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"One of the true classics..."

Paperboy is widely considered one of the cornerstones in gaming history. And only those who have yet to play it would question that statement. With all the glitzy technology of today, it's virtually certain you'll *never* see another game like Paperboy. It's a game that goes beyond looks and instead offers *the* most important part of any videogame...pure fun. The story is simple, your a paperboy for the local newspaper. Whose about to embark on his first day. The only objective is to deliver papers to every subscriber and, in doing so, keep your job. Sound simple? Fortunately, it's not. Along the way you'll have to dodge cars, lawnmowers, and crazed dogs. Oh, and can't come to a complete stop, which really spices it up. How do you deliver papers? Toss them as best you can, preferably in the mailboxes, but the front porch is fine. And breaking a few windows of non-subscribers is encouraged! Hey, they should've payed up. Anyway, if you don't get enough papers to the people, they'll cancel their subscription. And that means a pink slip for Paperboy, and a big "Game Over" for you.

GRAPHICS: The best looking Paperboy available on any portable. It's even on par with the 16-bit versions. Everything is bright and colorful. The houses of subscribers and non-subscribers are clearly marked. And you enemies can be spotted a mile away. But that doesn't make avoiding them any easier. ****

SOUND: Paperboy was never big on sound. But what sounds it does have are very good. The buzz of the lawnmowers, the honk of car horns, and the CRASH of a breaking window are all superb. And the classic Paperboy theme is unmistakable. ***3/4

CONTROL: The inability to stop takes a little time to get use to. But once you master it, Paperboy controls with no problem. Everything is about finess and touch. You've to dodge obstacles, contol your speed, *and* deliver papers all at the same time. And the controls never fail. ****

REPLAY: Tons. On the portable Lynx, Paperboy is perfect. There's such a sense of satisfaction getting through that first week of you paper route that you just want to keep going. ****

Is there any doubt that Paperboy is a virtual immortal? I think not. This is what gaming is about. It's ALL about the gameplay. Of course, good graphics and sound are a plus. And the Lynx comes through with both. This is a MUST own for any gamer. Paperboy has made to almost every system ever made, so there's no excuses. As for the Lynx version...it's absolute perfection. No other Paperboy can match this combination of looks, gameplay, and portability.


Reviewer's Score: 10/10 | Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99

Looking over all the systems Paperboy has been released on I am quite surprised this is our first review of the game. Paperboy is an arcade classic, one that survived most its port to the Lynx. It all started in 1984 in the arcade as one of the few job simulators you would actually want to play. It's been on most every console since then, the most recent incarnation to be in about a month on the Gameboy Advance.

As I have said in the past, arcade ports are generally shoddy most of the time; miraculously Paperboy makes a good transition to the Atari Lynx. The graphics are bright, colorful, and give off a cartoon feel. There is generally a lot going on in the background, ranging from cars honking, kids fighting, and random objects rolling towards you or in your path. You need a quick hand and good coordination to play this game and complete your job. Unfortunately there is no way to stop completely, making it all that much harder.

Paperboy contains three tracks; Easy Street, Middle Road, and the Hard Way. The tracks pretty much resemble each other and are more of a difficulty setting then anything else. The object of this game (as you can probably tell) is to deliver the paper -- The Daily Sun. But where it takes an odd twist is where the game picks up; the people that didn't sign up for the Daily Sun are the bad guys, and it is your mission to break their windows, and knock them over when ever and how ever you can -- most of the time with news papers.

It is never too hard to differentiate between the subscribers and non-subscribers, as the ones that want the paper have big bright colorful houses, and the enemy owns dark and dreary houses. If you are lucky enough to survive a day on the streets, and manage to get people to stay on as subscribers, you will be rewarded with an obstacle course.

When the day is said and done, and your score is tallied up, you will get a chance to make it on a score board of the top five players, unfortunately as soon as the system is turned off all those records go with it, defeating the purpose of a score tracking system at all. Even though you won't be able to impress your friends with your score, at least you will have a cheering crowd of fans after each level.

This port of Paperboy is a good on-the-go rendition of the arcade original, though not nearly as fast-paced as other versions. The game is not too involving, which makes it even a better portable game. It is probably a game you want in your Lynx collection, but not one to go hunting for.