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Illustration of Caverns of Mars

Caverns of Mars

Overview

Caverns of Mars is a computer game originally made for the Atari 8-bit computers, programmed by Greg Christensen and published by Atari Program Exchange (APX) in 1981. It became the best selling APX title of all time, eventually being released by Atari in game cartridge format. The game was developed to a prototype stage for the Atari 2600, but wasn't released on the console. Said prototype would show up as one of the games present on the Atari Flashback 2, a plug-and-play 2600-style device containing 42 built-in games and from there found its way into Homebrew release for the 2600.

Martian galactic fleets surround the planet and are demanding its surrender! The Terra IV High Command knows that your space fighter, the HELICON VII, is he only craft equipped to invade the Martian Headquarters deep within the Caverns of Mars. Your mission: Sabotage the Martian defense system by activating their deadly fusion bomb.

Make your way down two to five caverns, depending on the difficulty level. Do not hit the walls of the cavern or any Martian items. You will need to shoot fuel tanks as you go because you use fuel constantly. You must make your way through all the caverns to the fusion bomb, which you then touch to activate. Once activated, you must return to the surface before the bomb explodes.

Developers
Atari
Publishers
Atari
Platform
Atari 2600
Genre
Shooter
Alternate Names
No information available
Video
No information available

Media

Box - 3D

Caverns of Mars - Box - 3D (North America) - 455x672
North America -  455 x 672

Box - Front

Caverns of Mars - Box - Front (North America) - 669x916
North America -  669 x 916

Cart - Front

Caverns of Mars - Cart - Front (North America) - 404x466
North America -  404 x 466

Clear Logo

Caverns of Mars - Clear Logo (North America) - 400x175
North America -  400 x 175

Screenshot - Game Title

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960 x 630

Screenshot - Gameplay

Caverns of Mars - Screenshot - Gameplay (null) - 960x630
960 x 630