AGH Atari 2600 Review: WARLORDS by Atari What do you get when you combine Pong and Breakout? Atari's idea of such a combination resulted in Warlords, a highly addictive paddle-controlled game. There are four castles, each surrounded by a wall, and has a shield to protect it. As a fireball is released, you can use your shield to deflect the fireball, or catch it and release it. The object is to destroy the other three castles and be the last one standing, and that means knocking down the walls surrounding your opponents' castles (and then your opponent him/herself) while watching your own walls. Whoever remains gets a point; five points wins the game. The most amazing thing is that up to four (that's right) players can play at once, since two paddles connect into one controller port. Plus, you can decide how you want to play. You can do the standard free-for-all, or you can opt for team play, three-on-one, and so on. Don't have four players? You can still play with three, two, or even one player, with the computer controlling the other shields. Finally one player can even control two shields if he's dexterous enough to handle it. The graphics are decidedly first-generation 2600 and the sound is barely there, which is the case for most early VCS titles. What matters more, of course is the gameplay -- and Warlords definitly offers it in spades. This is a well done, highly addicting game, one that friends and family can enjoy together. Title Warlords Publisher Atari System Atari 2600 (VCS) Graphics 4 Sound 2 Gameplay 9 Overall 8 Reviewer Adam King