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Originally dubbed the Fairchild Video Entertainment System (or VES), the Fairchild Channel F hit stores in August of 1976, giving gamers the very first cartridge-based video game console. Prior to this, most systems were dedicated units, meaning the various Pong clones and the like came with one or more games built in, and that was it. Channel F owners, instead of buying an entirely new setup when they wanted fresh games, could simply purchase bright yellow “videocarts” that plugged, eight track tape–style, into their already acquired system. These cartridges contained ROM chips with microprocessor code, unlike the original Odyssey system’s plug-in cards, which contained dedicated circuits.

The first run of Channel F systems had controllers (handgrip joysticks with a thumb-operated fire button that doubled as a paddle) that were hard-wired into the system and sound that came through a little speaker in the unit itself. The Channel F II system, however, improved on the design by featuring controllers that actually plugged into the console and sound that actually came through the TV speaker. Both units played the same games, which were novelties for their time, but were nevertheless blocky, tinny sounding, and limited in design. Even the better titles offered little more than short-term entertainment value.

Zircon bought the distribution rights to the Channel F in 1979 and released five new games for the system. However, the primitive console couldn’t possibly compete with the Atari 2600 and Intellivision, much less the next-gen systems such as the ColecoVision and the Atari 5200. By the time of the system’s demise in 1984, 26 game cartridges had been produced. The unit came equipped with Tennis and Hockey already built in.

In addition to being the first cartridge-based game system, the Channel F introduced the pause button (called the “hold” button), and it was the first console to contain a microprocessor.

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Ball-and-Paddle, 2 players (simultaneous). 1976.

Built into the Fairchild unit, Hockey takes Pong -type games to the next level by having each gamer control two onscreen “players”: a goalie and a forward. The goalies move back and forth in front of the goals like standard Pong paddles, but the forward can move in eight directions all over the “ice.” Also, the forward paddles can be angled for aiming shots, giving players more strategic opportunities and skill-based maneuvering than they would find in the average Pong variant.

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Ball-and-Paddle, 2 players (simultaneous). 1976.

Like Hockey , Tennis is a Pong variant built into the Fairchild system. However, it is a bit less ambitious than Hockey , offering little more than a simple Pong clone in which each player controls a paddle that rebounds a ball back and forth across the screen. However, this game does offer one upgrade over basic Pong : paddles that move left and right as well as up and down. A simple dotted line (representing a net) runs down the middle of the screen.

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Board Game/Ball-and-Paddle/Art, 1 or 2 players (alternating). 1976.

This surprisingly versatile cartridge gives players four distinct activities. Tic-Tac-Toe is the classic pen and paper game played against the computer. Shooting Gallery is sort of a cross between Pong and a shooting game as players aim at moving targets from 10 different positions. Doodle is an art program that lets players paint onscreen lines in three different colors: red, green, and blue. Quadra-Doodle lets the computer take over and generate kaleidoscopic images, which players can manipulate by altering colors and the size and length of the drawing squares.

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Tank Shooter/Ball-and-Paddle, 1 or 2 players (alternating, simultaneous). 1976.

Similar to Combat for the Atari 2600 (but certainly not as versatile), Desert Fox has each player driving a tank around the screen, avoiding landmines and firing at the other tank. Shooting Gallery is the exact same game as found in Videocart-1 .

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Gambling, 1 or 2 players (alternating). 1976.

This gambling simulator plays a pretty decent game of “21” and has cards that are clearly marked, but it doesn’t have as many options as Blackjack for the Atari 2600. Players begin with $500 cash and can hit, stand, or double down. If a player goes bust, he or she can borrow $100 from the computer. Blackjack buffs may be interested to know that the dealer hits soft 17 and that players may not split pairs or take insurance.

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Non-Scrolling Shooter, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1977.

Spitfire is a dogfight between two enemies: the Red Baron and the Blue Max. Each player pilots a biplane (seen from a side-view perspective) around the screen, firing machine guns at the other player. Somewhat similar to the controls of a real airplane, pulling back on the joystick makes the plane go up while pushing forward makes the plane go down. In the one-player mode, the computer ups its intensity if the human player gets too far ahead. Fans of Snoopy and the Red Baron for the Atari 2600 and the Biplanes segment of Triple Action for the Intellivision should enjoy this game.

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Non-Scrolling Shooter, 2 players (simultaneous). 1977.

It’s one-on-one starship action in Space War for the Fairchild Channel F system. Each player pilots a ship around an asteroid-riddled screen, firing lasers at each other’s ship and, obviously, avoiding laser fire and asteroids. Shooting and getting hit takes away energy, but players can refuel by passing over a pair of star bases. The game is similar to the 1960s computer classic Spacewar and to Cinematronics’ Space Wars arcade game (1977).

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Educational/Math, 1 player. 1977.

