ARCADE ACTION

ARCADE ACTION

THE MONTH'S WINNERS

(Arcade Action's winning games, listed in order of popularity, are the 10 most-played games in the country as VIDIOT goes to press.)

P. GREGORY SPRINGER

1. SUPER PAC-MAN

2. JOUST

3. JUNGLE HUNT

4. MOON PATROL

5. BURGER TIME

6. PENGO

7. SATAN'S HOLLOW

8. MS. PAC-MAN

9. DONKEY KONG

10.GALAGA

JUNGLE HUNT—Who greased that grapevine? Taito's barbarians in the jungle are holding their own against the popularity of this generic jungleman. Because the Edgar Rice Burroughs foundation holds an invincible right to the name of the original jungle lord (i.e. "Tarzan"), Taito had to avoid going to court when Burroughs swooped down on their original game, Jungle King. The video game company responded obligingly, eliminating the unmistakable yodel, changing the things that the hunter swings upon from vines to more civilized ropes, stripping off the loincloth and actually dressing, that elephant trained athlete in human clothes! What would Bo Derek think? As for the game itself—which still exists under both names and forms of attire—some of us more uncoordinated types are still trying to get past the swinging stage. One of these days, when we finally learn to be'patient, I suppose we'll get the hang of it.

JOUST—This one keeps getting more humane and comradely. There's never been a game (not even Space Duel) that was more fun to share controls with another humble earth being. In addition to enabling players to fight jointly against insidious buzzards and pterodactyls in a mythological Middle Age landscape, some rounds offer the option of splitting the team, every man for himself. The first player to unseat the other from his flapping ostrich wins a bonus 3000 points. Except in competition play, it may be to both players' advantage not to fall for this temptation, since unseating your partner might make it harder for you to finish off all the remaining buzzards on your own. Longevity, even in the dire dark days, required the aid of one's own species. Like I said, flapping can be friendly.

BURGER TIME—Is this a Japanese game? The little chef, Peter Pepper, requires a precise step over his buns, and lettuce, and burgers, or he sticks up the recipe, leaving him at the mercy of Mr. Pickle, Mr. Hot Dog, and Mr. Fried Egg? (Maybe this is a French game). To save him is the handy pepper pot, which when sprinkled on attacking cuisine, renders each dish immobilized for enough time to escape and possibly even crunch them beneath the falling Dogwood monstrosity. Seasoned players, mind you, tend to run only half-way across their fare, then waiting for the indigestion-makers to follow. Finishing out the run, they plummet to their death, and rack up "brownie" points for the baker. For extra peppers, try to catch the coffee, fries and ice cream when it appears in the middle of the menu. Tasty!

GALAGA—Galago must be the most creative refinement ot the Space Invaders group. The oldest member of the top ten, not much has changed about it since it gained popularity early last year. Assuming a "crouch-and-fire" position has become the requisite posture for advance players, and punching that fire button as quickly as possible (and quicker than that!) is truly the key to the top scores. It didn't take players too long to learn that sitting comfortably in the center during most of the challenging stages was the way to eliminate all 40 swarming insects, a "Perfect Score." Doubling up ships has also become requisite. Despite the learned and passed-on clues to winning, the game remains popular, in part because the music rewards winning with a proud march, noisy and distinguishable and informing everyone else in the arcade that you have earned your stripes on the field.

DONKEY KONG JR. — DKJ goes for the key, working his way to the top in the footsteps of his famous father, DK Sr. It must be a hard role to live up to, especially since Mr. Kong was just this year named "Game of the Year" by Time magazine. One almost expects Mario to retaliate. The original game was a romance, the sequel is revenge, and the third? Perhaps a film noir? Charlie Kong and the Case of the Missing Key? And just what are those diving piranhas? One must admit, that if cute is your game, little Kong scoots up a vine charmingly. And £alIs so flat.

PENGO—As expected, the ice skater moved into the ratings this month, bringing his adorable Sno-Bees with him. Nothing is belligerent about Pengo. Even the front of the board shows the little bees delightedly slipping their way on their bottoms, sledding over frozen bricks of ice. There's something unspeakably perverse about Pengo in that respect, as though Betty White or Tiny Tim had a hand in the design. Within its movable, dissolving maze, Pengo retains the brightest and lightest hues this side of Ms. Pac-Man, and moving always at right angles, it might be the most politically relevant game going. Question is, which side is it on? The square isolationist right or the nuclear freezers?

SUPER PAC-MAN—Is this the ultimate Leader of the Pac? The third generation arcade entry in the Pac-Man series offers more athletics, energy, and probably exhaustion than any previous Pac. With the addition of a Super Speed butfon, the little yellow stomach can scurry in two different gears. Bally has also incorporated locked passageways, added energy dots for both Power and Super-invincibility, and changed the boring little dots into items like hot dogs, old shoes, and fried eggs. There's also a Bonus Stage at regular intervals in which the player can test his speed and skill without being chased by the Inky-BIinky-Etc. Obviously, the way to accrue points is to 1) eat the Super energy dot for invincibility, 2) hit the superspeed button, 3) eat the Power energy dot, and 4) go out and eat those blue ghosts. The problem is that superspeeds also make maze entrances easy to miss. And don't get caught in the dead end of an unopened pathway. Eat those keys!

SATAN'S HOLLOW—He certainly is. The copyright date for this Bally game is 1981, so it's taken a while for the Ugly One to breathe fire on his way to the top. Like so many of fhe linearly immobilized shoofing games since Space Invaders on, the player remains on a stationary plane at the bottom of fhe board, shoofing upwards af attacking birds or planes. In Satan's Hollow, the crowing pterodactyls drop MX-missiles (weird combination of militarism and religion here) upon the player as his ship attempts to carry bridge parts across the great abyss (weird anthropomorphism, too). Apparently, the bottomless pit lies below this less-than-peaceful valley, which is introduced by Wagner's "Ride of fhe Valkyries" as you render your quarter unto the Malevolent Machine. Satan in all his various guises breathes down blazes upon you, and only a well-timed shot (slightly in advance of His approach) puts out the fire.

MOON PATROL—In the mountains of the moon, through the craters of the lunar casbah, or simply driving on a moonlight mile, Williams' game keeps us trucking on patrol. The samba sound of the music makes this unique game seem invitingly dream-like, less dangerous than the terrors of atmosphereless roving might seem. Moon Patrol gives the impression that you're actually reaching some destination, straight as the UFO flies. Thanks to the ''continue play" feature, your quarter deposited within a countdown of seconds will enable you to (gradually, expensively) advance to the higher levels, past lunar points E, J, D, T, and Z. Don't ask what the letters stand for. Geysers, tanks, craters, and landmines interrupt the path of the specially equipped vehicle. Hit one and the screen is splattered with your flying tires.

MS. PAC-MAN—Love springs eternal, or at least it seems so. Is the Pastel Queen slipping in the ratings? Are her yellow, pink, and baby blue allures losing their charms? Do floating fruits cease to be tasty? Is her rouged-cheeks sexy pose, as she sits on top of the machine like a bawdy-house dancer, becoming stale? When she falls head over heels at every capture, is she trying to tell us something? All one can do is wait for next issue's Arcade Action to see where the girl is going. She may be dying of a broken heart, but in the meantime, players are luring lustful ghosts toward energy dots and letting the nibbler bite back.