Chase the Chuck Wagon is a 1983 promotional video game distributed by Purina for the Atari 2600/VCS

Atari 2600

The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...

 home console

Video game console

A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...

. It was available only via mail by sending in proofs of purchase to Purina.

Gameplay

In the 1970s and 1980s, popular television commercials for Purina dog food included a dog chasing a tiny Chuckwagon

Chuckwagon

A chuckwagon or chuck wagon is a type of wagon historically used to carry food and cooking equipment on the prairies of the United States and Canada. Such wagons would form part of a wagon train of settlers or feed traveling workers such as cowboys or loggers.In modern times, chuckwagons feature...

. The gameplay is loosely based on this premise.

Chase the Chuck Wagon is a maze game. The object of each maze screen is to move Chuckie, the dog, through mazes of four different designs and escape through the opening directly below the chuckwagon. The player has limited time (60 or 30 seconds depending on the difficulty setting) per maze to accomplish this.

There are two obstacles in each maze: the dog catcher moves through the maze, and if he touches Chuckie, the player loses one life; the bouncing object (bone, etc.) travels back and forth across the maze unhindered by the maze walls, and if it touches Chuckie, he will be frozen momentarily (signified by the maze changing color), making it more difficult to reach the end of maze within the time limit or avoid the dog catcher.

After successfully completing a maze screen, the maze clears and the reward screen appears. A dog dish drops from the Chuckwagon, and the player must use the joystick to orient Chuckie left or right to face the dish, and press the fire button at the right moment to stop it horizontal to Chuckie, allowing him to move to the dish and eat. This scores an additional 100 points. If the player misses, no points are awarded and the game advances to the next maze screen. If the player does not press the fire button, the dish falls repeatedly and the game does not advance.

The player starts the game with three Chuckies. Chuckies are lost when time runs out on a maze on upon contact with the dog catcher. The game ends when all the Chuckies are exhausted.

Scoring

The amount of time left on the clock at the end of each maze is the player's score for that stage. Each successfully completed reward screen adds 100 points. When the game is over, the total score is displayed.

Controls

The player uses the joystick to move Chuckie through mazes, and to change his facing on the reward screen. The fire button is only used to stop the dropping food dish on the rewards screens.

The console controls are unusual as the Atari's Reset switch does not start the game (which is the typical behavior). Instead, the Select switch is used to start a game.

History

As part of a promotion involving the Chuck Wagon line of dog food, Purina contracted video game distributor Spectravision

Spectravideo

Spectravideo, or SVI, was a U.S. computer company founded in 1981 as "SpectraVision" by Harry Fox. They originally made video games for Atari 2600 and VIC-20. Some of their computers were MSX-compliant or IBM PC compatible...

 to create a game themed around dogs and dog food. Customers could redeem proofs of purchase

Proof of purchase

Proof of purchase is often required for sales promotions and manufacturer rebates as evidence that the customer purchased the product. When multiple purchases are required to redeem these rewards, it is referred to as a premium incentive or collector mechanic.Traditional proof of purchase systems...

 from bags of dog food in exchange for the game, an example of a new marketing technique that emerged during the popularity of video games in the early 1980s. In practice, the promotion was relatively unsuccessful, and the game is nowadays something of a collector's item. The unshipped cartridges were destroyed.

Among collectors

The game has something of a reputation among collectors of Atari video games. It is far from the rarest of games for the Atari 2600, yet the mystique surrounding its history grants it a disproportionate amount of interest. It is commonly referred to as the Holy Grail of Atari 2600 video game collecting

Video game collecting

Video game collecting is the hobby of collecting video games and related memorabilia. Collectors may focus on a particular area of interest, such as retro consoles like the Atari 2600 and NES. There may also be some overlap with animation, anime, manga, comic books, or other media...

. Among Spectravision games, only Bumper Bash and Mangia

Mangia

Mangia is a 1983 video game by Spectravision for the Atari 2600 video game console...

are listed as more difficult to find in the AtariAge

AtariAge

Atari Age was a magazine distributed to Atari Club members from 1982 until 1984. It was published by The Atari Club Inc., a subsidiary of Atari, Inc.-History:...

rarity guide.

External links

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w1UqNfKl1U Video of gameplay on YouTube.