Think of it as Pong to the death. Two to four players hurl a fireball around the playing field, smashing the walls to each other's castles and - hopefully - hitting the other players' kings and putting them out of commission. Using the ubiquitous Atari paddle controller, you guide a mobile barrier around your castle which bounces the fireball right back at your opponents. Fun for the whole family; based on an arcade game by Atari which is even more obscure than this rather common cartridge. (Atari, 1980)

What a great party game! With the right group of people, this game can be intense (and intensely hilarious). In this day and age in which much to do is made of internet multiplayer games, I think I'd rather be in the same room with a bunch of friends playing Warlords than on the 'net playing a round of Dune 2000 with some faceless twelve-year-old who repeatedly blithers U WILL DIE! U WILL ALL DIE! I RULE!!!!!!!! anyone here listen to blink 182???* with the message function until he gets booted for flooding Westwood's IRC server.

But I digress. Warlords is very cool. Haul out the old 2600 and this game at your next party. You'll see.

Rating:  Four quarters - a couple of minor irritants, but mostly a compelling and addictive game.

Reviewed by Earl Green
theLogBook.com editor/webmaster
* = based on a true story.