P.T. Barnum's Acrobats!

Also known as: Acróbatas! (Brazil), Acrobats (Europe), Jumping Acrobats (Europe), Les Acrobates (Europe)

Developer: Magnavox

When compared to other games of its time, I really liked the concept of Circus or Clowns, which was a unique take on the Breakout formula. Rather than controlling a paddle at the bottom of the screen to bounce a ball towards bricks at the top of the screen to make them disappear, in those games you controlled acrobats (or clowns) as they took turns propelling each other towards the top of the screen to pop balloons floating around up there. Unfortunately, video games in the late 70's and early 80's were evolving at a rapid pace, so when P.T. Barnum's Acrobats! came out in 1981, three years after both Clowns and Circus first hit arcades, it felt a bit dated. It also doesn't help that the game doesn't control as well as the arcade games that inspired it…it feels like much of the time, the acrobat on the way back down has a VERY tiny window to make a successful landing on the seesaw to launch the other acrobat…and then other times, it feels like you were way off, but the game triggers it like a successful landing anyway. It results in you feeling like you're participating in a game of luck rather than a game of skill…which isn't my cup of tea, honestly. If P.T. Barnum's Acrobats! had been released bac in 1978 or 1979, I would be a bit more forgiving of it with my score…But being released in 1981, this game simply feels a bit outdated when compared to other games that were currently on the market that year and games that would be coming out in the very near future.

Review added: 07/02/2026

Pick Axe Pete

Also known as: Didi na Mina Encantada! (Brazil), Gorudo Rasshu (Japan), Pierre et la Pioche! (Canada)

Developer: Magnavox

Oh, I've got an axe to grind with Pick Axe Pete…I don't really. I just thought it would make me sound cool if I said that. It didn't work, did it? Anyway, in Pick Axe Pete, you control the fellow of the same name as he makes his way through what the manual calls, "the famous Misty Mountain Mine." Now, I'm just gonna take a wild guess and say that if you asked a random stranger how famous the Misty Mountain Mine is, they're probably going to scurry away from you while asking Alexa to dial 911…or Daphne…or Petunia….whatever cute AI name is used to allow you to call people without having to punch in their number. Anyway, my point is that the mine ain't famous, capiche? Anyway, the goal of Pick Axe Pete is to swing that pick axe that he wields and strike boulders as they plummet by. There's gold in them thar boulders, you see, so by striking the boulders with your pick axe, you get the gold, which means you get points added to your score. Sounds simple, right? Well, there's a catch…Pick Axe Pete is all roided up, it seems. He's so powerful that after you bust open a few boulders, that poor pick axe in his hands crumbles into dust. When that happens, ol' Pete is defenseless and has to do what he can to avoid the boulders tumbling down until he can get his hands on another pick axe, so he can start breaking those boulders all over again. You've gotta be quick, though. When new pick axes appear, they are only around temporarily before they disappear. Eventually, you'll also see keys that you can pick up. These will allow you to open doors and make your way even deeper into the mine. Overall, Pick Axe Pete is a decent, exclusive game for the Odyssey 2. It may not rank among the elite console games of the time, but if you've got an Odyssey 2, it's still a game that'll likely keep you busy for a while and it's a game that's well worth picking up.

Review added: 07/04/2026

Pocket Billiards!

Also known as: Bilhar! (South America), Billard Américain (Europe), Billiard À Blouses! (Canada), Electronic Billiards (Europe)

Developer: Magnavox

Magnavox really goes out of its way to get you to believe that Pocket Billiards! is a good game. The boxart/manual cover claims that this game is a "computerized replica of a full size slate top pool table." I think the word "slate" was used as a way to wink at the reader to let them know that what they were about to play was about as fun as staring at a rock. Further in the manual, in the numbered instructions, step number 2 is not a step at all, but an attempt to sell you into playing a game that you have already purchased if you are reading the manual. "You are in the spacious, oak paneled game room of your baronial country retreat. A full size electronic pocket billiard table appears on your screen." First, that's not a step of how to play a game. Second, with this being one of the poorest video game variations of billiards that I've ever played, I wouldn't have this game at my baronial country retreat….partially because I'm not a baron, and partially because this game is about as fun as picking your nose with a finger wrapped in barbed wire. Second, most television sets in 1980 weren't exactly giant…so how is this a full-sized billiard table? A full-sized electronic billiard table would be a table that takes up multiple screens, wouldn't it? Anyway. there are two gameplay variations here. You can play Eight Ball or Rotation. Eight Ball has two black balls on the table. The first player to sink either one of the black balls wins. Rotation removes the black balls and all balls on the screen, aside from the cue ball or various colors and the players compete to see who can sink the most balls. If you're wondering about traditional billiards rules of a player sinking all solids or all stripes, this game allows you to have one player only sink balls of their color, with the opponent being disqualified if they accidentally sink the wrong colored ball….except for one problem. IT'S NOT PROGRAMMED IN THE GAME. There are a few game "variations" listed in the manual, like what I just mentioned, that have absolutely nothing to do with this game…but they're "rules" that you need to enforce in order to try to make this game feel interesting. In terms of the gameplay, the physics feel off. Very off. Hitting at a ball at an angle rarely results in how the ball would really move on a real table. This game is also a two-player only game…meaning that you can't suffer alone, you must share your boredom with someone else. If I ever get a baronial country retreat, I'll need to get a real billiard table and invite those same friends over as an apology for making them play this. That's what an honorable baron would do, after all.

Review added: 12/04/2025

Popeye

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Parker Bros.

Hoo boy…on one hand, this port of Popeye may be one of the ugliest-looking arcade ports that I've seen. Popeye does not look like Popeye. Bluto looks like some sort of lizard man, and is so large that he makes Popeye look like a toddler. Olive Oyl also looks like a toddler, and even has pig tails…I don't think I've ever seen a Popeye cartoon with Olive Oyl sporting pig tails with her hair. Maybe this is actually a game about two children that love each other and an over-protective parent trying their best to shield their child from the horrors of love. Maybe? Or it's just a Popeye game that only vaguely resembles the arcade game that it's a port of. Anyway, this game is only one screen, but the main concept of the Popeye game is here - traverse up and down to various levels of the stage, collecting the hearts that Olive Oyl drops, avoiding Bluto, and occasionally eating a can of spinach (the green circles on the sides of the screen) so that you can give Bluto a black eye for giving you so many issues. Unfortunately, since you've only got a single screen to play on, and with other aspects of the arcade game missing, like the punching bag that you can knock Bluto out with or the projectiles to avoid coming from the sides of the screen, you'll likely only find yourself collecting hearts for so long before you get bored and move onto something else. For the hardware, Popeye isn't an awful port - but when you compare it to the arcade original, this game is lacking in just about every way.

Review added: 07/04/2026