Mattel Strikes Back
Here Comes Aquarius II, The Entertainment Computer System. . .
and Intellivision IV!
[Appeared in the October/November 1983 issue of "Video Games Player"]

        It was a lot simpler last year. If you wanted a video game system,
you either got an Atari VCS or Mattel's Intellivision. The VCS had more hit
games and cost $140. Intellivision was running about $210 at the time, but
it had better graphics. Odyssey2 and Astrocade were a distant third and 
fourth.
        Then along came ColecoVision and the Atari 5200, which both had
improved graphics, bigger memory, better game play and licensed titles like
Pac-Man, Donkey-Kong, Defender, and Zaxxon. Mattel, which used to be number
two, was left in the dust. The question was--would they roll over and 
die . . . or would they stand up and fight back?

lntellivision II

        Intellivision II is not much different from Intellivision, but it 
wasn't meant to be. It is a slimmed-down, higher-tech looking unit that 
serves one main purpose--to bring down the price of the Mattel game system. 
Intellivision II has been selling for as low as $99, with the choice of 
getting as a rebate either an Intelli voice unit and a $5 discount on any 
game, or a $50 rebate with the purchase of two games. Either way, the actual 
cost of the system, including rebates, is somewhere between $20 and $60, even 
lower than the Atari VCS.
        There are a few improvements on the original Intellivision. A red LED 
light is provided so it isn't so easy to leave the unit on overnight 
accidentally. The cords are longer and detachable, so you don't have to send 
the whole system away to get the controller fixed. And detachable controllers 
open up the possibility of other companies making "deluxe" controllers. 
Fortunately, Mattel made all the game cartridges for Intellivision and 
Intellivision II compatible. 
        Most importantly, Intellivision II owners have the option of 
purchasing the System Changer, a device like the Coleco Expansion Module #1, 
which allows you to play Atari VCS cartridges. For the first time, Atari 
games and Intellivision games can be played on the same system. 

M Network
    
        When every company in the world was starting up last year to make 
games for the Atari VCS, Mattel jumped in, too. A lot of those companies 
are gone now, but Mattel has expanded M Network this year. Now they are 
making computer games. The first three games, compatible with the Apple and 
IBM computers, will be Night Stalker, Lock 'N' Chase, and the arcade hit 
BurgerTime.
        Far from abandoning the old Atari VCS, this year M Network will 
release Tron Deadly Discs, BurgerTime, Adventures of Tron, Mission X, Star 
Strike, Air Raiders, In Search of the Golden Skull, Advanced Dungeons and 
Dragons, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Masters of the Universe, Kool-Aid Man, and
another recent arcade game, Bump 'N' Jump. Mattel used to sit back and let
Atari, Coleco, and Parker Brothers snap up all the hit arcade licenses. 
Now they pursue them much more aggressively. 

Intellivision Games

        ln addition to BurgerTime, owners of Intellivision and 
Intellivision II will be blessed with at least 16 new games in the near 
future. Motocross will simulate the breakneck world of motorcycle racing,
and you will even be able to design your own race course. Vectron is a space 
game which will pit you against some nasty enemies--the Hungrees, the 
G-spheres, the splits, the sweeps, and the prizums. All-Star Major League 
Baseball is an improved version of the highly acclaimed Major League Baseball 
from a few years ago. In All-Star, you can kick up a cloud of dust as you 
slide into third base. Other Intellivision games will include Loco Motion, 
Mission X, Buzz Bombers, Thin Ice, Royal Dealer, Mystic Castle, and 
Bump 'N' Jump. Our only complaint is the lack of newer games for the 
Intellivoice module. If you've got Tron Solar Sailer, Bomb Squad, B-17
Bomber and Space Spartans, you've got them all.

A Long Time Ago . . .

        ln a galaxy far, far away, it seemed, George Plimpton promised that 
we would someday be able to turn our Intellivisions into computers. Finally, 
that day has come. The Intellivision Entertainment Computer System is, 
essentially, two peripherals that can be plugged into either Intellivision 
or Intellivision II to make them into more than just game machines.
        The first peripheral, the Intellivision Computer Adaptor, plugs into 
the right side of the Intellivision. It features built-in BASIC program 
language, 2K RAM and will expand the sound capability of Intellivision. With 
the Computer Adaptor, of course, you get a keyboard. The 49 key keyboard is 
laid out like a typewriter, but the keys are more like those on a calculator, 
so they're really not made for writing long term papers. However, if you've
never touched a computer before, you can learn many of the fundamentals on 
your Intellivision.
        Mattel is releasing some very simple software programs to run on your 
Intellivision Computer. How can anybody be threatened by titles like The 
Jetsons Ways with Words, Number Jumble, and The Flintstones Keyboard Fun? In
addition, you can learn BASIC with Mr. BASIC Meets Bits 'N' Bytes and 
Program Builder. Another program called Game Factory lets you program your
own games. You can choose from a library of different characters or 
backgrounds, and you can even plug in some of your Intellivision games and 
borrow charac- [scanner note: the original paragraph ended like this]
        The other peripheral in the Entertainment Computer System is the 
Intellivision Music Synthesizer. This is a 49 key piano-type keyboard which 
must be purchased separately and plugged into the Computer Adaptor. With a 
Music Tutor or Melody Blaster cartridge, you can learn to read music, play 
the piano, and even write your own songs. Melody Blaster is actually a 
variation of Astro-smash--musical notes fall from the sky in the pattern of 
popular songs and you have to play the right keys to shoot them down.
        Other peripherals, such as a Data Recorder, Intellivision Printer, 
and Intellivision Program Expander (adds 32K RAM and 12K ROM) will be 
available shortly.

