1983 · US Games · Arcade

Gopher

Atari exclusive

The gopher tunnels left and right and up to the surface. When he makes a hole to the surface he will attempt to steal a carrot. The farmer must hit the gopher to send him back underground or fill in the holes to prevent him from reaching the surface. If gopher has taken any of the three carrots, a pelican will occasionally fly overhead and drop a seed which, if the farmer catches it, he can plant it in the place of the missing carrot.

Released: 1983
Platforms: Atari 2600
Genres: Arcade
Developers: US Games
Publishers: US Games
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: Side view
Themes: Action
Country: United States
Languages: English

About

Gopher is a farming themed action video game released in 1983 for the Atari 2600. S. Games and developed by James Wickstead Design Associates. The player controls a shovel-wielding farmer who protects a crop of three carrots from a gopher.

It is somewhat similar in gameplay to the arcade game Whac-A-Mole. Programming was done by Sylvia Day with graphics by Robin McDaniel Ballweg and music by Todd Marshell.

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Players controls a farmer, who can move left and right, who is attempting to protect his carrot patch from a hungry gopher. The gopher tunnels left and right and up to the surface; it can also wrap around from one side of the screen to the other, something the player cannot do. After breaching a hole to the surface, the gopher will attempt to steal a carrot. The farmer must hit the gopher to send him back underground or fill in the holes afterwords to stop a carrot from getting eaten.

The player gets extra points for hitting the gopher directly. If gopher has taken any of the three carrots, a duck will occasionally fly overhead and drop a seed which, if the farmer catches it, he can plant it in the place of the missing carrot. The game ends when the gopher successfully removes all three carrots. Players can choose to play with or without the duck providing extra seeds.

Development

Gopher was developed for U.S. Games by James Wickstead Design Associates (JWDA). It was programmed by Sylvia Day, graphics were done by Robin McDaniel Ballweg, and music and sound effects were created by Todd Marshell. In mid 1982, U.S. Games first showed the game under the working title Gopher Attack.

S. S. Games would be dissolved by its parent company Quaker Oats. It was part of a new line of games that focused on "family fun", along with Eggomania, Squeeze Box, Picnic, and Entombed.

Reception

The Video Game Update recommended Gopher stating it had "genuine charm", "colorful and crisp" graphics, and gameplay that "should appeal to kids of all ages." German magazine TeleMatch thought it was "top-notch" and enjoyed the fast action gameplay and graphics. C. Meade in Videogaming and Computer Gaming Illustrated called it "original and entertaining" and thought the graphics helped create a "storybook" like presentation.

Although Clark believed the cartridge would get old quickly and the fast-paced gameplay was "one note." Bill Kunkel and Arnie Katz in Electronic Games said "Gopher is one of those rare games that is both adorable and a ball to play" and highly recommended the game. They also called it "just about perfect."