Once again it is Thursday, and you all know what that means, Throwback Thursday is here once more. I awoke this morning to the sound of ice pellets bouncing off the pavement outside my house, and thought to myself that I would work from home today. So with all the danger outside my door I thought I'd put some old school danger into my article.

  The year was 1982, Ronald Reagan was president, the Toyota Camry was introduced to the public, and a little known system called the Commodore 64 is released. It was a good time, Reaganomics were at full blast sending the country into a small recession. In 82 I was seven, and everything seemed so simple back then. I had two friends then, Godzilla Movies on Saturday, and my Atari 2600. Well I guess that statement isn't totally true, I did have a few close friends I used to kick it with on the playground. Anyway after school I would rush home, run up three flights of stairs, say hello to my 2 foot Godzilla action figure, and turn on my Atari 2600. One of my most favorite games back in that era was "Pitfall" made by Activision, and here is where Throwback Thursday begins.

 'Pitfall' was an extremely popular title in its day selling over four million copies. This number propelled the title to being one of the most popular games on the Atari 2600.

  You start the game off as "Pitfall Harry" an Indiana Jones type character maneuvering his way through the dangerous jungle environment in search of treasures. While on your adventure through the 2D side scroller you are met with many obstacles to overcome. Some of these obstacles include tar pits, water holes, quicksand, fires, and rolling logs. Along with these environmental hazards there are also reptile related hazards to watch out for. Rattlesnakes, scorpions, and crocodiles are littered throughout the game to keep you on your toes. The only possible means of escaping these hazards is to run, jump, and even swing your way to safety.

 Your goal in the game is to dodge all the hazards and collect the treasures in twenty minutes. Here is where the challenge lies, while your off climbing ladders and dodging scorpions, your treasure time is running out. So sometimes it can get a little hectic trying to find all the gold bars, money bags, and diamond rings, while a scorpion is trying to sting you in the foot. The ultimate goal is to collect all the 32 various treasures and make your way out of the jungle before time runs out.

  There was also a sequel made called "Pitfall 2: Lost Caverns" that was released in 1983 that met a luke warm reception and was not received as well as the first title. The NES also got some "Pitfall Love" with the release of "Super Pitfall" in 1987, but it turned out to be a poor attempt to recreate the "Pitfall" classic.

  Though there were many attempts to recreate the energy that surrounded the first "Pitfall" title it was never quite perfected. This is the main dilemma that plagues most sequels of our era.

  In my "Top Ten" list of best games of all time this one is in the top five. As a child this game brought me hours of pleasure that I will never forget. If I were to rate this game I would give it an 8 just for the fact that it was the first hardcore adventure game.

  Some fun facts:

  Jack Black made is TV debut doing a "Pitfall" commercial

  Pitfall was adapted as a CBS Saturday Morning Cartoon in 1983 (it only lasted one season)

  The "Simpsons Game" and "Marvel Ultimate Alliance" both give you "Throwback" versions of the game inside of their games.

 Previously posted on Gamervision.com