Popeye (video game)
Popeye was a fairly popular arcade game released by Nintendo in 1982, based on the Popeye comic/cartoon characters licensed from King Features Syndicate. Two players can alternate playing or one player can play alone. The top five highest scores are kept along with the player's three initials. Popeye was available in stand-up and cocktail configurations. The cost of a play, the number of lives (1-4), the difficulty (0-3) and the number of points required for a bonus life were configurable by the video game's operator.
The game was later ported to the Commodore 64 home computer as well as various home game consoles (Intellivision/Intellivision II/Tandyvision/Sears Super Video Arcade, NES, Atari 2600, ColecoVision, and Odyssey2). There was even a board game based on the arcade game (released by Parker Brothers in 1983).
The object of the game was for Popeye, controlled by the player, to collect a certain number of items (24 hearts, 16 musical notes, the letters in the word "help" - depending on the level) while avoiding The Sea Hag, Bluto and other dangers. The player can make Popeye walk back and forth and up and down stairs and ladders with an 8-way joystick. There is a punch button, but unlike similar games of the period, no jump button. Each level has a can of spinach. If Popeye punches the spinach, he can temporarily turn the tables on Bluto by punching him.
Other licensed Popeye characters in the game are Olive Oyl, Swee' Pea, and Wimpy though they are decorative and do not add to the gameplay.
