Hangman (video game)

Hangman
Developer(s)	Atari, Inc.
Publisher(s)	Atari, Inc.
Designer(s)	Alan Miller
Platform(s)	Atari 2600
Release	NA: 1978
Genre(s)	Puzzle
Mode(s)	Single-player, two-player

Hangman is a video game based on the pen-and-paper game of the same name released in 1978 by Atari, Inc. for the Atari VCS (renamed to the Atari 2600 in 1982).^[1]

Development

The game was programmed by Alan Miller, who later cofounded Activision,^[2] with cover art by Susan Jaekel.^[3] The game was coded in assembly code.^[4]

Gameplay

As in the traditional game of Hangman, the player must guess the letter of a hidden word, with each wrong guess resulting in a piece being added to the gallows. The game ends when either the gallows is completed or when the word has been fully guessed. The player can select from a range of four difficulty levels from first grade to high school. The words have a maximum length of six characters.^[1] Instead of the traditional man to be hanged being shown in the picture, a monkey is shown hanging from the gallows by its arm. Hangman contains 510 words divided into four difficulty levels.^[2] A timed mode where the player has to guess before a time limit expires is also available.^[3]

The game may be played in single-player mode, or in a two-player mode where players participate together.^[1] In one-player mode, the player has 11 attempts at guessing before the gallows is constructed. In two-player mode, guessing may continue until one player wins.^[2]

Reception

Contemporary reviewers were unimpressed with the game. UK-based TV Gamer described it as "poor value for money" as it differed little from the pen-and-paper version of the game.^[5] A review in the 1983 Book of Atari Software described it as a "nice implementation of the classic game", but also criticised the graphics, and gave the game a rating of "B" overall.^[4]

In a retrospective review in Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984: A Complete Reference Guide, Brett Weiss described it as "a passable rendition of a classic game.^[1]

See also

• List of Atari 2600 games

References

1. Weiss, Brett (2011). Classic Home Video Games, 1972-1984: A Complete Reference Guide. McFarland. p. 68. ISBN 978-0786487554. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
2. Haw ken, Kirsten (2018). The A-Z of Atari 2600 Games: Volume 2. Andrews UK Limited. ISBN 978-1785387630. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
3. Lapetino, Tim (2016). Art Of Atari. Dynamite Entertainment. p. 84. ISBN 978-1524101060. Retrieved 4 September 2019.
4. Stanton, Jeffrey; Wells, Robert P.; Rochowansky, Sandra (1983). The Book of Atari Software 1983. The Book Company. p. 242. ISSN 0736-2706. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
5. "Hangman" (PDF). TV Gamer: 28. Autumn 1983. Retrieved 4 September 2019.

External list

• Hangman at Atari Mania