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"One of the better VIC-20 games I own"

Of the games that I own for the VIC-20, I haven't found many that are really worthwhile to purchase for more than just a few minutes of entertainment. Atlantis on the other hand is a pretty good game that has a good amount of replay value added on to it.

Atlantis is a port of the game of the same title for the Atari 2600. The two games are almost exactly identical. In this game, you control two cannons on either side of a ravine in which the mythical city of Atlantis sits. You must defend Atlantis using these two cannons, controlled by the keyboard, from a blitz of ships that attempt to attack. The cannons are immovable as far as I have found, have unlimited ammunition and can shoot two quick shots at a forty-five degree angle into the sky. The attacking ships start either from the left or to the right and move across the screen. If you don't destroy the ship with your cannon, the ship comes closer on every run until it is destroyed. Once a ship is close to Atlantis, it will fire upon certain parts of the city which will then disappear. If the entire city is destroyed, then the game is over. You complete a level once every ship is destroyed, or has finished attacking. You will hear a bit of music and then the next level will start. After each level the attacking ships will move faster and faster, until after about five levels, they reach their maximum speed. There are several different difficulty levels, chosen by the function buttons on the keyboard.

This game has a simple objective that is pretty classic, but it is still a pretty fun game. I have found myself playing it for an hour at times. The time just flies by when playing this game and it never seems to get old. Unfortunately, it seems to be only a solo player game. Even though there is two cannons controlled at opposite sides of the keyboard, playing with two player would be too fun because of the maximum of two shots in the air at any one time.

The graphics were almost identical to the Atari 2600 version of this game. The city was pretty well done as were the attacking ships. Coloring was very nice, and so was the animation. The graphics could have been better for this game, but they really give you that nostalgic sense when you play.

There weren't too many sounds in this game. There was basically the sound of a ship attacking, you firing, and the music at the end of a level. I wasn't too impressed with the sounds. There could have been a lot more sound added to this game, but the way the sounds are didn't hurt the game play at all.

If someone were to ask me for a VIC-20 recommendation, this would definitely be it. It is a very nostalgic game with simple goals, graphics, and sound, but it was well executed and proves even today to be a fun, addicting game to play for most people.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/01/06