You are the world's most famous lasagna-munchin' mouser, hopping from fencepost to fencepost, grabbing airborne hamburgers (!!?) and dodging potted plants being thrown at you. Eventually you reach home, where you can antagonize Odie the dog, who has somehow made his way to the top of Jon's house. (Atari, never released [developed circa 1984])

Who here didn't love Jim Davis' Garfield comics 20 years ago? I loved 'em. Of course, I too had an unpredictable, feisty, and every-so-slightly overweight striped feline of my own, so I was a little biased. Atari's unreleased Garfield game fell under the axe of the great video game industry crash, which is a great pity - it would have made a very nice kids' game, with its easy and not-even-remotely-violent game play (the worst that can happen to you is that you seem to "bulge" when hit by a potted plant). It also had some rather nice graphics, with recognizable renditions of Garfield and Odie.

Garfield was unveiled at the 2000 Classic Gaming Expo, where you can still get the emulator ROMs, after several years of rumors circulating about the game's existence.

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

Reviewed by Earl Green
theLogBook.com editor/webmaster