Retro365 | Mouskattack - On-Line Systems, 1981 - Atari 400/800 (4K) @Retro365 | Uploaded March 2024 | Updated October 2024, 22 hours ago.
A short play of John Harris' Mouskattack, published by On-Line Systems for the Atari 400/800 in late 1981.
Mouskattack finds its roots in Harris' earlier Pac-Man clone, Jawbreaker. While the resemblance to Pac-Man is unmistakable, Harris changed the theme and added a few strategic elements that would differentiate the game from the original Pac-Man and the plethora of clones available at the time.
Harris switched the ghosts for rats and Pac-Man with ace plumber, Larry Bain (named after an On-Line Systems employee), whose task is to install pipes throughout the mazes all while avoiding the ferrous rodents roaming freely.
Traps can be picked up and placed to catch the rats and cats can be picked up and placed strategically to repell them.
Mouskattack can be played by one or two players - with the two-player mode having Bain and Peter Pipefitter competing against each other.
The Pac-Man maze concept had been more or less exhausted and with Atari pulling out the big guns on anybody infringing on their intellectual properties, Mouskattack never became a big seller.
Mouskattack was ported to the Apple II in 1982, programmed by On-Line Systems co-founder Ken Williams with help from Al Nystrom. The Apple II released looked apart with the levels not clearly replicating the mazes from Pac-Man. The gameplay was to some extent easier and more enjoyable.
An IBM version also followed in 1982.
Enjoy and please remember to visit my blog at https://www.retro365.blog where I post new articles every month.
A short play of John Harris' Mouskattack, published by On-Line Systems for the Atari 400/800 in late 1981.
Mouskattack finds its roots in Harris' earlier Pac-Man clone, Jawbreaker. While the resemblance to Pac-Man is unmistakable, Harris changed the theme and added a few strategic elements that would differentiate the game from the original Pac-Man and the plethora of clones available at the time.
Harris switched the ghosts for rats and Pac-Man with ace plumber, Larry Bain (named after an On-Line Systems employee), whose task is to install pipes throughout the mazes all while avoiding the ferrous rodents roaming freely.
Traps can be picked up and placed to catch the rats and cats can be picked up and placed strategically to repell them.
Mouskattack can be played by one or two players - with the two-player mode having Bain and Peter Pipefitter competing against each other.
The Pac-Man maze concept had been more or less exhausted and with Atari pulling out the big guns on anybody infringing on their intellectual properties, Mouskattack never became a big seller.
Mouskattack was ported to the Apple II in 1982, programmed by On-Line Systems co-founder Ken Williams with help from Al Nystrom. The Apple II released looked apart with the levels not clearly replicating the mazes from Pac-Man. The gameplay was to some extent easier and more enjoyable.
An IBM version also followed in 1982.
Enjoy and please remember to visit my blog at https://www.retro365.blog where I post new articles every month.
