy in prison. Frankenstein's Monster is not on the same level as Pitfall!, but It's still very well done.

Review added: 10/21/2022

Freeway

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Activision

Why did the chicken cross the road? Because a sadistic player is controlling the unfortunate fowl and forcing it to cross the screen repeatedly, that's why. Anyway, at first glance, Freeway just looks like a Frogger rip-off. And I suppose it is, to an extent. But unlike in Frogger, where once you've avoided all obstacles, your agile amphibian gets to rest at the top of the screen. The sadistic folks at Activision said, "The chicken survived? Well, make 'em cross the road again! And again! And again!" The goal in Freeway is to cross the road as many times as possible within the time limit. You can technically play alone, but Freeway was designed to play against a friend, and that's where it's most fun. When playing alone, you're more likely to play it safe and well, that's boring. Competing against a friend, though, you'll likely take more risks in an effort to rack up a higher score, which makes the game a bit more frantic and fun. The first four game modes are different streets with each street containing different types of traffic. Game one is Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois at 3am; Game Two is Interstate 5 in Seattle, WA at 6am; Game Three is Santa Monica Freeway in Los Angeles, CA at 10am; and Game Four is Bayshore Freeway in San Francisco, CA at midnight. These four modes are mildly fun, and are nice choices for younger kids or for people who don't want much of a challenge. If you'd like more unpredictability, however, then game modes five through eight are for you. Those are the same streets with the same styles of traffic, but with vehicles that randomly and instantly speed up or slow down, making an already frantic battle against your pal an even more frantic encounter. The only thing that holds Freeway back, in my opinion, is the lack of a single-player mode where you compete against a computer-controlled chicken. Still, though, Freeway is basic, simple fun that can be just as amusing today as it was back in 1981.

Review added: 04/19/2026

Frog Pond

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Atari

Frog Pond is a prototype that never got released, so on one hand, I may be reviewing a game that would have been more. On the other hand, this game is out there and available to play, and I'm assuming it was close to completion since I saw a magazine article regarding it from 1982, and the Computer Entertainer newsletter actually gave it star reviews back in volume 1, issue 4 (July 1982)…so that makes me think that copies were sent out at one point. But anyway, Frog Pond doesn't look like an awful game, visually. You play as a fairly large frog sitting on a log floating in the water. You'll see a nice horizon and clouds in the sky. It all looks pretty nice considering the hardware that it's on. Unfortunately, good visuals don't make a good game…and Frog Pond lacks in the gameplay department….well, for adults anyway. Insects will fly onto the screen and your goal is to leap towards these insects and catch 'em with your frog tongue and eat 'em. And that's it…it gets very repetitious very quickly. I do think, however, that small children would love this game. Young kids love repetition, and this game is easy enough where they'll succeed at it, but also contains enough of a challenge where they won't get bored with it for a while. Again, though, Frog Pond is an unreleased prototype, so there's no telling what more, if anything, there was going to be to this game…but for what it is, it's a pretty underwhelming experience for adults, but potentially a nice little distraction if you've got some young'uns around.

Review added: 04/19/2026

Frogger

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Parker Bros.

If glancing at a screenshot, it looks like the Atari 2600 version of Frogger mostly captures the look and feel of the original Arcade game, within reason considering the hardware's limits, anyway. But once you begin to play, one major thing stands out - there is no animation to the frog. The developers could have replaced the frog with a green dot and the result would have been the same. While, again, that's largely due to the hardware limitations of the Atari 2600, part of me can't help that it may also be due to a game being rushed out before proper time was spent trying to find a workaround…that's a fairly common theme with Atari games around the time that Frogger came out, after all. In terms of gameplay, some Atari 2600 games had extra modes and features that you couldn't find in the arcade…but Frogger doesn't. Aside from choosing from three difficulty settings, you're basically playing the same game over and over and over again. The game controls fine, and if you were a Frogger fanatic desperate for a home release, you may be fine with what you get. For everyone else, though, the lack of extra modes and not-as-pleasing visuals, may cause them to stick with playing this at the Arcade rather than shelling out extra cash to play it at home.

Review added: 04/19/2026