AGH Atari 2600 Review: SNOOPY AND THE RED BARON by Atari After apparently running out of coin-op games to port and lacking any original ideas for new games on the VCS, Atari turned to its kids licenses such as Disney, Peanuts and Sesame Street to try and create a whole new market for its machine. Most of its offerings weren't exactly memorable, but Snoopy And The Red Baron is one of the exceptions. Take Defender, water it down a tad, and add the Peanuts characters and lavish it with bright and colorful graphics and you have Snoopy And The Red Baron. While this doesn't sound like a recipe for fun, enough attention to detail was put into this game to make it a treat for all ages. From the opening strains of the Snoopy theme to the final victory melody, the whimsical tunes add to the charm of this game. Atop his high-flying Sopwith Camel doghouse, Snoopy battles it out with the infamous Red Baron, represented by a constant flow of Fokker Tri-Plane silhouettes. The side-scrolling playfield consists of clouds above, barren landscape below and miles of blue sky. While duking it out with the Red Baron, players can also swoop down and grab floating beer steins, bones and hamburgers for points. It takes eight hits to take down one of the Baron's planes, and the Baron must also pummel the doghouse eight times before the valiant dog is doomed as well. And since this game has no ending, you can win a few battles, but never the war. Air-action veterans will probably find Snoopy's antics a tad on the mild side compared to Defender or Time Pilot. However, the fine treatment of Snoopy and his long-time foe adds to the fun and playability, making a game that would otherwise be strictly kid stuff into one that even adult players can enjoy for awhile. Title Snoopy And The Red Baron Publisher Atari System Atari 2600 (VCS) Graphics 7 Sound 8 Gameplay 6 Overall 7 Reviewer Keita Iida