| Hangman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Atari, Inc. |
| Publisher(s) | Atari, Inc. |
| Designer(s) | Alan Miller |
| Platform(s) | Atari 2600 |
| Release |
|
| 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]
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]
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]
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]
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