Though Atari have now bought the rights to Mattel’s M Network games for the Atari 2600, and will be adding several to their incredible Atari 50 compilation as DLC, we’re unlikely to see licensed titles such as Adventures of Tron making a reappearance.

Adventures of Tron is one of two titles for the Atari 2600 that was based on the groundbreaking Disney movie, Tron. The movie sees genius programmer Kevin Flynn trapped inside the computer realm, fighting alongside ‘programs’, both villainous and heroic (such as the eponymous Tron) in deadly gladiatorial events, to gain his freedom and return to the real world.

The other Atari game based on the film was Tron: Deadly Discs, in which the player was cast as Tron, fighting off waves of enemies using their identity disc as a weapon, in a manner echoing at least some of the events seen on screen.

Adventures of Tron takes more liberties with the source material, and feels more like it’s using the Tron name and certain iconography, but very little else.

A platformer in which you can jump, but not fight or defeat enemies in any way, each screen has multiple levels and elevator platforms to travel upwards between each floor. You’ll jump to collect ‘Bits’, and try your best to avoid the persistent, very challenging enemies.

These often take the form of Recognizers (Space Invaders-esque flying vehicles from the movie), but can also be tanks (which fire at you too!) or Grid Bugs. Solar Sailer vehicles are also present and can push you if touched, which can often be pretty undesirable when you’re trying to jump out of the way of the chunky enemy vehicles.

Your character is colourful, nicely animated and responds well to your input, and also feels pretty versatile, being able to jump downwards to avoid enemies quickly. Once you’ve collected all of the Bits on a screen, you can enter the light beam that runs through the centre of the stage to be transported to the next screen.

And that’s it. It feels a bit like it’s cashing in on the Tron name, given that it doesn’t really feel much like it’s replicating anything seen in the film beyond the basic shapes or names of certain objects (even Tron doesn’t have a colour scheme that makes him look anything like the original character), and it’s a game that takes some getting used to in terms of its mechanics, objectives and even its ridiculously steep difficulty curve.

Yet surprisingly, I didn’t hate it. Far from it; Tron himself is a joy to control and his nimble abilities allow for some dramatic escapes downwards through the stages. Collecting Bits becomes quite addictive, and given how tough it is in general, it feels like a genuine achievement when you do well at Adventures of Tron.

It’s a much better game than you’d expect, then, with a simple and colourful visual style, smooth, flicker free graphics and a nicely responsive player character.

Oh, and it’s got a blindingly colourful title screen that’s very impressive in motion too, which I adored, but your mileage may vary on that. It works perfectly on the Atari 2600+ too, in case that’s something you need to check before taking the plunge on this seemingly forgotten licensed title, which is actually better than you’d expect, if you at least give it a chance.

Enjoyed what you’ve read? Want to support my blog? There’s no pressure of course, but every penny helps to keep this site running, as I earn no income from my writing here (though I may earn small fees from affiliate links posted on my pages).

However, I’d be truly grateful for any support that you could offer – and it’s easy to do so at either of these links: Ko-Fi.com/geekmid or PayPal.

Any donations are truly appreciated – and I also appreciate you taking the time to read my articles. Thank you so much!