Notable for being the first programmable console math game, this cartridge provides players with a fairly limited number of addition and subtraction problems. When a player misses twice, the correct answer appears on-screen, and the computer keeps track of how many right and wrong answers have been given. Emphasizing the barebones nature of the game, the instruction manual suggests that players use pencil and paper (for a maze and for hangman) to supplement the problem-solving action.

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Educational/Math, 1 player. 1977.

This sequel to Math Quiz I replaces addition and subtraction with the more complicated tasks of multiplication and division. Once again, correct answers appear after the player misses twice, the computer keeps track of the number of right and wrong answers given, and the manual suggests a pair of pencil-and-paper games (hangman and a maze) to supplement the onscreen arithmetic. And, once again, the program should contain a larger number of problems. On a more positive note, the computer does show players the steps of getting the right answer when the wrong answer is given.

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Educational/Math, 1 player. 1977.

This cartridge contains two programs: Mind Reader and Nim. Similar to the traditional game Mastermind , Mind Reader gives players 20 guesses to deduce the correct two-, three-, four-, or five-digit number. The computer gives clues based on the correct numbers players guess and on the positioning of those numbers. Based on an old Chinese mathematical game, Nim has the player and the computer taking turns removing varying numbers of items from several piles, with the player who removes the last pile from the screen winning the game. Magic Numbers has simplistic graphics, but much in the way of brain-straining challenges.

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Drag Racing, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1977.

The first drag racing title for a programmable video game system, Drag Strip is a surprisingly intricate simulation of the real sport, despite its crude audio/visual presentation. The cars are equipped with tachometers and four gear speeds (shifting into gear before the green light disqualifies the driver), and players must be careful when increasing their car’s speed or the engine could blow up. Fans of Dragster for the Atari 2600 may want to give Drag Strip a try.

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Maze, 2 players (simultaneous). 1977.

Arguably the most entertaining game in the Fairchild Channel F library, Maze is comprised of four different programs: Maze , Jailbreak, Blind-Man’s-Bluff, and Trailblazer. Each game has players trying to guide a mouse (actually, a little square) out of a randomly generated maze. The first player out is the winner. Invisible mazes, four different mouse speeds, a cat in the maze, and other options add to the fun. Fans of Maze Craze for the Atari 2600 should definitely check out Maze .

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Board Game, 2 players (simultaneous). 1977.

Despite lousy graphics, this cartridge does a fairly good job of simulating the popular board game backgammon and the very similar acey-deucey. Players take turns rolling a pair of onscreen dice and moving stones around the board as required. The first player to remove all their pieces from the board wins the game. Unlike the APF MP1000 version of Backgammon , this rendition does include a doubling cube and instructions (in the manual) on how to play backgammon.

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Sports/Baseball, 2 players (simultaneous). 1977.

Baseball for the Fairchild Channel F is a surprisingly complex (relative to the system) simulation of America’s favorite pastime, especially when it comes to pitching. Fastballs, changeups, and curve balls are available, and players can twist the controller to steer the pitch and push forward or pull back on the joystick to vary the pitching speed. Other features in the game include strikeouts, walks, getting hit by pitches, and more. The graphics aren’t much, but the game is highly playable.

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Action/Slide-and-Shoot, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1977.

Robot War puts players in the role of a man running away from four robots while trying to lure the robots into various force fields situated about the screen. Torpedo Alley has two players guiding a pair of guns across the bottom of the screen, firing upward at ships that float by near the upper portion of the playfield. The higher the ship, the more points it is worth. Both games are moderately entertaining.

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Turn-Based Strategy, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1977.

Obviously inspired by the classic board game Battleship , Sonar Search has players taking turns using a cursor to select possible locations of five different hidden ships (each of a different length) within a grid. Audio clues let players know if they are close to hitting a ship, but sometimes the ships can drift away a bit. The goal is to sink the other player’s ships by registering enough hits on each one.

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Board Game, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1978.

Similar to Hunt & Score for the Atari 2600, Memory Match has players turning over cards in pairs to try and match up them up by numbers, colors, or symbols. When a mismatched pair is picked up, the cards will be turned back over, but players should memorize what they saw and where on they board they saw it. A maximum of 40 cards will appear onscreen at once. The computer scoring system is convenient, and the interfacing works well for turning over the cards.

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Sports/Dodge Ball, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1978.

This simulated dodge ball game has players guiding a blocky-looking character around the screen, avoiding contact with up to nine moving balls at once. Ball size, speed, and other variations come into play. This semi-enjoyable game is sort of the opposite of Pong , since players have to dodge the balls instead of make contact with them.

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Ball-and-Paddle, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1978.

