Rampage!

Rampage! for the Atari 2600 is Activision’s 1989 home conversion of Bally Midway’s monster-destruction arcade game. Reprogrammed for the 2600 by Bobco, it turns the player into one of three enormous creatures—George the ape, Lizzie the lizard, or Ralph the wolf—and sends that creature on a deliberately unruly tour of North American cities. The central objective is simple: reduce every building on the current screen to rubble while the local police, military, traffic, and other hazards try to stop the rampage.

The Atari 2600 version is built around joystick control and a compact set of actions. A monster walks left or right through the city, climbs a building by pushing upward at its edge, and punches in a chosen direction with the fire button. Pressing the button with the stick centered makes the monster jump, a useful way to cover ground more quickly. Buildings are both scenery and the route forward: climbing their sides lets the monster punch holes into them, expose their contents, and eventually collapse them.

Rampage! gives the player a choice of George, Lizzie, and Ralph before a game begins. Each campaign starts with three lives, and the Atari 2600 cartridge supports one or two players at once rather than the three-player arcade setup. With two monsters on screen, the destruction can become competitive as well as cooperative. Players can race to clear structures and collect useful items, but they can also punch the other monster. Knocking a rival down damages that player’s strength, making the shared city a place for both teamwork and mischief.

A city is cleared only after all of its buildings have been demolished. Along the way, the monsters can strike helicopters, tanks, police cars, pickup trucks, trolleys, and boats, while enemy fire steadily drains the damage bar under the score. Civilians and soldiers may appear in and around buildings; some can be eaten after being hit. Food and other items help restore strength, but not everything that looks edible is safe. The manual specifically warns about hazards such as cactus, poison, active televisions, and flickering objects, so deciding what to consume matters as much as swinging a fist.

If a monster’s energy is completely depleted, it reverts to human form and loses a life. A remaining life brings in another monster aboard the Rampage blimp, keeping the assault moving. Points are awarded for wrecking buildings, enemies, signs, and vehicles, and every 10,000 points earns an extra life. This creates a score-driven rhythm within the larger goal of finishing each location: clear the city, preserve energy, and take opportunities for high-value destruction without being worn down by return fire.

The Atari 2600 Rampage! travels through as many as 85 cities, an ambitious scale for a late release on the long-lived system. Its presentation necessarily condenses the arcade spectacle, but its essential appeal remains the reversal at the heart of the series: instead of protecting a city from a giant monster, the player is the creature doing the damage. The 2600 edition retains all three signature monsters and turns the premise into a straightforward action game suited to short solo sessions or a two-player wrecking contest.