A.P.B.

MANUFACTURER: Atari PLAYERS: 1 STEREO: No RATING: 8 (7.4)
TYPE: Action COMLYNX: No BLINK: Yes

WHAT: Arrest criminals for crimes ranging from littering to drug dealing

HOW : You are officer Bob, and during your typical day you view your patrol
car from above as you chase after,apprehend, and take back to the police
station criminals. You drive through big symbolic donuts to get extra time,
stop at a gas station for extra fuel, pick up hidden stacks of cash now and
then to purchase enhancements for your veHICle, and generally bust the bad
guys. The B button accelerates your car, and the A button activates your
siren to make an arrest. At the start of each level you get your
assignments, which always include some simple quotas such as honkers or
litterbugs, but could include a special criminal whom you will have to
chase down and return to base. As in the arcades, this game features plenty
of digitized speech and some amusing graphics.

SOAPBOX: I find this game a lot of fun. The control scheme is not the best,
as it is necessary to constantly hold down the A button with the tip of my
thumb and rock the joint down on the B button to make an arrest (turn the
siren on), which is backwards from the way it should be. The cars on the
road don't behave exactly like the arcade, because your siren doesn't make
them head for the shoulder. But most aspects of the original are preserved,
including the very funny digitized sounds, and a light hearted game play
approach.