Arcade Hunters Review: Quantum

Today we're checking out a very rare arcade game that came out in 1982. It was created by the guys over at General Computer Corps and published and released by Atari, that game is Quantum. The General Computer guys are known for their hack of Pac-Man, Crazy Otto which ended up becoming Ms. Pac-Man. At the time Atari found out about their Super Missile Attack upgrade for Missile Command and instead of telling them to cease production and sue them they hired them to create games. Quantum was one of the games they created along with fan favorite, Charley Chuck's Food Fight.

Quantum is a simple game that uses a Trackball, which is actually trademarked on this game. In the game you try to draw circles on the screen to capture "atoms" and other particles to score points. You get bonuses for circling more then one and some people in the early levels where known to circle the whole screen and instantly move onto the next screen. It's also one of the very few games that actually lets you try the game before you coin up.

According to KLOV Quantum did poorly. It did so poorly that it's rumored that operators sent the game back to Atari in California and demanded their money back. It's rumored that Atari made less then 500 units of the game. Any of the units that went unsold or returned where rumored to have been sold to Atari employees. It's sad the game didn't catch on because I think it's a lot of fun. If you're a fan of games like Qix from Taito I think you'll find a lot to like with Quantum. Shame it didn't do better but it's a great game to play if you can find it.