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Named after Al and Phil Freedman, the brothers who founded APF (which previously manufactured dedicated Pong clones), the APF MP1000 system is arguably the most obscure video game console in this book (though the Adventure Vision gives it a run for its money). Only 12 cartridges were produced for the system, plus Rocket Patrol , which was built into the console. With the notable exception of Space Destroyers, which was a surprisingly faithful Space Invaders clone, the games were unexceptional, though certain titles (such as Hangman ) looked better than their Atari 2600 counterparts.

The small black unit, which was also released in a version that dropped the second “P” in the title (meaning it was called the APF M1000), has two non-removable joysticks, each with a numeric keypad. The system is compatible with a special computer upgrade called the Imagination Machine, which contains a standard typewriter keyboard, a cassette deck, a music synthesizer, BASIC programming, and an internal operating system.

Although mediocre (at best) by any standards, the APF MP1000 system is easily superior to the also obscure RCA Studio II.

PUBLISHER: APF. DEVELOPER: APF. Board Game, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1978.

Played on an instantly recognizable virtual backgammon board, this rendition of the classic game lacks two features found in the Atari 2600 and Fairchild Channel F versions: a doubling cube and instructions on how to play backgammon (all you get here is information on how to boot up the game). Like the Atari 2600 version, Backgammon for the APF includes a one-player mode, pitting man against machine, but the 2600 cartridge offers more of a challenge. Interestingly, when a game ends, the computer doesn’t seem to realize it, meaning there’s no fanfare whatsoever.

PUBLISHER: APF. DEVELOPER: APF. Sports/Baseball, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1978.

Baseball for the APF is a simple representation of America’s pastime, but it does have a couple of flourishes Atari’s Home Run lacks, namely a baseball diamond (as opposed to empty black space) and a few people at the back of the field representing spectators. Batting is simply a matter of pressing a button, but players can curve the ball (a little, a lot, or somewhere in between) with the joystick after it has been pitched. This is one of the better pre–Intellivison baseball games, and, thanks to keypad overlays, the diamond, and some pretty decent graphics, it can be seen as a precursor to Mattel’s Major League Baseball .

PUBLISHER: APF. DEVELOPER: APF. Gambling, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1978.

One of the best looking gambling games of the pre–Intellivision era, Blackjack for the APF depicts cards with actual suits, as opposed to simple numbers and letters like in similar games for the Atari 2600, Fairchild Channel F, and certain other systems. The game can deal up to four decks, which is another distinguishing factor, and the computer provides the option of insurance when the dealer has a face up. When the cards are shuffled, there are sound effects to match, adding to the game’s many realistic features.

PUBLISHER: APF. DEVELOPER: APF. Sports/ Bowling/Board Game, 1 or 2 players (alternating, simultaneous). 1978.

This odd pairing teams Bowling with Micro Match , the latter of which is similar to Hunt & Score (better known as A Game of Concentration ) for the Atari 2600. Players turn over two (or three) cards per turn, revealing the word, design, or color pictured on the reverse side in hopes of creating matches. Viewed from an overhead perspective, Bowling is a simplistic version of the popular blue collar sport. All players do is push the fire button when a square ball moving back and forth at the bottom of the screen reaches the preferred alignment on the lane. This rolls the ball toward pins that look like simple plus signs. At least the game keeps score like real bowling, unlike the RCA Studio II and Odyssey2 versions of the sport.

PUBLISHER: APF. DEVELOPER: APF. Sports/Boxing, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1978.

This early fighter is blocky good fun. Players go toe-to-toe with Slugger Sam, Jabbing Joe, or Horrible Harry, each of whom employs a slightly different fighting style. Blocking, jabbing, and punching are all part of this action-packed game, which was clearly ahead of its time.

PUBLISHER: APF. DEVELOPER: APF. Ball-and Paddle/Non-Scrolling Shooter, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1978.

Brickdown is similar to Atari’s Breakout , but with questionable collision detection and an unceremonious ending when a single brick wall has been eliminated. Variations include fast or slow game speed and walls that are eight or 12 bricks deep. Shooting Gallery is like Shoot (from APF’s UFO/Sea Monster/Break It Down/Rebuild/Shoot ), but with a barrier between the laser cannons, giving the game a split-screen type of design.

PUBLISHER: APF. DEVELOPER: APF. Gambling, 1 or 2 players (alternating, simultaneous). 1978.

