Imagic Titles
for Intellivision
 IMAGIC GAMES FOR INTELLIVISION
Imagic was founded in 1981 and shipped its first games in March
of 1982. It released seven Atari 2600 titles and five
Intellivision titles its first year. 1983 saw more Atari and
Intellivision titles, plus cartridges for Colecovision and
Odyssey II.
The Imagic team included former employees of Atari and
Mattel Electronics. Their experience helped Imagic create some of
the more creative and well-crafted games released for the 2600 and
Intellivision systems. Assisting the programmers listed in the credits
below were artists Michael Becker and Wilfredo Aguilar.
Imagic Intellivision cartridges retailed for $31.95. Atari 2600
cartridges retailed for $28.95. The box designs were similar; the
Intellivision games had the title in a blue band on the front, the Atari
games in red. For games released on both systems, the package illustration
was the same.
Imagic produced software only - no hardware - and all of its
games were created in-house - no expensive arcade or movie licenses. The
company was thus able to avoid the overhead of competitors Atari,
Mattel Electronics and Coleco. But Imagic still
couldn't survive the 1983/84 industry crash. The company shut down, with
Activision
(another software-only company that did survive the crash)
acquiring the rights to its games.
NUMB THUMB
CLUB: Imagic invited customers to join "Numb
Thumb." Members received an annual newsletter that included contests,
special offers and news of upcoming releases. Only two issues were
published, in 1982 and 1983, before Imagic closed.
EXPERTS
CLUB: In the newsletter sent to Numb Thumb members,
Imagic listed the "Experts Club Performance Standards" for
its games. If a member sent in a photo showing an on-screen score higher
than the standard for that game, the player received an iron-on
decal. If a member sent in three photos from different games, he or
she would receive an "Imagic Expert" t-shirt. And for six photos,
the member received an Imagic Experts Club jacket.
 Atlantis
INTELLIVISION
CARTRIDGE [IMAGIC #700006]
Program: Pat
Ransil
Sound: Dave Durran
 CATALOG DESCRIPTION (Imagic Numb Thumb News Vol. 1,
1982)
Alien spacecraft bombard the underwater city of
Atlantis. Centuries of progress seem doomed. You man the defense
installations. Night falls. Blinded by rage, you scramble into Atlantis'
last defensive spaceship and fly into enemy-filled skies. How long can one
ship survive against so many?
DEVELOPMENT
HISTORY
This is the Intellivision version of Imagic's
previously released Atari 2600 Atlantis cartridge. Imagic later
released a version for Odyssey II.
EXPERTS CLUB
PERFORMANCE STANDARD: 125,000 points.
 Beauty
& the Beast
INTELLIVISION
CARTRIDGE [IMAGIC #700007]
Design/Program: Wendell
Brown
Sound: Dave Durran
 CATALOG DESCRIPTION (Imagic Numb Thumb News Vol. 1,
1982)
That big bully's got the girl. It's you to the
rescue. Climb the building, floor by floor. But watch out! Our fearsome
foe is angrily tossing boulders. Dodge them. Or squash them to score
points. The higher you go, the harder the going gets. Best time to the top
wins the game.
DEVELOPMENT
HISTORY
This was an original game for
Intellivision.
EXPERT CLUB
PERFORMANCE STANDARD: 8 buildings, 25,000 points.
 Demon
Attack
INTELLIVISION
CARTRIDGE [IMAGIC #700005]
Program: Gary Kato
Sound:
Dave Durran
 CATALOG
DESCRIPTION (Imagic Numb Thumb News Vol. 1, 1982)
An
awesome array of demons attacks a scientific colony on the Moon. You
maneuver your laser cannon, destroying an entire army of cunning demons.
Now you have but one choice...seek out the demon's home base and end their
treachery forever! But as you approach their monstrous lair, your blood
chills at an unspeakable horror, perhaps the last sight you'll ever
see!
DEVELOPMENT
HISTORY
This is the Intellivision version of Imagic's
previously released Atari 2600 Demon Attack cartridge. Imagic later
released a version for Odyssey II.
EXPERTS CLUB
PERFORMANCE STANDARD: 20,000 points.
