1983-1984 Having failed with the Microvision (the first programmable cartridge-based handheld in history) and struggling with the Vectrex game console at the time, toy giant Milton Bradley hoped that becoming third party 2600 publisher would prove to be a safer bet for succeeding in the videogame industry. In the summer of 1983, the company introduced two video game peripherals, the Flight Commander and Cosmic Commander, with each model being sold with accompanying cartridges, Survival Run and Spitfire Attack, respectively. The Cosmic Commander has the look and feel of a machine gun, complete with barrel gunsight, firing button and two-handed operation. The Flight Commander simulates the experience of flying a fighter plane. Players see control gauges flash and experience vibrational feedback while firing the guns in both games. Unfortunately, both controllers were nothing more than gimmicks and didn't enhance the game experience any more than a joystick already did (both games were also playable with a regular joystick). Furthermore, they were constructed of cheap plastic, making them prone to break. The games did not fare much better. Survival Run is a first-person shooter that has you flying through a large maze searching for the end. Its uninspired graphics and choppy gameplay will immediately turn most gamers off. In Spitfire Attack, you take control of a plane and must destroy anti-aircraft guns and ammo dumps as well as enemy planes. Again, the game was boring and offered nothing new. Milton Bradley also was to collaborate with Atari in a voice recognition module for the 2600 and 5200. Atari was apparently impressed enough with what the company had done with the MBX (TI 99-4/A's voice module) and signed an agreement where Milton Bradley would develop the peripheral and Atari would market and distribute it. In addition, Atari planned on releasing several games for the device. The Voice Commander, as it was dubbed, never took off as Atari canceled the project midway during development. Milton Bradley subsequently sued Atari for breach of contract. Their relationship was not completely fruitless however, as Milton Bradley developed the Space Age Joystick for Atari later on. SOFTWARE LIST Spitfire Attack Scramble (not released) Star Trek: The Motion Picture (not released) Survival Run Tank Blitz (not released) HARDWARE LIST #4262 Cosmic Commander #4263 Flight Commander #4264 Tank Commander (not released) Voice Commander Module (not released)