G.I. Joe: Cobra Strike

Also known as: Action Man: Action Force (Europe)

Developer: Parker Bros.

G.I. Joe: Cobra Strike is essentially a game of multi-tasking in an effort to reach a high score. One goal is to shoot at the giant cobra slithering around the top of the screen. The second goal is to move a shield back and forth in the middle of the screen to protect the folks walking around on the bottom of the screen as the cobra fires down at them. The trick is to figure out when to attack and when to protect - sometimes the folks walking will be nowhere near where the cobra attacks, in which case you can focus completely on attacking. Other times, you'll have a perfect shot, but may choose to ignore taking advantage of it in order to save the folks below. In theory, it's actually a pretty interesting concept. Unfortunately, it's not exactly the smoothest game to control. Sometimes it seems like you've got the shield perfectly in place…and nope, the cobra's attack finds its way to murder someone below anyway. Likewise, you'll attack and it looks like it hit, but the game doesn't register that it does. But still, complaints aside, while I wouldn't really call it a passable game, it's still mildly fun for a few minutes…and on the Atari 2600, a few minutes is of fun is generally what the goal was from the developers.

Review added: 08/29/2022

Ghost Manor

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Xonox

Ghost Manor, at first glance seems like a pretty awful and pointless game. The first screen (of five, which was pretty impressive on the Atari 2600 back in 1983) has you controlling either a boy or a girl in a graveyard with a ghost or a skeleton roaming around. One would imagine that the goal would be to avoid the creepy creatures, but nope. In this screen, you want to run right into them to score points. Walk into them enough and you're moved onto the next screen, where if you use the same tactic, you'll be dead quickly and starting from the beginning. On the second screen, you're basically playing a 3rd-person shooter, shooting at the various enemies on the screen while trying to avoid a crazed, murderous mummy who happens to be swinging an axe at you. From there, you'll advance on and eventually battle ol' Dracula. Ghost Manor isn't a bad game at all, but the difficulty (you only have one life, then it's game over) may be a turn-off for some, especially on the more difficult settings. While having five screens is a nice novelty as well, I feel like if most of the screens had been eliminated and they focused more on the 3rd-person shooter screen that you find yourself in after the graveyard, then you'd have an excellent game on your hands. As it is, it feels like a game that’s passable at everything, but great at nothing. Still, if you want a solid horror game on the Atari 2600 with some nice technical aspects, then Ghost Manor is a pretty solid choice.

Review added: 10/21/2022

Gorf

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Roklan

Gorf, to put it simply, is basically Space Invaders…but with slightly more variety, and released two and a half years after Space Invaders was released on the Atari 2600…and four years after Space Invaders first hit arcades (three years if you count the Gorf arcade cabinet – released in 1981). In other words, there were two and a half years of opportunity to think of ways to improve on the shooter formula, and the developer, Roklan, simply added a few more stages to Space Invaders, with each stage also seemingly inspired by another game. The Galaxian stage from the arcades is left out of this one, for copyright reasons. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, mind you, but space shooters like this were nothing new in 1982, so a little more innovation could have gone a long way here. But anyway, while I criticize Gorf for its lack of originality, the game itself isn't bad…it just feels like a bootleg 4-in-1 game cartridge, with each level being a different game. The levels all play fine and you'll likely have fun with Gorf…but you'll also be reminded of the games that inspired Gorf, and may find yourself wishing that you were playing them instead. Some folks look back fondly on Gorf…I just find that Gorf caused me to look back fondly at the games that inspired it.

Review added: 01/27/2023

Grand Prix

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Acivision

Grand Prix is a decent racing game where your goal is to get the best time possible while weaving in and out of traffic. There are four tracks to play on, each one longer than the next. If you select game one, you'll race at Watkin's Glen. Game two will take you to Brands Hatch. Game three will see you burning rubber at Le Mans. And game four has you testing your skills at Monaco. Now, if you're thinking that it's neat that an Atari 2600 game simulated these tracks, hold your horses. The tracks are really only those locations in name only…unless an expert can correct me by saying, "Those pixelated trees on the side of the track are clearly the same tree type as what one would have seen at Monaco in 1982." Actually, I have a friend who can probably determine that, so I'll ask him later and just assume I'm right for now. Anyway, if all you did was press the gas and go until the track was complete, that would be a pretty dull game. So, Grand Prix was designed in a way where to get the fastest possible time, sometimes you need to slow down to avoid obstacles in front of you. That adds a mild bit of strategy to this game that adds to the fun a hair. Also adding to the fun, and further pulling you away from reality, is that aside from other vehicles that you need to worry about, the tracks are also littered with oil slicks. These slicks won't slow you down, but they will send your car sliding off to the side. If you're surrounded by cars, hitting a slick will almost guarantee a crash. If no cars are around you, an oil slick could also be the key to breaking a speed record - turning slows your car down, so a well-placed oil slick can "turn" you without slowing you down. Anyway, a lot of thought was clearly put into Grand Prix, but it simply failed to hold my interest for too long. I think this game is best suited for groups of friends, with everyone taking turns trying to capture the fastest time. Playing solo, like I usually do, it's mildly fun for a while, but you'll soon find yourself racing towards another game to play.

Review added: 04/20/2026

Gremlins

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Atari

Gremlins is one of those games that is a very pleasant surprise when you play it. Let's face it - a vast majority of licensed games based off of popular movies are terrible. Gremlins doesn't fit that description, though...In fact, it's very fun. The game is split up into two parts. The first part involves you trying to prevent the Mogwais from getting to some hamburgers that just happen to be all over the ground. If you miss, then they get the burger and transform into a little cocoon. If you have any burgers left after a few rounds of that, you get bonus points, but the burgers transform into cocoons anyway and the second half of the game begins - the cocoons hatch and you need to shoot and kill the gremlins as they make their way down the screen before they can reach you. This combination of two fun, solid styles of gameplay really make this a very worthwhile experience for any Atari 2600 owner...Just a shame that a lot of folks missed out on it due to it releasing so close to the video game crash.

Review added: 09/24/2019