Atari Arcade Classics

Dragon on a castle roof.

Breakout. Whack that dragon!

Note: Arcade Classics is no longer available from MacSoft, however you may still be able to find it at your local retail store.

Game box

The Arcade Classics package features three remakes of titles that many gamers fondly remember from the early days: Pong, Breakout and Centipede. In the first, you and your opponent control thin lines (known as “bats”) that you move up and down either side of the screen and use to hit a ball. Every time the ball gets past your opponent, you score one point. This version takes you through a variety of environments with different challenges as you try to win every match.

In Breakout, you use your bat to bounce the ball against a wall and eliminate all the bricks before moving on to the next level. This updated version takes that basic gameplay and enhances it with a story. Now the bat can stand on one end and look around with a pair of expressive eyes, and the game has turned into a tale about a hero named Bouncer, who must save his girlfriend, Daisy, from the clutches of the evil Batnix. Unfortunately, Batnix has thrown Bouncer in a dungeon at the start of the game, and you must break out of it before you can hope to rescue Daisy.

Centipede was originally a basic 2D shoot-‘em-up in which you fired at a centipede as it marched through a mushroom field while spiders, scorpions, and other creepy crawlies attacked you from all sides. This remake features two modes: story, which tells the tale of Wally’s defense of the “wee people” against the evil Queen Centipede’s attacks; and arcade, which takes the originally gameplay and makes it 3D.

All three games also feature multi-player action over the Internet or a LAN, with Breakout and Pong adding the option to take on other gamers on the same computer.

Board Game Trio

Monopoly board.

Monopoly. Playing the San Francisco version of the game.

Note: Board Game Trio is no longer available from MacSoft, however you may still be able to find it at your local retail store.

Game box

If you’d prefer to turn your Mac into a virtual board game table, Board Game Trio — featuring Scrabble, Monopoly and Risk II — will fit the bill. All three offer a variety of gameplay options and allow you to take on either computer-controlled opponents of different skill levels or human players who can join your game over a LAN or the Internet, including the Mac-only online service GameRanger.

In Scrabble, you place letters on the board to form words, linking them with words already created by other players and scoring points for not only the letters played but also any bonus squares they lie on. The game’s built-in dictionary determines which words are valid, and you can use the included mini games to build your skills.

Monopoly offers you the chance to become a real estate tycoon as you and your opponents move around the board, buying properties and charging rent to the players who land on your lots. Known as a game that can last for hours, the Mac version includes modifiable rules as well as a short version, which randomly deals two properties to each player at the beginning and drops one house from the number required to build a hotel. You can even create your own Monopoly boards with the included editor.

Risk II is a game that challenges you to amass armies and conquer the world. You can play in either Classic mode, which retains the original rules and offers optional access to six extra territories, or Same-Time mode, which eliminates waiting for your turn and allows multiple armies to attack the same territory simultaneously. You can also undertake 15 missions that feature specific objectives, such as “Conquer the Asian and African continents.”

 

 

 

System Requirements

  • Atari Arcade Classics
  • Pong: Mac OS X version 10.2.8
  • Centipede/Breakout: Mac OS X version 10.1.5
  • 400MHz PowerPC G3 processor
  • 256MB of RAM
  • 16MB video card
  • Board Game Trio
  • Mac OS X version 10.1.5
  • 400MHz PowerPC G3 processor
  • 128MB of RAM
  • 8MB video card
  • Hard disk space: 300MB (Monopoly), 505MB (Risk II), 265MB (Scrabble)

If you liked these games, check out:

 
Pong, Breakout and Centipede.

The Golden Era of Videogames

Legend has it that Atari placed the first Pong unit in a bar in Sunnyvale, CA, to test it out in 1972. Within a week, the bartender called the company; the machine wasn’t working anymore. When engineer Al Alcorn arrived, he discovered that the coin box had overflowed with quarters.

The company realized it had a hit on its hands and soon produced thousands of Pong units for installation in bars, restaurants, and other places where people gathered socially. Later, the game was available in a version that people could attach to their televisions at home. It was the precursor to Atari’s wildly popular Atari 2600 videogame system, which ruled the home videogame market from its introduction in 1977 through the mid 1980s.

Atari followed Pong with Breakout in 1976. A prototype of the game was created by Apple CEO Steve Jobs before eventually being developed by others, including friend Steve Wozniak. Breakout was a successful game that produced a sequel, Super Breakout, released in 1978.

Centipede, designed by Ed Logg, came out in 1980 and rode the rising wave in popularity of video arcades, which were rapidly springing up across the country. It was one of the earliest games to use a trackball.

Monopoly, Scrabble, Risk II.

Board Games Come of Age

Monopoly began as “The Landlord’s Game,” which was patented by Elizabeth Magie in 1904. Several college students morphed that game into Monopoly in 1910, and in 1933, Charles Darrow copyrighted and began selling it. Parker Brothers originally passed on the game but purchased the rights in 1935, after Darrow found himself with more orders for Monopoly than he could handle. The company kept the Atlantic City streets (earlier versions of Monopoly used other cities) and created the Rich Uncle Pennybags character who is now synonymous with the game.

Scrabble can also trace its origins back to the Depression. During the 1930s, an unemployed architect named Alfred Butts spent much time analyzing the New York Times’ front page to determine the letter frequency that he tied to points earned for playing them in the game. He and entrepreneur James Brunot created and sold Scrabble sets on their own, struggling until the 1950s, when the president of Macy’s department stores discovered it and ordered copies for sale. In 1952, the rights to Scrabble were sold to Selchow & Righter Company, which was later purchased by Coleco Industries, who became bankrupt in 1989 and sold their assets to Milton Bradley Company.

Risk is the youngest of the three, although rumors persist that it really dates back to the time of Alexander the Great. While it’s true that the war theme has been prevalent in board games for millennia, Risk was created in France by Albert Lamorisse. In 1957, he sold the rights to Parker Brothers, who called it Risk: The Continental Game and released it in the United States in 1959. Later, the company renamed it Risk: The Game of Global Domination.