Atari VCS / Atari 2600 Mini: Track and Field
5In 1983 Centuri developed what would become the model for track games for years to come. Track and Field (also known as Hyper Olympics outside the US) is quite possibly one of the most addictive multiplayer sports games ever created. It seemed only natural that with the 1984 Olympics in town that Atari would want to cash in with their sponsorship, so while the Atari 800XL became the official computer of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics (I wasn't aware there was an official Olympic computer), Track and Field became the official game. Originally Track and Field was going to simply be called the Los Angeles 1984 Games, but was changed back to Track and Field before being released. Prototypes with the original title still exist, and if the Atari 8-bit version is played on a PAL machine it still displays this title (it is unknown if the 5200 prototype displays the same behavior as there are no PAL 5200's to test it on).
The beauty of Track and Field lies in its simple controls and easy to learn rules. Originally the game came with its own special controller (a three button pad with two run buttons and a jump button), but this controller only served to mimic the arcade controls and was not required by the game itself. If the player did not have the special controller, they could simply push the joystick left and right to simulate the running buttons. Activision's Decathlon used a similar setup, and not-so coincidentally can be played with the Track and Field controller.
Track and Field consists of six events. These events are really a set of six separate mini-games which each player must master. The key to winning most events is knowing when to hit the jump/throw button and the most optimal angel to jump or throw at. Careful timing will make the difference between sweet victory and bitter defeat. Each event has a qualifying score which the player must meet or pass to advance to the next event or they loose a life (I guess it really is do or die!). Every time a player cycles through all six events the qualifying scores increase until they require super human reflexes to beat.
Event 1: 100m Dash
Event 2: Long Jump
Event 3: Javelin
Event 4: 110m Hurdles
Event 5: Hammer Throw
Event 6: High Jump
Track and field is simply amazing on the 2600. It's hard to believe that they could squeeze the entire arcade game into a tiny 2600 cartridge, but they managed it somehow. Unfortunately Track and Field was released right as Atari was experiencing major financial difficulties and was only released in very small quantities (the Atari 8-bit version suffered a similar fate). The label is also something of a mystery as it is in black & white instead of color (except for the title which is in pink!) and has the wrong part number on it (the label says CX26127 which is actually Gremlins part number, it should say CX26125). It is unknown why the label looks this way, but it could be due to the cost cutting measures that were in place at the time. The box is particularly difficult to come by as it was oversized to fit the special controller and easily damaged.
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