LARCEN TYLER'S TOP TEN ATARI CONSOLE AND COMPUTER GAMES larcen_tyler@email.com Since video games came to me mainly in the form of Atari, I figured I should put up my top ten games: 10. Road Runner (2600/Atari) Beep! Beep! The classic duo of the quick footed Road Runner (Speedicus-Birdius) and the ever hungry Wile E. Coyote (Hungrius-Carnivorus) along with classic tunes, and gameplay that makes me smile just thinking about it deserves to be on my list! 9. StarMaster (2600/Activision) I think of it as Star Raiders Lite. Not as advanced, but still very fun! I heard it even came with a separate guide to help players become 'Supreme StarMasters!' 8. Centipede (2600/Atari) Whether it's at home or in the arcades, Centipede introduces a unique concept that just can't be beaten one way or another! Who can resist shooting at a giant mutated centipede which has the ability to multiply when hit? Or other large insects at that? 7. Fishing Derby (2600/Activision) Even though I only had it for a brief time (because my friend, who had just brought back his Atari, couldn't get his copy to work, I gave him mine.) I still enjoyed it. The concept of seeing how many fish you could catch without losing them to that pesky shark made fish for hours on end! 6. Space Invaders (2600/Atari) Here we have a way to cure insomnia! Too many game variations, but there's definitely one for everyone. I mean, it's simple now, but the concept of saving the world before bedtime (oh wait, that's the Powerpuff Girls!) OK, let me put it this way. No matter how many times you save the world, they'll always come back for more, which is what makes it so great! 5. Pitfall II: Lost Caverns (2600/Activision) When I got this game, I had no idea what I was going to be sucked into! I mean, the fact that it's less linear, and no matter how many times you get hurt, there's no game over, who couldn't love this game! It even had a background song to go with it! 4. Pitfall! (2600/Activision) The only reason this scores higher is because the original concept of trying to get through the jungle in 20 minutes without any power-ups keeps me coming back for more! 3. Adventure (2600/Atari) Warren Robbinett was actually trying to recreate the Colossal Cave game for Atari. So it wasn't the same, but it still came off rather well. It even featured the first hidden trick! 2. Haunted House (2600/Atari) Survival horror on this system? Yup! Go through Zachary Graves' mansion, with only an endless supply of matches, as you try to find a hidden urn while dodging large tarantulas, vampire bats, and the ghost of Old Man Graves himself! 1. Pole Position (2600/Atari) I can't believe I passed up the 2600 version for a Star Wars game! The arcade version had me hooked since I was in kindergarten, and the 2600 version is just as good! It even ran faster than the arcade version. Either way, Atari handled this conversion so well that it was the best selling video game of 1983! Honorable Mentions: Pac-Man (2600) H.E.R.O. (2600) Joust (2600) River Raid (2600) Megamania (2600) Laser Blast (2600) Crypts of Chaos (2600) Combat (2600) Air-Sea Battle (2600) Kaboom! (2600)