Rampart

35 Years old Arcade Video game Atari Games Corp. [CA, USA]

Rampart © 1991 Atari Games.

Rampart is a superb arcade puzzle game in which up to three players must build up a castle using Tetris shaped pieces to form a castle wall and enclose their keep. Each player must then place a limited number of cannons inside their castle wall before the timer expires. Once the cannons have been placed the battle itself begins. Players must target their cannons onto the enemy's castle (or, in the one-player game, enemy ships and peons) and destroy as much of the enemy army as possible before the time limit expires.

Once the battle is over, the player(s) must repair their castle(s), again using tetris shapes. The player(s) Keep must be completely encircled with walls, or the game is over. In the single-player campaign, any dark brown ships that manage to reach the coast will unload peons that will attack the player's castle by land.

Click to enlarge
(members only)

TECHNICAL / MACHINE PICT.

Game ID : 136082

Main CPU : Motorola 68000 (@ 7.15909 Mhz)
Sound Chips : OKI6295 (@ 7.231 Khz), YM2413 (@ 3.579545 Mhz)

Players : 3
Control : trackball
Buttons : 2

Machine Picture
(members only)

TRIVIA

Rampart was originally released in February 1991 (even if the copywrite year is 1990) as a dedicated three-player trackball model. It was followed in April 1991 by a two-player joystick conversion kit.

790 dedicated units and 1515 conversion kits were produced in the USA.
254 dedicated units and 278 conversion kits were produced in Ireland (for European distribution).

The original selling price was $2,295 at its time of release.
The conversion kit selling price was $945.

The island in Rampart is very similar to a map of Jersey in the Channel Islands, but it's purely a coincidence.

TIPS AND TRICKS

* The peons that attack you after unloading from the dark brown ships cannot fire diagonally.

STAFF

👥