Demon Attack

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Imagic

It sure did seem like Imagic liked to push the boundaries of the Intellivision when it made games for that console. The Intellivision version of Demon Attack is a good example of that, though I feel like they pushed a little too hard. I'll explain that in a little bit. If you're a veteran of the other console variations of Demon Attack, you'll probably be instantly amazed by the look of the Intellivision version. Instead of having a plain, black background, with a blue border on the bottom of the screen, you'll see the moon at the bottom of the screen, complete with craters, and the Earth in the background. While this looks impressive, it can also become a little distracting to the eye - I imagine if you're color blind, you may also struggle with the lack of contrast between the enemy's fire and the background images. After you survive a few waves of enemies, you get to the most impressive part of Demon Attack…and the part that also made me dock the score a tad. Much of Demon Attack feels like the arcade game Phoenix, what makes it obvious that Demon Attack was inspired by that game is that after surviving a few waves of enemies, your ship takes off, leaving the Earth and moon visuals, and making the background pure black. At this point, the mothership comes into view. Just like in Phoenix, your goal is to chip away at the bottom of the ship to make an opening so that you can blow the whole ship to smithereens. If you're wondering why I'd dock the score for that, it's not because battling the giant ship isn't fun. It is. And the mothership looks great and it's impressive that it takes up roughly a third of the screen…and that other ships are still there firing at you as you try to both survive and destroy the giant monstrosity in front of you. However, the impressive feat comes at a price - significant slowdown. A little slowdown would have been annoying, but understandable…but during the fight with the mothership, the game can slow down enough where it stutters a bit…and when you've got other enemy ships firing at you, and you're trying to dodge fire while also lining up a clean shot to take the big target out, well it can feel a bit frustrating. Still, though, even with those complains, Demon Attack is still a solid shooter if you're looking for something similar to what you'd find in arcades at the time. If you're willing to put up with some slowdown in exchange for excellent graphics and a big, ol' boss to battle against, then you'll find plenty to like with Demon Attack.

Review added: 05/24/2026

Donkey Kong

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Coleco

The Intellivision version of Donkey Kong isn't exactly beloved…especially by modern eyes, but it wasn't setting the world on fire, even back when it initially released. I don't think this port of Donkey Kong is a great one by any stretch, either….however, I'm also in the minority that believes that it's a better game than the Intellivision version of Donkey Kong Junior. While this port of Donkey Kong is near the bottom of the barrel (pun intended) in terms of ports of the arcade game, it's still playable. It's a bit weird to look at visually…due to only having eyes, but no facial features, Donkey Kong, when standing still, looks like some sort of giant, smiling frog…and Mario looks like one of those street kids selling newspapers from the 1920's. Ol' Pauline at the top of the stage looks like a Swedish Fish that you found behind a couch cushion when cleaning, deformed after years of having heavy hineys sit on it. I feel like the cosmetic aspects are what most people focus on when they complain about this game. Once the gameplay starts, it's not awful…it's not great, mind you, but it's passable. The basic elements of Donkey Kong are done fine - the climbing and the jumping..though the jumping does take a little time to get used to. The downside, however, are the enemies. Specifically when you get to the screen where you try to drop ol' DK on his head, the fireball creatures there spawn in random locations. If you happen to be on the edge of the screen when one spawns, you're always in danger of an instant death. But anyway, if you can get past the occasional cheap death, odd jumping physics, and weird look of the game, you'll find a passable experience. If this is the only home version of Donkey Kong that you could play, it's okay for what it is…but if you have an option to play any other port of Donkey Kong, I'd pick that one instead.

Review added: 05/16/2026

Donkey Kong Junior

Also known as: Donkey Kong Jr.

Developer: Coleco

This very well could be the worst port of Donkey Kong Junior that I've ever played…and that's coming from someone that has always had a fondness for the tank top-wearing DK Jr. The Atari 2600 version of the game is fairly disappointing as well, but at least I can understand that version's shortcomings due to hardware limitations. Donkey Kong Junior on the Intellivision, though, is a mess. I see folks complain about the original Donkey Kong on the Intellivision, but while that game was far from perfect, I found it to be okay for what it is. If there is going to be "ape hate" on the Intellivision, it's Donkey Kong's hooligan child that should be receiving it, in my opinion. I'll start with appearances. The graphics are pretty dull, blocky, and uninspired. Coleco made this game mildly look like Donkey Kong Junior…but it also kind of looks like someone at Coleco blew their nose into a tissue, then opened the tissue up to see what came out…and that look was what inspired this game. Yes, that person had blocky snot. You got a problem with that?! In fairness, some people feel like this game looks good for the hardware that it's on...but, I just don't see it, personally. Aside from the stage design's appearance, ol' DK Junior himself also has issues. Aside from looking more like E.T. wearing a romper than a gorilla wearing a tank top (aside from when he jumps, then he looks like a nude pervert jumping around in a jungle), if you decide to grab ahold of a vine with each arm to increase your climbing speed, the game can't handle it. The left arm and leg of Junior will flicker like crazy. With how simplified the level design and graphics are, it's hard to understand why the developer had to resort to flickering to make this work…but they did. The audio is also odd…not only does the background music stop when you're in motion, but it starts over from the beginning when you stop moving. If you're practicing for one of those "name that song" games where you only hear fire first few notes, this is good practice. If you're not, you'll likely get annoyed by it. Now, all of the cosmetic/audio stuff I mentioned could be ignored if this game played well…unfortunately, Coleco failed in that department as well. Shoddy controls make this game feel like a chore to play….those controls, mixed with everything else, just makes this a sub-par port of one of my favorite arcade games from when I was a wee lad.

Review added: 05/16/2026

Dracula

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Imagic

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I first popped Dracula in…and it sure didn't take long for me to fall in love with this game. In this game, you take control of Dracula himself. You begin the game flying from the graveyard as a vampire bat, before taking the form of the infamous count as you roam the streets of a city, looking for victims that you can sink your fangs into. However, if you stick to just roaming the streets, you'll find that you won't find to many potential meal options…so, while walking, you'll want to look at the upper windows of the buildings and look for signs of life. When a house seems occupied, you can go and knock on the door, then chase down the horrified human as they burst through the door, running away from you in fear. You can try to chase your victim by foot, or transform back into a vampire bat to catch up to them even more quickly. However, while you play the predator in this game, you may also find yourself as the prey. When in bat form, vultures will swoop in and try to fly off with you. When strutting around town as Dracula, you're still in danger, though, as the constable is trying to protect the streets and he wields a wooden stake that he'd love to thrust into your heart. However, changing into a bat to flee the constable isn't your only option - you can transform a victim into a zombie minion and send it after your pursuer. If you've got a friend nearby, they can control the zombie while you focus on your next victim. After all victims has been bitten for the night, then a white wolf appears to do some biting of its own - the only way to really avoid the wolf is to turn into bat form to outrun it…which, again, brings the risk of the vulture coming after you. The ultimate enemy of Dracula, however, is sunlight, so before the night ends, you need to return to your grave. If the sun comes up with Dracula not safely in his coffin, it's game over. Dracula is such a unique game, and the free-roaming aspect was a nice novelty when it was released. Even today, I really enjoy just roaming around the city, hunting for victims, while avoiding all of the enemies hunting for me. If you ever wanted to play a Dracula game where you take the role of Dracula, rather than the role of somebody battling him, then I highly recommend this game. It really is quite good and there's a lot here to sink your teeth into...pun intended.

Review added: 05/13/2026