Q-bert's Qubes (Atari 2600)

A colorful adaptation of the arcade sequel, Q*Bert's Qubes brings the long-snouted, foul-mouthed one home yet again. As with Parker Bros. ubiquitous Atari VCS version of the original Q*Bert (come on, who didn't have a copy of it?), the joystick must be rotated 45 degrees so that the action button is dead center at the top for the game's diagonally-oriented action. Players guide Q*Bert around a square playing field (tilted at a 45-degree angle) of cubes. All of the cubes have different colors on their sides and rotate in the direction in which Q*Bert jumps. The object of the game is to line up one row of cubes, Tic-Tac-Toe-style, so they're all aligned the same way. This may seem simple enough, but a brand new host of hopping enemies has come along to make Q*Bert's life more difficult, including a big purple rat and any number of smaller adversaries (sporting their own Jimmy Durante-type schnozzes); the latter of these can be disposed of if they land on a cube whose top face is the same color as they are. With each wave cleared, a new one begins, each faster and more difficult than the last.