Track & Field

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Konami

In a marketing move that was likely smart, considering how licenses work, when Atari was able to make this game the "Official Home Video Game of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games," they didn't change the game's name to reflect that. They could have easily named this "The 1984 Summer Games" or "1984 Olympics Track & Field" or something to that degree…but instead, they put a logo on the box art (that says that this is the official computer game) and a notice on the cover of the manual….so when the licensing went away, they could just remove those two items and the Track & Field name stayed the same. Anyway, Track & Field has six events to play - the 100-meter dash, the long jump, the javelin throw, the 110-meter hurdles, the hammer throw, and the high jump. They all involve moving the joystick in ways that, if you're competitive enough, can break the joystick over time. Since these types of games can be fun with a group of people, there's a chance that if this game is a hit with your friends, that you may find yourself needing to stockpile a few controllers as backups, just in case. Anyway, if you've played an Olympics or track and field-style game before, then you know what to expect here. It's a solid game for its time, and there's a reason Track & Field was ported to several computers and home consoles back in the 80s - it's good fun. If you've got an Atari 8-bit computer, and long for a game where you wobble your joystick left and right in order to run, then Track & Field is a good game to pick up.

Review added: 07/30/2026

Twerps

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Sirius Software

An advertisement for Twerps kind of sets the tone for this game, so I'll quote it here, "Defenseless Twerps are stranded on an asteroid. You, Captain Twerp, are to board a Twerpcraft, blast through Orbitors, land safely, and rescue your comrades. Beware of the Glingas and Twerp-eating Gleepnites!" First off…any game where you are controlling a vehicle called a Twerpcraft, you've already gained points with me. I also find it ironic that Captain Twerp is the one tasked with saving the Twerps. I can't find a manual for Twerps, which I assume would tell me the whole story, but is Captain Twerp also a Twerp with a weird name? Like if Captain Human was tasked with saving humans? It would explain his usage of the Twerpcraft, I guess. Anyway, Twerps starts out like a sideways version of Space Invaders…except instead of needing to eliminate all targets on the screen, you really only need to eliminate enough targets for you to fly forward and land on the planet that they're guarding. From there, you need to safely land on the planet and become a pied piper of Twerps. The goal is to walk around and create a Twerp parade, collecting all of the Twerps on the planet, while avoiding creatures that want to eat the Twerps, eventually getting them all to your ship. At that point, the ship will lift off, and you're back to blasting a hole through alien defenses so that you can squeeze through and get back to the Twerp base. Then, like most games of the time, this series of events repeats with increased difficulty. I honestly did not expect much out of Twerps, but it surpassed my expectations and wound up being a pretty fun game and an interesting take on the typical "space shooter" genre of the time. If you have an opportunity to give this game a try, I recommend doing so. You may find yourself pleasantly surprised like I was.

Review added: 07/30/2026