Kaboom! © 1981 Activision
The object of the game is to catch as many bombs as you can and get as close as possible to the 999,999 maximum points.
Model AG-010
Activision's first game to sell over a million units.
Tips from Larry Kaplan, designer of Kaboom!
Larry Kaplan is also the designer of Bridge by ACTIVISION. A senior member of the Activision Design Team, Larry is a well-known expert in the field of video game design.
"To do well at Kaboom!, you'll need all the reflexes, endurance, and concentration you can muster. Don't be frustrated if things don't go well at first. It takes a fair amount of practice, especially to catch the bombs at higher speeds."
"You'll notice that you'll be improving in stages. The first plateau is the 1000 point mark. Mastery at Bomb Groups 5 and 6 is necessary to do well here. Conquering Bomb Group 7 will place you at the 2,000 point level. As you develop the stamina and concentration needed to progress, you'll conquer Bomb Group 8. From then on, it's a matter of fine-tuning your skills and extending your endurance to improve your score."
"If you hit the 10,000 point level, that really impresses the 'Mad Bomber', and he'll show his appreciation. Watch for it."
"Here's one special trick we have discovered to help build up your score while maintaining some control of the game. If you have all 3 buckets and you're just about to cross a 1000 point level(1000, 2000, 3000, etc.), miss one of the bombs on purpose! You will lose your bottom bucket, but you will start over at the next lower difficulty level. And that'll give you a few bombs to catch at a slower speed. Then, after you've gone over the 1000 point level, you will get your bucket back anyway, so you haven't lost a thing. Since you will be playing for a while at a slower speed, it gives you a breather, but keeps you in the game."
"If you really become good at Kaboom!, try it with the difficulty switches set at a(up). Since the buckets are only half the regular size, you'll really have to be quick."
"Please take time out from your bomb chasing to drop me a line. It would be great to hear from you."
Programmer: Larry Kaplan
Graphics: David Crane
CONSOLES:
Sony PlayStation (sept.30, 1998) "A Collection of Activision Classic Games for the Atari 2600 [Model SLUS-00777]"
Sony PlayStation 2 (nov.19, 2002) "Activision Anthology [Model SLUS-20588]"
Sony PlayStation 2 (2003) "Activision Anthology [Model SLES-51313]"
HANDHELDS:
Nintendo Game Boy Advance (dec.9, 2003) "Activision Anthology [Model AGB-BAVE-USA]"
Sony PSP (nov.8, 2006) "Activision Hits Remixed [Model ULUS-10186]"
Sony PSP (feb.9, 2007) "Activision Hits Remixed [Model ULES-00640]"
Sony PSP (feb.14, 2007) "Activision Hits Remixed [Model ULES-00640]"
COMPUTERS:
PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (jan.1, 1994) "Activision's Atari 2600 Classics"
PC [MS Windows, CD-ROM] (apr.4, 1995) "Atari 2600 Action Pack"
PC [Microsoft Windows, CD-ROM] (oct.2003) "Activision Anthology: Remix Edition"
Apple Macintosh [CD-ROM] (2003) "Activision Anthology: Remix Edition"
OTHERS:
Android (aug.30, 2012) "Activision Anthology"
Apple iPhone/iPad (aug.30, 2012) "Activision Anthology [Model 542727742]"
"Atari Flashback 8 Gold Edition" (sept.22, 2017) by AtGames
"Atari Flashback 8 Gold Activision Edition" (sept.22, 2017) by AtGames
"Atari Flashback Portable Game Player" (sept.22, 2017) by AtGames
Game's ROM.