Welcome to the video arcade stables. It’s time for you to meet the lively thoroughbreds waiting inside this game cartridge. This spirited bunch of hoofers never misses a race.
In the lane at the top of the playfield is “Little Dictator.” Little Dictator has a mean streak which surfaces every now and then. Once, after losing a race, he ate the entire grandstands!
The horse in the next lane was aptly named. “Just Missed” just missed every race he had ever entered before coming to our stables. Now he’s as dependable as a horse could be. He doesn’t win every race, but he never misses one.
“Absent Mind” occupies the third lane down. He tends to forget things occasionally. One time during a race, he completely forgot what he was supposed to be doing and ended up selling programs to the spectators lined up at the railing.
The horse at the bottom of the playfield is the pride and joy of video arcade stables. “Lucky Devil” is his name. He’s become so wealthy from winning races that he now lives at the infamous “Horse Heaven Penthouse.” At Horse Heaven, he sleeps in a hoof-shaped waterbed, dines regularly on caviar-flavored oats and carrots, and drinks champagne while lounging in his Gucci loafers and satin dinner jacket.
About the Game
A classic before the release of the Atari VCS, Steeplechase was known by other names and lived in an arcade cabinet far before hitting the home console. Originally, Steeplechase was a six-player game that simulated horse racing at the racetrack. Each player would control their own horse and compete against each other to get from one side of the screen to the other.
This is simply a racing game that takes you in a very linear path that allows for great at-home competition with your friends. As a game that lasted for years in the arcades, this was a game that had a lot of flair and promise, however, not as much delivery as one might hope. Since the game required the use of the paddle controllers, the controls were a little difficult. Due to limitations of the console, the number of players that could compete against each other was also decreased, which changed the experience a bit.
Object of the Game
The object of Steeplechase is to be the first player to advance your horse to the right side of the screen.
HOW TO PLAY
Each horse gallops at a given speed from left to right. While the horse gallops, hurdles of different sizes approach from right to left. Obviously, your task is to jump and clear the hurdles.
While jumping, your horse actually has no motion from left to right. When you hit a hurdle, your horse loses some horizontal position (distance) while it falls to the ground and gets up. The higher the horse jumps, the easier it is to clear a hurdle. The higher you jump, however, the more time it takes to clear the hurdles, thereby increasing the time it takes to reach the right side of the screen.
The height of a jump can be set by adjusting the height indicator bar. There are four height settings. Each horse has its own height indicator bar.
The speed of the race starts off slow and increases when the leading horse gets about one-third of the way across the screen. Additionally, the speed increases again when the leading horse gets approximately two-thirds of the way across the screen.
A game automatically ends when the game clock reaches 3:00 and none of the horses have made it to the right side. All six game variants are playable by one to four players.
If fewer than two players choose a horse before a race begins, the computer will control the other horse(s).
If players want to compete against each other only, they should play against the computer horses in games 1 and 4. In these games the computer horses’ performance rating is “poor,” so they won’t pose much of a threat. If one or more players want to race against the computer, play against the computers’ horses in games 2 or 5 (“good” performance rating) and games 3 or 6 (“excellent” rating).
Game Variations
Games 1, 2, 3
The spacing between hurdles in these games is uniform, meaning that the distance between all hurdles is the same. In Game 1, the computer horse’s racing ability is poor. In Game 2, the computer horse’s ability is good and in Game 3 it is excellent.
Games 4, 5, 6
In these game variants, the spacing between hurdles is random, meaning that the hurdles appear with varying distances between them. In Game 4, the computer horse’s racing ability is poor, it’s good in Game 5, and excellent in Game 6.
Game Options
One, two, three, or four players can play all six games.
|
Game # |
Computer Performance Rating |
Hurdle Spacing |
|
1 |
Poor |
Uniform |
|
2 |
Good |
Uniform |
|
3 |
Excellent |
Uniform |
|
4 |
Poor |
Random |
|
5 |
Good |
Random |
|
6 |
Excellent |
Random |
Number of Players
Steeplechase is playable by two players only. You can play against one player while the computer controls the other horses.
Features
Computer Performance
The computer’s race performance will be poor, good, or excellent.
Hurdle Spacing
Hurdles are either uniformly spaced or randomly placed.
Scoring
There is no scoring in this game. You either win the race or you don’t. There are no points for second place.