Q*Bert

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Gottlieb

These days, if you were to say that you were going to make an action-based puzzle game starring an orange creature that looks like a turkey baster with legs, that yells profanities when he dies, and you were to tell people that it would be a mega hit, everyone would probably think that you were crazy. Back in the early 80’s, however, that was a formula for incredible success at the arcades. In the early days of gaming, the three most recognizable video game characters were probably Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, and Q*Bert. For those not in the know, Q*Bert involves you controlling the dirty-mouthed…er, dirty-snouted…orange creature, while you attempt to switch all of the blocks to a different color. Basically, you start at the top of a pyramid, and every time that you jump onto a block in the pyramid, it changes color. Switch all of the blocks, and you'll advance to the next level to repeat the process all over again. It's not quite as simple as it sounds, though, in your way, there are enemies who are also bouncing around, and some of them can even un-do the color changes that you've already made. Get hit by one of these  enemies, and you'll get to see Q*Bert’s potty mouth in action. The only real downside to Q*Bert is that the control scheme does take some getting used to. In your first few games, it won't be uncommon for you to lose lives simply because you accidentally sent Q*bert plummeting to his vulgarity-filled death by having him leap off the side of the pyramid. That complaint aside, Q*Bert a simple game and it’s aged well. It’s not hard to see why this game was a hit. The best part was that the game didn’t need great graphical or processing power to be effective, so even the port to the Atari 2600 captures the fun very well. When it comes to action-based puzzle games, there aren’t too many that do it better than Q*Bert.

Review added: 11/01/2019

Qix

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Tairo America

For years I wasn't really a fan of Qix. I remember seeing it in Electronic Gaming Monthly's first Top 100 Games of All-Time list (in case you're wondering, it was number 100) and thinking that they were crazy. I didn't hate Qix or anything…I just never really saw the appeal. However, now that I have spent the majority of the last six months playing almost exclusively games from 1980 and earlier, and now that I've started playing games from 1981, I get it now. The concept of Qix is simple - control a cursor and draw boxes on the black parts of the screen, which will then change to a different color, with the goal of covering a certain percentage of the screen with the colorful spaces that you've created. However, in your way is a psychedelic stick thing (the Qix) that erratically wobbles around the black space on the screen and if it happens to hit a line that you're drawing before you're able to complete it, you lose a life. Also in your way are little sparks (creatively named Sparx) that navigate the edge of the black space. If they touch the cursor, you also lose a life. So, you'll find yourself in situations where the Qix is weebling and wobbling around nearby, but if you don't start drawing a line, you'll soon find yourself being taken out by the Sparkx…so you just go for it and hope for the best. Also, since the Qix never actually focuses on your cursor of the lines being drawn, but instead moves around randomly, it can result in some fun and/or frustrating moments where you decide to try to claim a large chunk of the screen in a single go…and when you're successful it's a great feeling. When the Qix suddenly swoops down at the last minute shattering your attempt when a fraction of a second longer you would have been successful…well, while frustrating, it's part of what made me keep coming back for more. I was determined to successfully complete that giant rectangle next time. Over the years, the Qix concept has been heavily cloned and overdone, but when the original arcade game was released, there hadn't really been anything like it before, and it genuinely is a solid, enjoyable game for its time.

Review added: 04/09/2026

Quasar

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Zaccaria

Well….Quasar tries to be good, I'll give it that. Quasar gives players four different screens to shoot in. The first screen is the typical "move the ship left and right while shooting at the enemies above you on the screen" style of gameplay that most folks visiting arcades at the time saw pretty much everywhere. The next screen takes inspiration from Asteroids, with the player moving their ship around with the same kind of awkward space physics…the catch here is that if you ship's energy is exhausted during this screen, even if you don't take any damage from the enemy ships, your ship will explode. The next screen is the "time tunnel" where the quasar is waiting at the end. You've got to dodge incoming meteorites by moving left and right while firing at the quasar in this tunnel. The last screen has the player's ship in the center of the screen, immobile. The player has to rotate their ship and fire at the white meteors closing in, destroying them all before they reach the ship. If you're reading all of that, you may be thinking, "Why, golly, that sure does look like a lot of variation in gameplay. I bet it'll be a real stemwinder of a game!!" Unfortunately, while the gameplay is varied, absolutely none of it is done very well. The stages range from so boring that you'll be yawning like a bear waking up from hibernation to being frustrating…and since the game isn't fun when it's not frustrating, you'll question why you should even continue playing. You may also devise a little contraption, like a wire with chewed gum on it, to stick into the coin receiver to try to get your quarter back…..it doesn't work….not that I tried it or anything. Anyway, Quasar is a nice attempt that does seem to try to create an amazing experience…but it's a classic example of trying and doing being two different things. Quasar tries to be a good game. Other arcade games of the time successfully do it.

Review added: 03/02/2026