"He shoots, he scores...again?!"

Seeing how this was the only 'true' hockey game on the Atari 2600, it's such a shame to see it could have been better than it actually is. Then again, considering how lousy Video Olympics was, it's actually not that bad whatsoever.


Graphics: 6/10
The players look like they're wearing spandex instead of ice-skates. Only one player on each team has their stick out at a time: Whoever's closest to the puck. It's two-on-two, if you didn't figure it out already. There are no goal posts, no boards, no nothing. You can swing your stick to check your opponent, but all he does is just fall on his seat. Nothing big.


Sounds: 5/10
The swishing of the stick, the sound of the puck bouncing, and the tones it makes when you score or the game ends. Yawn, I've seen this done before. I could probably whip something better than this up in less than an hour, thank you very much.


Controls: 5/10
The controls are rather stiff and akward. Often times you don't know who you are controlling on your team. Fortunately, shooting is simple: Just aim and press the red button. OK, now why couldn't every hockey game be this simple? Wait, what am I saying?


Replay: 4/10
There's normal and high speed action. Unfortunately, the computer is rather unbalanced at times, making you glad there's a two player option, which is where the real meat of this game comes from.


Overall: 6/10
Considering it's the only true hockey game for the Atari 2600, Ice Hockey doesn't exactly pull off a perfect hat trick. Still, it does have potential when compared to the Pong variations. In addition, I might also add that the commercial for the game actually starred the now late Phil Hartman, who will always be missed and remembered for his great works.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 08/22/00, Updated 07/16/01