 Dracula
INTELLIVISION
CARTRIDGE [IMAGIC #700018]
Design/Program: Alan
Smith
Graphics Assistance: Wilfredo Aguilar
Sound:
Dave Durran
 CATALOG DESCRIPTION (Imagic Numb Thumb News Vol. 2,
1983)
You are Count Dracula. Rise from your resting
place in the graveyard and fly into the night! Travel in two forms - as a
man or a bat. Wolves hound you when you are in human form, and vultures
snatch at the bat you can become. You've got to sink your teeth into a
victim soon. You're growing paler and slowing down. Constables throw
stakes that'll stop you cold! Bite all the victims you can find, then
return to your resting place before sunrise, or you'll never hunt
again!
DEVELOPMENT
HISTORY
This was an original game for
Intellivision.
EXPERTS CLUB
PERFORMANCE STANDARD: 15,000 points.
 Dragonfire
INTELLIVISION
CARTRIDGE [IMAGIC #700010]
Program: Alan
Smith
Sound: Dave Durran
 CATALOG DESCRIPTION (Imagic Numb Thumb News Vol. 2,
1983)
Dreadful dragons control the King's castle! You,
the young Prince, want them banished - but first you must reclaim the
royal treasures. You have to cross castle bridges, dodging dragonfire as
you go. Leap, duck and sprint to reach the other side!
Once across, enter a splendid storeroom. Pocket every treasure you
touch. But beware of deadly dragonfire! Each dragon is smarter than the
last, and some are almost invisible! How many bridges can you cross? How
many storerooms can you empty?
DEVELOPMENT
HISTORY
Intellivision and Atari 2600 versions of
Dragonfire were developed and released together. A version for ColecoVision
was released later.
EXPERTS CLUB
PERFORMANCE STANDARD: 25,000 points.
 Fathom
INTELLIVISION
CARTRIDGE [IMAGIC #700026]
Program/Sound: Dave
Durran
 CATALOG DESCRIPTION (Atari 2600 version, Imagic Numb Thumb News
Vol. 2, 1983)
Discover Neptune's Trident! But how? As a
magical seagull, flap your wings and fly for shore. Grab speeding clouds
but beware! Blackbirds and erupting volcanos thwart your every move. Find
the Trident then head for the sea. Careful, danger lurks in the briny
deep!
Take the plunge and swing your fin as an enchanted dolphin. Snarls of
seaweed and sinister octopuses keep you from touching precious seahorses.
Keep diving - magic awaits in the ocean depths.
At the bottom, a mermaid appears, trapped in a mystical cage. Free her
with the magical Trident.
DEVELOPMENT
HISTORY
Programmer Dave Durran had worked at
Mattel Electronics on the hardware designs of the Intellivision
Master and Keyboard Components and Intellivoice before
leaving to join the startup Imagic. At Imagic he wrote much of the
system code used in game development and worked on the hardware design of
the Imagic cartridge ROMs. He also wrote the sound effects for the
games.
With everything else he was working on, he says that writing Fathom was
a "kind of afterthought." It was designed to be a children's game with
(mostly) friendly characters and an easily understood goal. The theme is
the same as Imagic's Atari 2600 Fathom designed by Rob
Fulop, but the gameplay is slightly different.
Imagic later released a version of Fathom for ColecoVision.
EXPERTS CLUB
PERFORMANCE STANDARD: Fathom was released after the
final Numb Thumb newsletter, so no performance standard was
published for the game.
 Ice
Trek
INTELLIVISION
CARTRIDGE [IMAGIC #710012]
Design/Program: Patrick
Schmitz
Sound: Dave Durran
 CATALOG
DESCRIPTION (Imagic Numb Thumb News Vol. 2, 1983)
The
legendary Nordic hero travels toward the isolated, sinister Ice Palace. He
must cross miles of frozen tundra. Massive herds of caribou thunder by
him. He tries to ski around them. If he must kill a caribou, the great and
unforgiving Wildlife Goddess rises to avenge the loss! He must bridge a
frigid lake, using a huge hook to catch and link floating icebergs. He
must destroy other icebergs that can crash into his bridge!
