| Hangman | |
|---|---|
 Box art by Susan Jaekel | |
| Developer(s) | Atari, Inc. |
| Publisher(s) | Atari, Inc. |
| Designer(s) | Alan Miller |
| Platform(s) | Atari 2600 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Hangman is a puzzle 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). [2]
The game was programmed by Alan Miller, who later cofounded Activision, [3] with cover art by Susan Jaekel. [4] The game was coded in assembly code. [5]
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. [2] 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. [3] A timed mode where the player has to guess before a time limit expires is also available. [4]
The game may be played in single-player mode, or in a two-player mode where players participate together. [2] 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. [3]
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. [6] 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. [5]
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. [2]
