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Entex, the company known for such handheld games as Space Invaders and Galaxian 2 , released the Adventure Vision tabletop system in 1982. Unlike most stand-alone units, such as the Coleco line of tabletop arcade games, Adventure Vision was a cartridge-based system. However, only four games were released, all arcade conversions. These included Defender (the pack-in game with the system), Turtles , Super Cobra , and Space Force . All four games could be stored in a little compartment on top of the system.

Sporting a 6.5 by 4.5 inch screen, the Adventure Vision has a small, centrally located joystick at its base and a set of four directional/fire buttons on either side. The mini-arcade is 10.5 inches in height and 8.5 inches wide and contains a single speaker that emits a surprising array of sounds. Players can keep the noise to themselves with mini-headphones (sold separately) or stifle the sounds completely by using the mute feature. An expansion port on the side of the unit went unused during the system’s brief time on store shelves.

Regarding actual game content, each title is impressionistic (one might say pointillist) in nature, due to the system employing a decidedly unconventional method for displaying graphics: a whirling mirror, a red screen filter, and a row of 40 red LEDs containing more than 6000 points of light. The effect for each game is a 3D-esque screen full of red dots (which look best in the dark or in dim lighting) formed to emulate the basic look of its respective arcade original. The system sucks up batteries pretty quickly, but can be plugged into the wall via an A/C adaptor.

The Adventure Vision was an obscurity and an oddity from day one, making it a highly prized item in today’s collector’s market. From a retail standpoint, it was hurt in part by the release the same year of the more popular Vectrex tabletop unit, which was larger, displayed sharper graphics, and had more support from its manufacturer. Neither system put much of a dent in the Atari 2600 juggernaut, but both were fun niche items, and both cleared up the family television set for standard programming.

PUBLISHER: Entex. DEVELOPER: Entex. Side-Scrolling Shooter, 1 or 2 players (alternating). 1982.

The pack-in cartridge with the Adventure Vision system, Defender captures the basic elements of Williams’ 1980 coin-op classic. Players pilot a powerful ship back and forth across the screen, rescuing humans along a mountain range while firing lasers at landers, mutants, pods, swarmers, and bombers. The ship is equipped with hyperspace and smart bombs, just like in the arcade game. As with the other three Adventure Vision games, the visuals in this port are comprised of strategically placed red dots, as if rendered by some futuristic pointillist.

PUBLISHER: Entex. DEVELOPER: Entex. Non-Scrolling Shooter, 1 or 2 players (alternating). 1982.

Based on Venture Line’s 1980 arcade obscurity, Space Force is an Asteroids -like shooter in which players fly a “mother ship” around the screen, firing a phaser cannon at meteors, which break into smaller and smaller pieces. Complicating matters are large Xenac attack ships and smaller Zeral attack ships, the latter of which are worth more points. Just like in Asteroids , an extra ship is earned with each 10,000 points scored. Also like Asteroids , the ship in this game can rotate 360 degrees and fly and shoot in all directions.

PUBLISHER: Entex. DEVELOPER: Entex. Side- Scrolling Shooter, 1 or 2 players (alternating). 1982.

This tabletop rendition of Konami’s 1981 coin-op classic includes representations of all 10 levels from the original game. Players fly a helicopter over mountains, caves, cities, and other terrain, firing sidewinder missiles at and dropping bombs on rockets, meteors, tanks, UFOs, and fuel depots, the latter of which must frequently be destroyed to keep the chopper in flight. Super Cobra for the Adventure Vision includes a special practice mode with unlimited helicopters and no points.

PUBLISHER: Entex. DEVELOPER: Entex. Maze, 1 or 2 players (alternating). 1982.

Based on Stern’s 1981 arcade game, Turtles stars a mother turtle that must rescue her youngsters from mystery squares and carry them on her back to a “turtlette safety house,” which is found in one of the four corners of each of the game’s eight different mazes. Two of the eight mystery squares in each level contain beetles, which should be avoided at all costs. A buzzer will sound, warning players of this threat, and bug bombs can be used to freeze the beetles in their tracks.