When he reaches the Ice Palace, he assaults that loathsome landmark
with enchanted fireballs! He must evade spikes hurled at him and melt the
Ice Palace!
DEVELOPMENT
HISTORY
This was an original game for
Intellivision.
EXPERTS CLUB
PERFORMANCE STANDARD: 25,000 points.
Microsurgeon
INTELLIVISION
CARTRIDGE [IMAGIC #700013]
Design/Program: Rick
Levine
Sound: Dave Durran
 CATALOG
DESCRIPTION (Imagic Numb Thumb News Vol. 1, 1982)
The
patient is critically ill! You navigate the Robot Probe through the
patient's blood stream, outmaneuvering white blood cells that attempt to
slow you down. Remove a tumor from the brain, a blood clot from near the
heart and much more! But hurry! To save the patient's life, you must act
quickly!
DEVELOPMENT
HISTORY
This was an original game for Intellivision.
The programmer, Rick Levine, first designed video games at
Mattel Electronics, programming the Intellivision Bowling
cartridge with Mike Minkoff.
EXPERTS CLUB
PERFORMANCE STANDARD: $300,000,000 bill.
INTELLIVISION
CARTRIDGE [IMAGIC UNRELEASED]
 GAME DESCRIPTION (Fathom Instruction Booklet,
1983)
Incredible 3-D graphics! Land on Jupiter's moons
if you dare! rescue stranded miners but watch out for the towers. Then
take off for other moons and trickier trials.
DEVELOPMENT
HISTORY
Moonsweeper was listed in the 1983 Fathom
instruction booklet as a game that would be released soon on multiple
platforms, including Intellivision. The screen shot in the booklet
(shown here) is identified as the Atari 2600 version. While
Moonsweeper was released for Atari 2600 and ColecoVision,
how much work was done on the unreleased Intellivision version is
unknown.
 Nova
Blast
INTELLIVISION
CARTRIDGE [IMAGIC #700022]
Design/Program: Wendell
Brown
Graphics Assistance: Karen Elliott
Sound: Dave
Durran
 CATALOG
DESCRIPTION (Imagic Numb Thumb News Vol. 2, 1983)
Pilot
Nova 1 above the Capsuled Cities. Defend 4 cities in your quadrant. Use
your radar to detect enemy activity. Race to protect these civilized
outposts before their capsules are destroyed! Engage the enemy in galactic
dogfights. Locate anti-aircraft guns and destroy them. Beam up fuel as you
run low.
DEVELOPMENT
HISTORY
This was an original game for Intellivision.
Imagic later released a version for ColecoVision.
EXPERTS CLUB
PERFORMANCE STANDARD: 45,000 points.
 Safecracker
INTELLIVISION
CARTRIDGE [IMAGIC #700025]
Design/Program: Marvin
Mednick
Sound: Dave Durran
 CATALOG
DESCRIPTION (Imagic Numb Thumb News Vol. 2,
1983)
You're the super spy and your mission - recapture
sensitive stolen documents, top secret equipment, and gold! Cruise the
city streets in your limousine but watch out - enemy secret police are on
the hunt...for you! Keep an eye peeled for the building where the secrets
are stored then slip inside.
Can you crack the combination? Maybe you should blow it open, or would
that bring enemy agents down on you? Run for it! The chase is on. Can you
keep ahead of them? Your gunfire says maybe so. But watch out! Your car
careens mighty close to one curb...can you pull it off, or will you do
time in a foreign prison? Available in June, '83.
DEVELOPMENT
HISTORY
This was an original game for
Intellivision.
EXPERTS CLUB
PERFORMANCE STANDARD: 25,000 points.
 Swords &
Serpents
INTELLIVISION
CARTRIDGE [IMAGIC #700009]
Design/Program: Brian P.
Dougherty
Sound: Dave Durran
 CATALOG DESCRIPTION (Imagic Numb Thumb News Vol. 1,
1982)
You are the White Knight, exploring a maze-like
dungeon...discovering silver, diamonds and gold! But will you live to
enjoy them? Black Knights attack, swords rend armor...you stagger on
alone. A friendly wizard joins you. Can you protect him until he learns
the spells that may save you both? Coming soon!
