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.
On the strength of Battlezone, Atari was contracted by the Department
of Defense to produce 
Four quarters - a couple of minor irritants, but mostly a compelling and
addictive game.