As the pilot of a heavy tank, you wander the desolate battlefield, trying to wipe out enemy tanks and landing vehicles. (Atari, 1980)

Though the above description is exceedingly simple, Battlezone was another pillar of Atari's stable of outstanding vector graphics games (which also included Tempest and Asteroids). With its two-stick control system, mimicking a real tank's controls, its slowly lumbering game play, and its periscope-like screen, Battlezone was, for its day, an incredibly cool and realistic game (with a huge cabinet too).

On the strength of Battlezone, Atari was contracted by the Department of Defense to produce somewhat more advanced, "total-immersion" combat simulators. The crash project, with its round-the-clock schedule, was the last straw for Battlezone designer Ed Rotberg, who left Atari a short while afterward.

Atari naturally hung on to the home video game rights to Battlezone, though it seemed like forever before they ever produced a home version of the game. In 1983, a Battlezone cartridge was finally released for the Atari 2600, and it was a major surprise. Of course, vector graphics couldn't be replicated on the 2600, so the game was completely revamped and given a very good and colorful graphics treatment (especially if one takes the 2600's limitations into consideration). The control scheme was also revamped to a much simpler and more instinctive single-joystick format, and the result was a very good arcade adaptation.

This game is available in theLogBook.com's Classic Video Game Store.

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

Reviewed by Earl Green
theLogBook.com editor/webmaster