Page 30 - Old School Gamer Magazine Issue #38 FREE Edition

this port does not reproduce the arcade mazes exactly, it has seven different mazes that are quite challenging. Peter Pepper is nicely rendered in two colors and the enemies not only look good but are also nicely animated. The sound effects and the music are also well reproduced and the gameplay itself is absolutely perfect with each and every element included. As already stated, the mazes are not like those of the arcade in their arrangement and colors but that does not detract from the gameplay. Intellivision owners definitely got a winner back then!
As excellent as this port is, it was improved upon by David Harley who hacked the original to include 69 mazes for players to enjoy under the title Super Chef BurgerTime. Each maze played is a stage and each stage is randomly selected. You never know which stage you will play next, which adds a replay element to the game. In addition to that, the game has new condiments for you to grab for points and more pepper. These include a salt bottle, mustard, and different coffee cups. If you haven’t played Super Chef,
I highly recommend you get your hands on it.
ATARI 2600
Mattel released a port of BurgerTime for the Atari 2600 in 1983 under their M-Network brand. The game was programmed by
Ron Surratt and it is a major effort for the system. On the good side, this version has different mazes
for Peter Pepper to play through. Some of these look like their arcade counterparts but in a simplified way
are better drawn, and the burger ingredients have the right colors! One can only hope that it does see completion at some point.
ATARI 5200
as the maze, the ladders, and the burger ingredients are all rendered in the same color. The ingredients do change to their correct colors
as they fall on the plates at the bottom of each maze. The enemies, however, are not like on the arcade. Yes, Mr. Egg is here but he looks like a white square. Mr. Hot Dog
is also here and he is the only one that is recognizable. There’s also a bread stick and some cheese that chases you. The stick is, well, a line that walks around chasing you and the cheese is a yellow square. Peter is rendered in one color but you can tell he is a chef. The music and sound effects are fairly well reproduced, however. Where the game falters is in how it plays. It
is extremely slow! It does capture most of the elements from the arcade but it is not the best version to play.
The Atari 5200 did not have an official port of BurgerTime. This omission was rectified in 2005
by programmer Ken Siders who developed a version of the game for the system under the name Beef Drop! This game is as arcade- accurate as it gets on the system. Ken programmed Beef Drop to replicate every aspect of the arcade original, from graphics to sound to gameplay. While this may not be an official release, it is as good as it gets. Pete (yep, he has a different
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OLD SCHOOL GAMER MAGAZINE • ISSUE #38
A couple of homebrew developers have been working on an updated version of the BurgerTime for the 2600 that makes the Mattel version pale by comparison. It has been given the title Chaotic Grill, for obvious reasons. Development of this port appears to have stalled but what is already available is amazing. The mazes are more arcade accurate, the characters
name) is nicely rendered in two colors and all the enemies are here and looking great. The mazes themselves replicate the look from the arcade and even the layout
of the score, remaining lives, and peppers remind me of the arcade. Sound effects and music are nicely replicated as well. The game does offer an option for one or two players and also has selection for difficulty level, even including a child option. Fans of BurgerTime can get their fix for the game on the