This cartridge contains three Vegas-style gambling simulators, the first two of which (Roulette and Keno ) do a decent job of representing their real life counterparts (despite the lack of an onscreen roulette wheel). However, this doesn’t necessarily make them good fodder for video games. The least enjoyable of the three titles in this cartridge is Slots , which displays an ugly slot machine and blocky (if colorful) spinner icons. Unlike most other games of its type, Slots does not allow players to select betting amounts. Overall, games of pure luck don’t translate particularly well to the video arena, especially since there’s no real payoff.

PUBLISHER: APF. DEVELOPER: APF. Board Game, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1978.

Catena is basically Othello for the APF. As in the Atari 2600 version of the game (which is actually called Othello ), the pieces are square instead of the traditional (yet harder to emulate) round. Gamers take turns placing the squares on a 64-space board, with the objective of trapping the opposing player’s pieces. When a player traps a piece, it will turn the color of that player’s pieces. Good players can trap several squares at once. Sound effects are minimal, but the computer plays a pretty good game of Othello (ahem, Catena ).

PUBLISHER: APF. DEVELOPER: APF. Word Puzzle/Board Game/Art, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1978.

This three-game compilation features a really nice looking version of Hangman . Unlike the stick figure found in the Atari 2600 version of the game, the sometimes unfortunate fellow in this cartridge has a hat, boots, and multi-colored clothes. When hanged, his hat droops and his face turns a different color. Also, there are words up to 10 letters in length, as opposed to a mere six in the Atari game. Tic-Tac-Toe is a fairly unnecessary inclusion (though it does keep with the pencil and paper theme), and Doodle , in which players “draw” onscreen, is similar to the game of the same name for the RCA Studio II, and to the Doodle portion of Videocart-1: Tic-Tac-Toe/Shooting Gallery/Doodle/Quadra-Doodle for the Fairchild Channel F.

PUBLISHER: APF. DEVELOPER: APF. Pinball/Board Game/Action, 1–4 players (alternating, simultaneous). 1978.

In Pinball , players maneuver a paddle (or two paddles) back and forth at the bottom of the screen, rebounding a bouncing ball into simple targets situated above. Pressing the fire button creates temporary walls, which can prevent the ball from escaping. Played on a numbered, 70-square game board, Dungeon Hunt is less interesting than its title would indicate, offering nothing more than Battleship -type gameplay, but utilizing just one playfield. Players take turns entering numbers to uncover hidden treasures that look like small, Atari 2600-style castles. Blockout is similar to Surround for the Atari 2600, Checkmate for the Astrocade, and Snafu for the Intellivision, but with the option to include barriers.

PUBLISHER: APF. DEVELOPER: APF. Non-Scrolling Shooter, 1 or 2 players (alternating). 1978.

Built into the APF system, Rocket Patrol has players firing a cannon (which is positioned at the bottom of the screen) at a series of alien ships that look identical to one another and appear in groups of three. Unlike most games of its type, this one has players firing the actual cannon, not its bullets or its missiles. Each player is given a minute to destroy as many enemy vessels as possible. Despite its inclusion with every APF unit, Rocket Patrol is hardly the best game to show off a console. The starry sky is a nice touch, however.

PUBLISHER: APF. DEVELOPER: APF. Slide-and-Shoot, 1 or 2 players (alternating). 1979.

The best and most interesting cartridge in the APF library, Space Destroyers is a very nicely programmed clone of the original arcade version of Space Invaders . Players guide their laser cannon along the bottom of the screen, firing upward at rows of aliens. The game has the same 55-alien, four-shield layout as the coin-op classic it mimics, but it lacks the tricked up options found in the Atari 2600 version of Space Invaders . Space Destroyers was the only game for the APF that was released in 1979, and the cartridge itself is longer and more colorful than the other titles, which are generic in design. It’s a shame the system didn’t hang around a little longer to support more games of this type.

PUBLISHER: APF. DEVELOPER: APF. Non-Scrolling Shooter, 2 players (simultaneous). 1978.

UFO has each player operating a flying saucer from a fixed positioned at the top of the playfield, firing downward at alien ships that move back and forth near the bottom of the screen. Sea Monster sports the same basic concept, but has an oceanic setting and innocents (fish) to avoid. Break It Down has similar shooting action, but players are firing at the border of a rotating square, which should be destroyed using the fewest shots possible. Rebuild is more of the same, but players actually build the aforementioned rotating square by shooting at empty space. Shoot puts the players’ fixed positions at the bottom of the screen, and the objective is to fire upward (from a laser cannon) at a pair of squares that move across the top of the playfield. Squares that get shot change in color, speed, and size. Regardless of the title selected in this multi-game cartridge, timing is crucial, but the shooting action is mediocre at best. From a visual standpoint, the fish and flying saucers are nicely drawn.