Adventure: The Atari 2600 at the Dawn of Console Gaming Paperback – June 4, 2018

There are many books coming out that showcase the groundbreaking Atari 2600 console - originally known as the Video Computer System - but this one focuses solely on the unit, its rise and fall between 1970 and 1996 - as well as touches on its primary competitors the Colecovision and the Intellivison during the first console wars. It also focuses on several noteworthy titles including Adventure and describes how each title was groundbreaking - this commentary is more interesting and more relevant than other similar books which simply show artwork or list the titles without going very deep. A good read and a worthy novel for any Atari historian or gamer.

This is a fantastic short history of the Atari 2600 and its gaming library, both good and bad. It’s well-researched while keeping a tight focus. Really well-done.

I'm sure I'm not the only one with a large stack of unread books on the nightstand. So when I get word of new books like this on a topic of great interest, it goes on the wish list for some future time. But then I saw some troll post a negative review here based entirely on the title and not the content, which incensed me into pulling the trigger and getting it read. And I'm glad I did.Most Atari fans have memorized the history of the 2600. What Lendino uniquely does here is to relate those details in the context of the era in which they occurred, with a perspective informed by knowing now how it all turned out. It's part personal memoir, but not so much as to become a vanity project - just enough to evoke memories for those of us who were around in the 1977-1984 time frame and lived this stuff. I'd forgotten quite a bit.In addition to the history, the book includes short but comprehensive reviews of the most significant games released for each year the 2600 was sold. Significant means best and worst, and Lendino chose well, including important third-party releases from Activision, Imagic, and Parker Brothers. Each game features a screenshot (would have loved having those in color, but you can't always get everything you want in publishing), a gameplay synopsis, and just enough technical information without getting bogged down in arcane details best left to other books.It's good stuff, whether you lived it the first time like I did, or if you came in later on and want to appreciate the Atari phenomenon in its original context.

As a kid growing up in the 80s, to me, the importance of the Atari 2600 can’t be understated. This book really provides an excellent background on the groundbreaking machine that was the 2600, as well as the superstar cartridges that made it great. It also provides just enough technical information to make that subject interesting, yet not get so far into the weeds like “Racing the Beam” (which, to me, has a slightly different audience, and is supposed to get into those weeds).It’s an excellent and engaging read, and brings back tons of memories from that era. It was hard to put down, and because of its format, it was easy to just gloss or skip over game descriptions if particular ones were not of interest.If someone was interested in the technical aspects of programming the 2600, I would say that this would be an excellent choice to read first to get a rich overview of the whole subject, and then move on to “Racing the Beam” to get to the technical nitty-gritty.

Interesting read on the history, detail of, and folloup of the Atari 2600 platform and its games. Having owned 2600, 5200 and an actual Asteroids Deluxe machine I can appreciate his history, nostalgia and detail of an exciting time that shaped many. Wheather you are a retro game or old computer hobbiest you will enjoy this book.

A breezy, well researched tome about the world first "important" video game system. Lendino mixes technical details, company history, game reviews, and personal memoir into a unique perspective sure to please discerning Atari fans looking for interesting non-fiction read about their favorite company.

A wealth of information to satisfy the nostalgic and “lapsed” gamer like myself. I really like the author breaking down so many cartridges; the simple games that defined the childhood of so many. Love having this book in my retro game library,

I am a retrogamer through and through, and when I saw this book I knew I had to check it out. Excellent overview of the games released for the 2600. I even discovered a few that I had never heard of.