Tax Avoiders (thing)

Make all your wildest dreams come true by avoiding the dreaded tax collector. It's Tax Avoiders for the Atari 2600.

This is one of the more infamous Atari games. The idea behind the game is to become a millionaire, while avoiding as many taxes as possible. The instruction manual makes the game sound very complicated, but it isn't. The only thing that is complicated is the scoring system. The game itself is your standard, bad graphics, run around and collect stuff game (while avoiding the bad guys of course). Frankly, it isn't a very good game.

The team behind this game was mostly ex IRS employees. Which is something they proudly state on the box. They appear to have formed a company just to make this one game. Not that they really made it all themselves. Tax Avoiders is actually a hacked and unlicensed version of Porky's. The graphics and scoring system have been altered. But the game mechanics have not been. It is amazing what video game producers could get away with back in the early 80's. Nowadays there would have been a team of lawyers all over them in a second.

The goal of the player is to become a millionaire, after taxes, in one year. As in real life, there are obstructions to your progress, bureaucratic levels to go through and obstacles to overcome such as governmental red tape, bad investments that lose money, taxes and IRS audits.

The year is divided into 365 days, 12 months and 4 seasons. During each season there are two screens, an income screen and an investment/shelter screen. During the income screen, you must accumulate as much income "$" as possible while avoiding the costly governmental red tape. To reach the various bureaucratic levels, you must catch the elevator in the center of the screen. This takes you to the various levels, slowly like normal governmental action.

This is a collector's favorite because of the subject matter. Making it worth a bit more than other games of the same rarity. This game is valued at around $30 USD. As always, games with boxes and manuals are worth more.