PrinceWatercress plays Lock 'n Chase for Atari 2600

For an arcade conversion, this one isn't bad at all!

Longplay

Lock 'n Chase for the Atari 2600 is based on the arcade game of the same name. You play as a robber, and you need to avoid the four cops that are moving around the maze as you grab all the gold bars and then get to the exit, which leads to the next level.

To start the game, just press the fire button on the joystick. Before doing this, you can also choose between a fast game or a slow game with the left difficulty switch, with B/Novice allowing for a slow game at the start and A/Expert allowing for a fast game. You can also switch between one-player and two-player mode with the Game Select switch. If you see no thieves at the bottom of the screen, you're in one-player mode. If you see two thieves at the bottom of the screen, you're in two-player mode.

The joystick lets you move, while the fire button allows you to temporarily close doors behind you, blocking the cops when you need to get them away. The black horizontal bars in the wall signify where doors can be closed, and if you are between walls and one of them has a black bar, you can close the door there. Just keep in mind that pressing the fire button lets you close the door on the last set of black bars that you passed by, and that it can act a little weird.

There are also exit tunnels to the side. If you take the paths on the center of the side walls, you'll come out through the other side. Be careful when using them, as the cops will be able to use them in later levels.

You start out with five lives. Whenever a cop catches you, you'll lose one of your lives. If you lose all of your lives, the game is over. In two-player mode, players take turns and control is switched from one player to the other upon losing a life.

Every so often, a treasure chest will pop up in the center of the maze that will give you points. It will only be on-screen for a short time, but if you grab it, you can get big points, and you'll move for about half a second before the cops start moving again. A red box will give you 500 points, while a pink box gives you 250. If you can collect the same box multiple times, you can keep doubling your score from each one up to three times, allowing you to rake in big points. If you go for the boxes, watch out for the cops, as they can be pretty crafty and will do their best to take the shortest route towards you...so keep slamming those doors in their faces and watch where you're going!

If you die while the exit door is open after grabbing all of the gold bars, you'll be sent to the next level automatically. Obviously, you're better off making it to the exit door.

The game starts out slow and the cops aren't so bright at first, but as you play more levels, they'll get faster and more cunning. Use the side tunnels carefully, close doors on the cops when you can, and watch where you're going as well as where the cops are going.

If you're looking for a good arcade port for the Atari 2600, this is definitely one to play. The action is simple, but it gets fast and frantic soon enough. Closing doors to block your enemies adds a new, interesting strategy to the Pac-Man style gameplay, especially when the enemies get smarter in the later levels. All in all, this is one Atari 2600 game you'll want to pick up.