The Aquarius Computer

        Rather than turning your game system into a computer, some of you 
may just want to buy a real computer. For you, Mattel has created Aquarius. 
When Aquarius first came out, it caught a lot of flak from people, mainly 
because of its rinky-dink keyboard. The keys were calculator-type keys, and 
there wasn't even a space bar. It might have been useful for young children, 
but for everybody else, forget it. Fortunately, Mattel realized Aquarius was 
a mistake, and now we have Aquarius II. In addition to a full-stroke 
typewriter keyboard, Aquarius II is more powerful than Aquarius--12K ROM and
20K RAM expandable to 64K. For those of you who are interested in such 
things, Aquarius II has a Z80A microprocessor, built-in Microsoft BASIC, 16 
colors, 320 x 192 resolution, 40 x 24 character display, upper and lower 
case letters, CP/M capability . . . and even a space bar.
        Naturally, the Aquarius is richly supplied with peripherals. The 
Aquarius Printer connects to the rear of the computer and can print 80 
characters per second, and up to 40 columns wide. There is also a "4-Color 
Printer" for those that need 80 columns. The Aquarius Modem will connect you 
with Aquarius Home Services (such as Hints From Heloise) and CompuServe. The 
Aquarius Master Expansion Module is a double disk drive that will be 
available in early 1984. There is also a Data Recorder, Aquarius Memory
Cartridges, Aquarius Mini Expander (to play games), and the Command Console,
which will be able to turn appliances on and off in your home automatically. 
It will, for example, start dad's coffee before he wakes up, turn on the 
sprinklers, and turn the lights on when nobody's home.
        The software for Aquarius includes games (BurgerTime, Bump 'N' Jump,
Night Stalker), education (LOGO, Match & Learn, Math & Mazes), home 
applications (Menu Planner, Tax Tips, FileForm), and self-improvement (Diet
Trac, Biorhythms, Typemaster).

Intellivision . . . Four?
 
        Even with computer enhancements, the days of this "second-
generation" Intellivision game system are numbered. So what's next? Behind 
the guarded doors of Mattel's exhibit at the Winter Consumer Electranics 
Show, we were ushered into an almost completely dark room and allowed a 
peek at what was then called "Intellivision III." This is the same time 
Intellivision II was unveiled, by the way. Intellivision III, we were told, 
would have higher resolution (320 x 192) than the Atari 5200 and ColecoVision. 
It would be able to have 64 independently moving objects on the screen at 
once. It would have a built-in voice, stereo output jacks, wireless 
controllers with real joysticks, not the much-maligned Intellivision disc. 
It would be compatible with the first two Intellivisions, the System Changer, 
the Computer Adaptor, and the Music Synthesizer. It would have a 16-bit 
microprocessor instead of the 8-bit one found in the 5200 and ColecoVision. 
To put it plainly, it was pretty neat, and all the video game magazines 
rushed out "previews" of the new system.
        Well, Intellivision III has been scrapped. Mattel claims they have 
come up with a new graphics system--Super-Graphics--that allows them to 
program games for the Intellivision II that are just as spectacular as 
anything Intellivision III would have been able to display. Super-Graphics 
(official name "Mattel Electronics Graphic Development System GDS-7809") 
produces multiple game screens, animated title screens, and generally 
better-looking screens for games like BurgerTime, Pinball, and Masters of 
the Universe. According to Mattel, Intellivision III became unnecessary.
        However, according to a source at the company, Mattel is busily at 
work, in another dark room somewhere, creating the next Intellivision, which 
will be available sometime in 1984. Intellivision IV? Maybe. A laserdisc game 
system? That's a rumor.
        One thing is certain--with Intellivision, M Network, Aquarius II, 
The Entertainment Computer System, and arcade licensed games, Mattel is 
fighting back. . . hard. 

Suggested retail price of items mentioned in this article--lntellivision II: 
$150, System Changer: $80, Computer Adaptor and Keyboard: $100, Music 
Synthesizer; $80, Aquarius: $100-$150, 4K Memory: $50, 16K Memory: $100, 
40-column printer: $165, 80-column printer; $225, Data Recorder: $50, Modem: 
$90, Command Console: $90. For $430, the Aquarius, Mini-Expander, Data 
Recorder, and printer are sold in package called COM/PAC.

[Scanned and edited by Dennis Brown, dgbrown (at) pixesthesia (dot) com]