Although it contains the word “pinball” in the title, this game is actually a Breakout clone in which players maneuver a paddle across the bottom of the screen, rebounding a ball into a wall of colored blocks. When a block is hit, it disappears. When the wall is gone, another takes its place. Invisible walls, varying ball speeds, differing paddle sizes, and other options give the game some depth, but sluggish controls put a damper on the whole thing.

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Word Puzzle, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1978.

This video version of the popular pen-and-pencil (or chalk-and-board) game has players guessing the letters of an unknown word. If a letter is guessed correctly, it appears in the proper place on screen. If incorrect, a hanged man body part appears. The title character is comprised of a head, a torso, two legs, and two arms, meaning the game comes to a sad ending if players guess incorrectly six times. The computer has a memory of 160 words, but players can enter up to 30 words of their own.

PUBLISHER: Zircon International. DEVELOPER: Zircon International. Board Game, 1 player. 1978.

Checkers for the Channel F has overly simplistic graphics and annoying sound effects, but it does a fairly good job of recreating the basics of the classic board game. The objective, of course, is to jump over the opponent’s pieces in order to capture them. If a piece reaches the other side of the board, that piece is “kinged” and is then allowed to travel forward and backward around the board. Players can challenge the computer, but, regrettably, there is no two-player mode.

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Ball-and-Paddle, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1978.

An unusual variation on the Pong theme, Video Whizball is a fun, competitive, head-to-head game in which each player maneuvers a paddle in front of their goal and shoots missiles at square boulders in order to knock those boulders into the other player’s goal. If a boulder or missile hits a player’s paddle, that paddle temporarily disappears, making it easier for the other player to get a boulder into the now paddle-less goal. Variations include guided missiles and disappearing boulders.

PUBLISHER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. DEVELOPER: Fairchild Camera and Instrument. Sports/Bowling, 1 or 2 players (alternating). 1978.

Viewed from a top-down perspective, this bowling simulator keeps realistic scoring (unlike the Odyssey2 and RCA Studio II versions of the game), lets players curve the ball right or left, and offers a mode where the computer A.I. sets up difficult shots (including 7–10 splits). The graphics are very simplistic (the pins look like air hockey paddles), but the game at least gives the vague impression of real bowling.

PUBLISHER: Zircon International. DEVELOPER: Zircon International. Gambling, 1 player. 1979.

Introduced by a graphic that says “Welcome to Big Casino,” this simple game of slots gives players anywhere from $1 to $99 and lets them gamble in $.05, $.10, $.25, and $.50 increments. Pulling the plunger sets the spinners into motion, with the hope that the apples, bells, bottles, or other shapes line up three in a row. The items are identifiable, and even the slot machine itself is recognizable as such, making this one of the better looking Channel F titles.

PUBLISHER: Zircon International. DEVELOPER: Zircon International. First-Person Shooter/Flight Simulator, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1980.

Galactic Space Wars is a first-person shooter in which players fly through space, use the joystick to align the x and y coordinates to bring enemies into view, and then fire at the enemies while avoiding their missiles. A two-player mode lets the second gamer control the enemy vessels. A dumbed-down port of Atari’s 1979 arcade game, Lunar Lander has players guiding a ship to a landing pad without crashing or running out of fuel. The game is similar to Out of this World for the Odyssey2. Both Galactic Space Wars and Lunar Lander offer arcade-like (relatively speaking) challenges.

PUBLISHER: Zircon International. DEVELOPER: Zircon International. Sports/Football, 2 players (simultaneous). 1981.

This primitive six-on-six football game displays the offensive team as Xs and the defensive team as little blue squares. Each unit has eight plays from which to choose (sweep, down-and-out, etc.), and teams can punt, pass, run, kick, intercept passes, and tackle. To score a touchdown, players must advance the ball from the line of scrimmage to the end zone using just four downs. Pro Football is somewhat similar to Blitz! Action Football for the Vectrex.

PUBLISHER: Zircon International. DEVELOPER: Zircon International. Gambling, 1 or 2 players (simultaneous). 1981.

This game cartridge offers a solid rendition of five-card draw poker. One or two gamers play with a computer-controlled dealer who, though not pictured onscreen, can bluff, draw single cards to make possible straights, and even hold “kickers,” which are deceptive cards that the gambler doesn’t actually need. While not as visually exciting as Las Vegas Poker & Blackjack for the Intellivision, Casino Poker gets the job done.

PUBLISHER: Zircon International. DEVELOPER: Zircon International. Slide-and-Shoot, 1 or 2 players (alternating, simultaneous). 1981.

The most arcade-like game in the Channel F library, Alien Invasion borrows heavily from Space Invaders . Players guide a cannon along the bottom of the screen, firing upward at rows of slowly descending aliens. Lined up in a row just above the cannon are three missile-stopping shields. A spaceship, which can be shot for extra points, periodically flies across the top of the screen. A simultaneous mode pits two cannons (one controlled by each player) against the invading forces.