Radar Rat Race
| Radar Rat Race | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | HAL Laboratory |
| Publisher(s) | Commodore |
| Designer(s) | HAL Laboratory |
| Engine | Custom |
| Platform(s) | VIC-20, MAX Machine, Commodore 64 |
| Release date(s) | 1981 |
| Genre(s) | Maze |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Radar Rat Race (レーダーラットレース Rēdā Ratto Rēsu) is a 1981 game made by HAL Laboratory for the Commodore VIC-20, in 1982 converted to the Commodore MAX Machine and Commodore 64. A clone of Namco's Rally-X arcade game, it was among thirty game titles marketed by Commodore on cartridges. It was originally released in Japan as Rally-X (ラリーX) from Commodore Japan K.K.
Radar Rat Race is cartridge number VIC-1910 for the Commodore VIC-20
Overview
The player guides a mouse through a large maze. The camera follows the mouse and shows only a small portion of the maze at any given time. The player is pursued by at least three rats. The goal is to eat all of the pieces of cheese, shown for the entire maze on a radar screen, without getting caught by a rat or bumping into a stationary cat. By pressing the joystick button, the mouse can disperse a limited amount of magical dust (called "star screen") which confuses the rats for about five seconds.
Once the round is complete, the game starts again, with more rats and faster play.
The gameplay is accompanied by a frenetic, rhythmically altered version of a phrase from Three Blind Mice, which cycles endlessly.