Big Bird's Egg Catch

"Just For Kids....I Think Not"

I've been playing video games since I was three years old and of course I started with the Atari 2600 that was quite popular in 1986, when I started my My parents had one that they casually played and now that I was older I decided to start on it. We had many of the classics, Combat, Berzerk, Video Pinball, Fishing Derby, but my favorite was Big Bird's Egg Catch. I had to use the huge Kids Controller for this game, and the other Sesame Street based game that we had, Cookie Monster Munch. In Big Bird's Egg Catch you have to run around catching eggs in a basket on top of Big Bird's head. The difficulty progresses each level and golden eggs are added later on that are worth more than the typical white eggs. The premise is simplistic yet maddeningly fun. The star power of Big Bird, certainly helped move copies of this cartridge, but for an Atari game made in 1983 this is quite a cool game. A lot of us Atari gamers who have kids of our own now would definitely find it worth it as a way to bond with your child by getting this Atari game. Well here's my ratings for this cartridge.

Graphics: 9, for an Atari 2600 game the graphics are crisp, detailed, and pleasant child themed graphics.

Sound: 7, repetitive, but better than the blips in some of the other games.

Control: 9, very easy to control Big Bird, certainly a positive for the age group it is themed at. The only negative is perhaps the controller is too big for a young child's hands to hold.

Challenge: 10, adjustable, find the right level to practice on or work your way through. Whether you are just beginning video games or an expert, you'll find a level that suits you.

Fun: 8, this game can keep you occupied for a while. With its variations on its theme of catching the eggs by having slanted chutes that they fall down and disappearing chutes after that, it is not simply just a faster level of basic chutes.

Average Duration: You can probably play this game for about 30 minutes to an hour once you start playing it, for younger games add an hour or so. Much better than many Atari games in value for your dollar.

If you find Big Bird's Egg Catch, you have to remember you need the Kids Controller to play this game, if you can find the two of them in a package you probably should pick it up because it is a really neat game to add to your Atari collection.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/17/02, Updated 02/17/02