Atlantis (thing)

Atlantis, fabled city of antiquity, lies in peaceful waters. The major districts of the city-the Aqua Plain, the Domed Palace and the Bridged Bazaar-murmur with activity while vital generators whirl. Three defense posts guard the skies over the metropolis.

An ominous sound penetrates the sea surrounding the city. The Gorgon Fleet, fierce warriors intent on demolishing Atlantis, attack in force. How long can the city withstand the assault?

Atlantis was just about the best game that Imagic ever made. You command several Laser turrets. Defending the underwater city of Atlantis. The graphics are very colorful and rely on a lot of color cycling effects. Color cycling effects can make it seem as if the console supports more on screen colors than it actually does. The arcade version of Robotron 2084 used this to good effect, as did Atlantis.

The concept is similar to Missile Command in that you fire shots from several distinct locations that can be killed by enemy fire in an attempt to defend a complex of several cities. Unlike Missile Command, your enemies are spaceships that fly horizontally over your city and drop bombs. This style of gameplay was much more suited to the joystick, and I feel that this title is superior to the Atari 2600 version of Missile Command.

Imagic sponsored a large contest for high scores with this game. (The "Defend Atlantis" contest). The top scorers received a copy of the ultra-rare Atlantis II and went to Bermuda for a chance at $10,000.

The box to this game was the standard "shiny" Imagic box, and it had an awesome picture of several space fighters attacking a floating city. The ships in the picture seem to have been heavily influenced by Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back.

Atlantis is worth between $1 and $30 depending on the label. There were 5 different labels. Each valued differently. Games with boxes and manuals are worth more.