DEVELOPMENT
HISTORY
This was an original game for Intellivision.
Designer Brian P. Dougherty learned Intellivision programming while
working for Mattel Electronics. He was the original programmer on
the Intellivoice game Space
Spartans; he left early in the development of that project to join
Imagic.
EXPERTS CLUB
PERFORMANCE STANDARD: 1,600 points.
 Tropical
Trouble
INTELLIVISION
CARTRIDGE [IMAGIC #700017]
Design/Program: Steve
DeFrisco
Graphics Assistance: Karen Elliott
Sound:
Dave Durran
 CATALOG DESCRIPTION (Imagic Numb Thumb News Vol. 2,
1983)
Clarence and Doris have been shipwrecked on a
lonely South Sea island. All alone, completely isolated. A huge Beach
Bruiser appears suddenly and whisks darlin' Doris away. Clarence must get
her back!
Bounding boulders, flying coconuts, man-eating clams, vicious ferns and
bubbling fields of lava block his way. Doris leaves a trail of white
hankies to give Clarence strength. Help Clarence rescue her while there's
still time!
DEVELOPMENT
HISTORY
This was an original game for
Intellivision.
EXPERTS CLUB
PERFORMANCE STANDARD: 9 islands.
 Truckin'
INTELLIVISION
CARTRIDGE [IMAGIC #700023]
Design/Program: Rick
Levine
Sound: Dave Durran
 CATALOG DESCRIPTION (Imagic Numb Thumb News Vol. 2,
1983)
Ride your rig to the four corners of the USA!
Deliver the goods on a tight schedule. Make strategic decisions about what
cargoes to carry and which routes to take. Radio ahead. Find out what
loads are needed, and where. Then power down that ribbon of highway.
Keep an eye peeled for turnouts - and for other truckers! You've got to
get where you're goin' - and get there first! You'll earn big bucks as you
cover the map from sea to shining sea! One or two players compete against
time - and each other. Go for it!
DEVELOPMENT
HISTORY
This was an original game for Intellivision.
The programmer, Rick Levine, first designed video games at
Mattel Electronics, programming the Intellivision Bowling
cartridge with Mike Minkoff.
EXPERTS CLUB
PERFORMANCE STANDARD: Game 1: by 9 A.M., June 2. Game 2: 10
days/$9,000.
 White
Water!
INTELLIVISION
CARTRIDGE [IMAGIC #700024]
Design/Program: Douglas A.
Fults
Sound: Dave Durran
 CATALOG
DESCRIPTION (Imagic Numb Thumb News Vol. 2, 1983)
Deep
in the thick green jungle, you'll hear the roar of a wild river. White
Water! the challenge proves irresistible! And the treasures to be found
are boundless! Race to the river and tempt fate. You pilot the raft with
two other passengers on board. Boulders, plants, whirlpools - the
obstacles on this savage waterway threaten your every move!
Find a stretch of beach and navigate to shore. Priceless treasures
await! Are the natives friendly? They are until you go for the gold
treasure! Carefully plan your moves - that treasure is wanted by all!
Collect what you can then head back to the river. Your adventure has only
begun! Available in June, '83.
DEVELOPMENT
HISTORY
This was an original game for
Intellivision.
EXPERTS CLUB
PERFORMANCE STANDARD: 10,000 points.
Wing War
INTELLIVISION
CARTRIDGE [IMAGIC UNRELEASED]
 GAME
DESCRIPTION (Fathom Instruction Booklet, 1983)
A
medieval fantasy! Flap your wings and fly out of your den. Gather precious
crystals and eggs but beware of griffins and other enemies. Can you find
the super crystal?
DEVELOPMENT
HISTORY
Wing War was listed in the 1983 Fathom
instruction booklet as a game that would be released soon on multiple
platforms, including Intellivision. The screen shot in the booklet
(shown here) is identified as the Intellivision version. While Wing
War was released for the Atari 2600, how much work was done on the
unreleased Intellivision version is unknown.
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