Maze Craze

You’re a cop confronting danger and suspense as you and an opponent traverse across the city blocks. The first player to reach the exit on the right side of the maze wins the game.

Throughout the game you may encounter armed robbers, blockades, and other obstacles that prohibit you from finishing your best.

You’ll hear the footsteps of cops, as well as sound effects when someone bumps into a dead end. And don’t forget about the special sound effects when someone exits a maze! You’ll also experience the unique sound that occurs when a robber captures a cop!

About the Game

More than a basic maze runner, Maze Craze was a successful game because Atari pushed the envelope. Incorporating an A.I. into a maze puzzle not only gives the game an interesting concept, it also gives it story and personality.

The game itself is subtitled “A Game of Cops n’ Robbers,” which gave gamers the opportunity to become police officers patrolling the streets for criminals up to no good. The mazes are randomly generated, so having a game you could literally get lost in gave this game an unlimited amount of replayability. Because of this, it really was like bringing the arcade back to your home.

Object of the Game

While playing as a cop on a beat, the objective is to exit the maze before your opponent while avoiding various obstacles and dangers in the city.

How to Play

Each game mode offers different variations or features that can assist or hinder the player from successfully exiting the maze.

Capture

You must become a hero and capture three robbers to win the game. To do so, move your cop toward a robber and make contact. During games that feature Capture, color-coded bars appear for each player at the top of the screen.

Each time you capture a robber, the appropriate bar disappears (i.e., blue bar = blue robber).

2, 3 or 5 Robbers

Depending on the game type you’re playing, two, three or five robbers appear on the right side of the screen. They will be lurking around corners waiting for you. If a robber touches you, it’s game over!

Wounds

In this version, a cop gets paralyzed when touched by a robber. After a few short moments, the cop will regain strength and gradually return to normal speed.

Terror

Your cop cannot exit the maze until the robbers knock your opponent out of the maze.

Blockade

Confuse your opponent by leaving a dead end (or blockade) in the maze. You opponent can go through the blockage, however, they can still serve as useful strategy. Press the red controller button to leave a blockade. When you set up a new blockade, though, the previous one will disappear.

Automatic Peek

This is your way out of the darkness! During invisible mazes or blackouts, the computer flashes the complete maze on-screen every few seconds. Try to locate the way out before your opponent.

Player Peek

During invisible games, a player can peek at the complete maze by pressing the red controller button. The maze remains on-screen for a brief period of time.

Scouts

During invisible mazes, your cop has a partner (or scout) who moves ahead of him. Although the scout randomly leads the way, you are free to ignore any suggestions.

controller Action

Each player controls a blue or red cop. Your cop’s “beat” (or patrol territory) consists of a maze of city blocks. You must move your cop from the left side of the maze to the exit on the right side of the maze.

Game Difficulty

Group 1: Normal Maze

• Middle third of the screen hidden from view, it flashes periodically.
• Middle half of the screen hidden from view, it flashes periodically.
• Entire screen hidden from view, it flashes periodically.

Group 2: Two Cops

• If you get touched, you can’t move until the other player gets caught or finishes the maze.
• The middle third of the screen is hidden from view until you press Fire.
• The middle half of the screen is hidden from view until you press Fire.
• The entire screen is hidden from view until you press Fire.

Group 3: Three Cops

• The middle third of the screen is hidden from view until you press Fire.
• The middle half of the screen is hidden from view until you press Fire.
• The entire screen is hidden from view until you press Fire.

Group 4: Three Cops

• You must touch all three before dashing to the exit; otherwise, you won’t reach it.
• You must touch all three cops; the middle third of the screen is periodically hidden from view.
• You must touch all three cops; the middle half of the screen is periodically hidden from view.
• You must touch all three cops; the entire screen is periodically hidden from view.

Group 5: Three Cops

• The middle third of the screen is constantly hidden from view.
• The middle half of the screen is constantly hidden from view.
• The entire screen is constantly hidden from view.

Group 6: Five Cops

• The middle third of the screen is hidden from view until you press Fire.
• The middle half of the screen is hidden from view until you press Fire.
• The entire screen is hidden from view until you press Fire.

Group 7: Five Cops

• The middle third of the screen is hidden from view, but you can press Fire to use tracers to exit the maze.
• The middle half of the screen is hidden from view, but you can press Fire to use tracers to exit the maze.
• The entire screen is hidden from view, but you can press Fire to use tracers to exit the maze.

Group 8: Three Cops (Must Touch)

• You can drop fake walls by pressing Fire.
• The middle third of the screen is hidden from view until you press Fire.
• The middle half of the screen is hidden from view until you press Fire.
• The entire screen is hidden from view until you press fire.

Group 9: Two Cops

• The middle third of the screen is constantly hidden from view.
• The middle half of the screen is constantly hidden from view.
• The entire screen is constantly hidden from view.

Group 10: Two Cops

• The middle third of the screen is constantly hidden from view.
• The middle half of the screen is constantly hidden from view.
• The entire screen is constantly hidden from view.

Group 11: Three Cops

• The middle third of the screen is constantly hidden from view.
• The middle half of the screen is constantly hidden from view.
• The entire screen is constantly hidden from view.

Group 12: Three Cops (Must Touch)

• The middle third of the screen is periodically hidden from view.
• The middle half of the screen is periodically hidden from view.
• The entire screen is periodically hidden from view.

Group 13: Two Cops

• If caught, only briefly stunned.
• The middle third of the screen is hidden from view until you press Fire.
• The middle half of the screen is hidden from view until you press Fire.
• The entire screen is hidden from view until you press Fire.

Group 14: Three Cops (Must Touch)

• The middle third of the screen is hidden from view until you press Fire.
• The middle half of the screen is hidden from view until you press Fire.
• The entire screen is hidden from view until you press Fire.

Group 15: Three Cops

• The middle third of the screen is periodically hidden from view.
• The middle half of the screen is periodically hidden from view.
• The entire screen is periodically hidden from view.

Group 16: Normal Maze

• Middle third of the screen is constantly hidden from view.
• Middle half of the screen is constantly hidden from view.
• Entire screen is constantly hidden from view.

Number of Players

There are two options and the difference lies between the two game variants: Choosing to either play against the computer or another player.

Features

Speed

How fast can your cop react to danger? The number at the top-left side of the playfield represents the speed at which cops and robbers travel:

• Medium; Fast; Slow; Calculatingly Slow

Visibility

During some games, all or some of the city blocks may suffer blackouts. The top-right number represents the amount of the maze you can see during a blackout:

• Straightforward action with the entire maze visible throughout the game.
• A small portion of the maze is visible.
• Danger increases with a large portion of the maze invisible.
• The ultimate in suspense with the entire maze invisible.

Scoring

There is no scoring in Maze Craze; you either beat your opponent or, like all criminals, you lose!