Video Checkers For The Atari VCS

It is kind of surprising to think that Activision felt the need to release their version of Checkers for the Atari Video Computer System in 1981, when Atari themselves had already delivered Video Checkers to the store shelves a year earlier. But, now that I have played it, I can certainly explain why. Because, believe it or not, the Activision game is actually mildly worth playing, where as Video Checkers is a real hunk of junk. Despite having that typically lovely box art that is true for most official Atari VCS games.

Now, you might be wondering why I would own both Video Checkers, and the Activision version of Checkers too. The reason is very simple, when I first got into retro gaming for the Atari 2600 I consciously decided that I would go out of my way to try and obtain every single game for the system. Which is basically an impossible task, I didn't realize that at the time, but I do now. But, because I still want to try my best to get all of the games that I can, I do buy anything for the VCS that I do not yet own, as long as the price is cheap enough. This includes buying Backgammon, which is a game that I do not even know how to play. 

That said, Video Checkers is a pretty lousy version of Checkers, it doesn't look as good, or play as well as the Activision version. So, if you absolutely have to have a Checkers game for your Atari Video Computer System, buy the other one, not Video Checkers. Neither are very good, but this one is the worst of the two.

The two versions play very similar, but I think that the graphics look better on the Activision version, and the interface is a little more enjoyable. Both games have that weird quirk where the screen goes blank while the computer thinks of its move. Oddly enough, that blank screen doesn't seem to last as long on Video Checkers, but that is not enough for me to recommend it over the other game. I do not recommend buying either one of these games necessarily. Unless, like I said earlier, you really want a Checkers game for your Atari VCS. Or, if you're as ridiculous as me, and you actually think that you might be able to collect every Atari 2600 game. Good luck with that, but do remember that you have competition out there, and one of those competitors is a guy who calls himself the Atari Ninja and he is just crazy enough to attempt this impossible feat.

-Jay