Pitfall 2 Game for Atari 2600

Ever Play the Atari game Pitfall? Pitfall was a game created and programmed by David Crane, who was one of the key people to the creation of the company, Activision. David Crane was known for pushing the limits of the 2600. One of those games was Pitfall 2.

Toward the end of the Atari 2600 console’s life, its weaknesses were glaring and demanded attention. Competition was fierce, and in order to battle it, companies had to think of ways of expanding the power of its games. Activision and David Crane solved this problem by having custom sound chips in their game cartridges, as well as using larger ROM chips. The result could be seen in Pitfall 2, a massive and impressive feat for a game.

Ever see an Atari 2600 game with checkpoints? Pitfall 2 has them. The game has both vertical and horizontal scrolling, as well as an impressive soundtrack and interactive environments. In the first Pitfall, you could swing from a vine and climb ladders. In Pitfall 2, you can now swim as well.

Pitfall 2 is not an easy game, to say the least. But that doesn’t matter, because unlike other games of its time (including the first Pitfall) you do not have a limited number of lives. Whenever you “die”, you simply lose points and return to the previous checkpoint. This can be infuriating if you haven’t found a checkpoint in a while; however, it beats the alternative: starting the entire game over again.

If you can find this game new or with the manual, it will be worth it. The instruction booklet does not look or feel like other Atari game manuals. Instead, it has the look of an aged journal. Even the inside appears to have written notes in the margin, giving you game play tips.

This game is mind-blowing. It will make you say, “is this really an Atari game?”. Amazing stuff. The full title is David Crane’s Pitfall 2: Lost Caverns. You can find it on Amazon. (affiliate link)