"For a game this old, it puts up a great challenge."

Checkers, a game that shares some similarities to chess, but with simpler rules and methods of playing. A game that has been enjoyed by many for years, that seems like a simple enough game, but deep down it's actually very challenging. In some ways, it's a lot more challenging than chess. Activision's Checkers game for the Atari 2600 provides a great video game version of this classic game, and not just by reenacting the actual game either. For a game that's over twenty years old, and a system that's pretty much at least thirty years old, Activision's Checkers doesn't skimp on the difficulty. Even seasoned players of checkers will find a good challenge here.


Graphics: 7/10
You're not going to see anything fancy here folks. Not that the Atari was capable of displaying fancy graphics to begin with, but either way, there's not a lot to see here. You've got a blue-and-black (or grey-and-black if you're playing the game in black and white) board to play on, and you've got your red checkers and your white checkers. There's no real animation to speak of, unless you consider the moving of the checkers animation. The checkers are drawn from more of a 3/4 view instead of overhead view, giving them a little more detail. Another nice quirk is that when you get a man promoted to a king, you can actually see the second checker stacked on top of the first one, rather than just a simple mark on top. The only downside I have is how the screen goes blank when the computer is 'thinking' about the next move. While it might be to save memory for the game to 'think,' it also kind of puts you at a disadvantage, since it takes away the board for awhile, meaning you don't have as much of a chance to plan your next move.

Sounds: 2/10
Granted, the Atari 2600 wasn't known for fancy sound effects either, but even then, there's really little to speak of in terms of the sound department. Just some simple beeps and bleeps. Then again, Checkers is one of the simpler games for the Atari 2600. Nonetheless, a little variety in the types of sound effects used in the game would' ve been nice, like one to tell you when a capture was made, or when you're trying to make an illegal move. Even Video Checkers, which came out before this one, had different sound effects.


Controls: 8/10
Some might find the controls to be a little awkward in that you can only move diagonally, but given that you can only move your pieces diagonally, it's natural. The cursor moves smoothly across the board, and the button allows you to pick up and put down pieces as necessary. If you're in a forced jump, it won't let you pick up the piece. However, there should be some kind of a signal that you're in a forced jump so you know that in advance. In addition, if you can do another jump after the first, it should tell you that as well. As it is, you'll only know when you find out the other player hasn't taken their turn yet.

I'm sure you know what the game of checkers is and how to play, but if you need a refresher, the basics are that each person has twelve checkers, or men, and they move one space at a time diagonally on the dark squares. You can capture by jumping over an opponent's man, and are allowed to make multiple jumps in a row if you have another opponent in capturing range. When a piece reaches the top, it becomes a king, and can move both backwards or forwards. The goal is to either capture all your opponent's men, or box them in so they can't move. It's a simple enough game with simple enough goals, right? Well, even a simple game can be very complex.


Replay: 10/10
There are three skill levels, easy, normal, and hard, and the ability to play against a friend. But the skill levels should be known as hard, harder, and hardest. Even on the lowest difficulty setting, the computer plays a very challenging game. In fact, when the manual and box referred to the Activision computer as 'him,' they weren't joking. The computer plays like a professional human being. In fact, even on the lowest difficulty setting, you'll probably find that you're struggling to keep up with him. So a lot of practice is in order. And, of course, two player gameplay is fun too.


Overall: 8/10
Checkers may be based on a classic game, and might be for an old system, but the challenge is still there. It's amazing to see how a game that's from the first generation of game systems can still put up a good fight. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, you're likely to find Checkers is definitely worth your time.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/21/08

Game Release: Checkers (US, July 1980)