Snoopy and the Red Baron

Name:	Snoopy and the Red Baron
Company:	Atari
Model #:	CX-26111
Programmers:	Richard Dobbis (programmer) & Sam Comstock (Graphics)
Year:	1983
Released?	Yes
Notes:	The other game in the Peanuts series, Good Luck Charlie Brown, was never released.

For a game that's supposed to for children, Snoopy and the Red Baron is alot of fun for adults as well.  You play the role of Snoopy in one of his Red Baron fantasies.  You must fly around in your dog house and shoot down the Red Baron whenever he shows up.  The concept sounds simple, but it's actually alot of fun once you get going.  Every time you shoot down the Red Baron he drops a bonus item which you can catch for extra points.  After shooting him down four times your taken to a status screen where all your "kills" and bonus items are added up.

Snoopy has the dubious honor of being the game that canceled Bugs Bunny.  According to programmer Bob Polaro, Snoopy and the Red Baron playtested better than his game Bugs Bunny so Snoopy got the green light and Bugs got shelved.  It may sound harsh, but video game market was highly competitive and many a good game never got released.  Did Atari make the right decision?  The answer really depends on your own personal preference.  

Snoopy and the Red Baron is definitely the best of Atari's children's titles, but as is the case with most children's games it gets old really fast.  The difficulty level never really increases, and other than a few new bonus items to catch there's nothing to keep the player wanting to go on.  The addition of some new enemies or at least a few obstacles would have improved the gameplay of this title immensely, but then again this title wasn't exactly geared towards adults...

Finally, a game that both kids and adults can enjoy.  And who doesn't enjoy sending the Red Baron to a fiery death?

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