A-VCS-tec Challenge is a video game developed for the Atari 2600

Atari 2600

The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...

 video game console. The game was inspired by the 1980s Commodore 64

Commodore 64

The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...

 game Aztec Challenge

Aztec Challenge

Aztec Challenge refers to either of two early arcade-style computer games published by COSMI, as well as to subsequent remakes. In all game versions the player takes control of a running Aztec warrior. The first was a side-scrolling platform-jumping game created by Robert Tegel Bonifacio and...

. A-VCS-tec Challenge was written by Atari 2600 homebrew

Atari 2600 homebrew

An Atari 2600 homebrew is a homebrew video game designed for the Atari 2600 by independent developers following the discontinuation of the console in 1992. The first 2600 homebrew was written in 1995, and since then over 100 homebrew titles have been released...

 developer Simon Quernhorst, with music by Paul Slocum.

Gameplay

The game features two alternating levels based on the first two levels of Aztec Challenge, called "The Gauntlet" and "The Stairs". In the first level, the player dodges spears while running toward a pyramid displayed on the horizon. In the second level, the player climbs to the top of the pyramid while avoiding rocks that fall from above. If the top is successfully reached, the gameplay starts over.

Release and reception

A-VCS-tec Challenge was first released in 2006 as a limited run of 55 boxed, numbered and signed copies. Following the run of the limited edition, the game was sold unboxed as a standalone cartridge with a manual. Separate versions were created for NTSC

NTSC

NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...

 (North American) and PAL

PAL

PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...

 (European) regions.

The Video Game Critic

The Video Game Critic

The Video Game Critic is a website focused on video-game reviews and run by David Mrozek. It was established in 1999, and is known for featuring comprehensive reviews on many early gaming platforms.-History:...

 gave A-VCS-tec Challenge a mixed review, praising the game for "some of the best graphics and audio you'll experience on your 2600", but criticizing it for its single difficulty level and lack of pay-off once the two game levels are completed. The Video Game Critic gave the game a "C" rating, but noted that despite the repetitive gameplay, the "amazing soundtrack" "totally rock[s]".

Design

The game was created as a homebrew project using 8 kilobytes of ROM

Read-only memory

Read-only memory is a class of storage medium used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware .In its strictest sense, ROM refers only...

, the same amount used by early 1980s-era Atari 2600 games such as Asteroids.