Alpha Beam with Ernie

North American cover art
Developer(s)	Atari, Inc. Children's Computer Workshop
Publisher(s)	Atari, Inc.
Programmer(s)	Michael Callahan Preston Stuart
Platform(s)	Atari 2600
Release	NA: November 1983 [1] JP: 1983
Genre(s)	Edutainment
Mode(s)	Single-player

Alpha Beam With Ernie is an edutainment video game released for the Atari 2600 by Atari, Inc. in 1983. ^[2] It was developed in conjunction with the Children's Computer Workshop. The game was programmed by Michael Callahan and Preston Stuart. ^[3]

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot

The object of Alpha Beam is to help Sesame Street's Ernie pilot a small shuttle, collect fuel tanks (marked by a letter of the alphabet), and return them to his space ship so that he can return to Earth.

The game was marketed as a family-friendly game that could teach children pre-reading skills such as identifying and matching letters. Alpha Beam was compatible with the Atari Kid's Controller, which was sold separately, although the regular keyboard controller is also compatible. ^[4]

References

1. "Atari VCS game release dates". Atari Archive.
2. GameSpot – Alpha Beam with Ernie page
3. AtariAge – Alpha Beam with Ernie page
4. AtariAge – Kid's Controller