Q*bert was an odd-looking, but loveable kind of chap with a large, tubular nose, and he quickly became a much-loved character in the 1980s, eventually appearing on a wide array of merchandise, although he was never as popular as Pac-Man. Nonetheless, he was certainly one of the most charismatic characters to feature in 80s video games.
As for the game itself, it was a real classic that was available on most 8-bit home computers and consoles, and received high praise from critics, especially for the colourful graphics, novel gameplay and the charismatic Q*bert himself. However, there were some who found the controls rather awkward (including myself) but with a lot of practice you do find yourself enjoying the game more as you settle into it.
INSTRUCTIONS: Simply use your arrow keys to move Q*bert around and try to change the colour on all of the steps to complete the level. It's a whole lot harder than it looks and is devilishly addictive - give it a go!
The 1982 arcade game was developed by Gottileb, who were also responsible for the game Reactor released the same year. Q*bert was the company's biggest-seller, and the home computer and console ports were licensed to Parker Brothers. Their first port was for the Atari VCS/2600 and then the 5200, Intellivision, ColecoVision, Atari 400/800/XL, and the Commodore Vic-20 during 1983. The C64 version was not released until 1984.
The 2600 port was rather disappointing due to the poor controls, a lack of music, and also the omission of the characters Ugg and Wrongway.
Screen grab from the arcade coin-op game
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