Arcade Game: Fire Truck (1978 Atari)

The arcade game comes with some specific problems. The first is that you need to figure out how to keep the seat from moving. The seat and the game are not connected like most modern driving games. There are cords to the steering wheel in the back that get damaged if the seat is moved far out.

In other words, you have to clamp the chair down with a metal bar, or only let small people play the driver. If you don’t the chair will slowly move out from someone just pressing the gas. We had to put up a sign that said kids only.

Once you get passed that, the game is a lot of fun. The front seat drives the car, while the back seat swings the body. You are trying to get to an emergency location through a winding city. The top down perspective lets you see what angle you need to be at.

There are breaks for either driver, and horns. The goal is to work in tandem to miss the buildings, and other cars while blasting through the streets.

If you hadn’t figured out by the seat description, this game is old. The screen displays in black and white, and the controls are sometimes wonky. It has a fun bit of play, and is perfect for you and your child. The team work factor is the hook for the game, and it works really well.