Review Date: January 22, 2021
Release Date: Appeared in Antic Magazine in December 1982, but no exact date given
Platform: Atari 800
Genre: Yes.
Anecdotes: One day, when I was little, my dad got us a cassette drive to go with the Atari 800. We had a cassette or two, but I can only remember Nautilus. Then he brought home another cassette that had somewhere around 20 games on it. Unfortunately, I can’t remember most of the games, but I do remember four: Bats, Chicken, Darts, and Goblin. Darts was somewhat fun but not for very long. Goblin was an odd concept with terrible execution. Bats, however, is an amusing short play.
Description: The object here is to score points by collecting colored thingies as they fly by. You control the vertical flight of the bat. The bat goes down and right automatically. When you hit the shot button, the bat will fly up and right. At the same time, you have to avoid the stalactites and stalagmites, which have lengths that are randomly determined at the start of each life or level. You must also avoid the white flying thingies. Your bat flies left to right, then reappears on the left. After a few laps, a new level is generated.
Positives: This is the kind of game that works well with randomly generated screens. Because the white flying thingies are fatal, you’ll actually have to pay attention to what you’re flying into. It’s an all right short play.
Negatives: This won’t stay interesting very long. The play control is odd, too. You don’t use the stick at all.
Grade: C