Kid Grid
| Kid Grid | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Tronix |
| Publisher(s) | Tronix |
| Programmer(s) | Arti Haroutunian[1] |
| Platform(s) | Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64 |
| Release | 1982: Atari 1983: C64 |
| Genre(s) | Maze |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Kid Grid is a grid capture game which borrows heavily from the 1981 arcade game Amidar.[2] Written by Arti Haroutunian for the Atari 8-bit family, it was published by Tronix in 1982.[1] A Commodore 64 port was released in 1983.[3]
Gameplay
The objective is to color all of the lines on the grid by moving over them, capturing the 35 squares, while avoiding four pursuers. Question marks randomly appear in some squares which give bonus points when captured.[2] Pressing the joystick button briefly stuns the enemies so they don't move and can be passed through by the player (analogous to "jumps" in Amidar).[4] There are a limited number of stuns per level.
Development
Arti Haroutunian wrote Kid Grid in two months using the Atari Assembler Editor cartridge.[5] He did the Commodore 64 port himself. Tronix ran magazine adverts promoting both Kid Grid and another game by Haroutunian, Juice!, mentioning him by name.[6]
Reception
The reviewer for Antic called it, "the most exciting mutation of Pac-Man I have ever played."[7] David H. Ahl criticized the simplistic sound effects, but concluded, "All in all, we found Kid Grid to be one of the most playable and addictive games around. It is cute, fast, and fun."[2]
In a "C-" review, Addison Wesley Book of Atari Software 1984 wrote, "the game's utter simplicity works against it after repeated play. There is only one maze and a simple strategy to keep one step ahead of the pursing creatures."[8]
See also
References
- ^ a b Hague, James, The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers
- ^ a b c Ahl, David H. (May 1984). "Thirteen Great New Games". Creative Computing: 121.
- ^ Kid Grid at Lemon 64
- ^ "Kid Grid Atari Manual". archive.org. Tronix. 1982.
- ^ Ellison, Peter (April 1984). "Interview: Arti Haroutunian". ROM (5): 8.
- ^ "Tronix magazine ad". Atari Mania.
- ^ Welch, Bryan (August 1983). "Product Reviews: Kid Grid". Antic. 2 (8): 92.
- ^ Addison Wesley Book of Atari Software 1984. Addison Wesley. 1984. p. 135.
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External links
- Kid Grid at Atari Mania