Chase the Chuck Wagon
A 1983 Purina mail-order maze game for Atari 2600.
Chase the Chuck Wagon is a promotional video game released in 1983 for the Atari 2600. It was programmed by Mike Schwartz and distributed by Purina, available only through a mail-order offer that required customers to send in proofs of purchase from dog food bags. The game’s concept draws loosely from Purina’s television commercials of the 1970s and 1980s, which featured a dog chasing a small chuckwagon.
In the game, players control a dog named Chuckie through a series of maze screens. Each maze has one of four designs, and the goal is to reach the opening directly below the chuckwagon. The player has a limited time—either 60 or 30 seconds, depending on the difficulty setting—to complete each maze. Two obstacles appear in every maze: a dog catcher that moves through the maze and, upon touching Chuckie, costs the player one life; and a bouncing object (such as a bone) that travels back and forth across the screen, ignoring maze walls. If this object hits Chuckie, he freezes momentarily, causing the maze to change color, which makes it harder to finish in time or avoid the dog catcher.
After clearing a maze, a reward screen appears. A dog dish drops from the chuckwagon, and the player must use the joystick to turn Chuckie left or right to face the dish. Pressing the fire button at the right moment stops the dish horizontally in front of Chuckie, allowing him to move to it and eat, earning 100 bonus points. If the player misses, no points are awarded, and the game proceeds to the next maze. If the fire button is not pressed, the dish continues to fall repeatedly, and the game does not advance.
The player starts with three Chuckies. A life is lost when time runs out on a maze or when the dog catcher touches Chuckie. The game ends when all Chuckies are gone.
Scoring is based on the time remaining at the end of each maze, with each successfully completed reward screen adding 100 points. The total score is shown at the game’s conclusion.
Controls involve the joystick for moving Chuckie through mazes and adjusting his facing on the reward screen. The fire button is used only to stop the falling food dish. Unlike most Atari 2600 games, the Reset button does not start the game; the Select button is used instead.
As part of a promotion for the Chuck Wagon dog food line, Purina hired video game distributor Spectravision to create a game themed around dogs and dog
- Released
- 1983
- Platform
- Atari 2600
- Developer
- Mike Schwartz
- Publisher
- Purina
- Genre
- Maze video game
- Known for
- Being a promotional game often called the Holy Grail of Atari 2600 collecting
Quick Facts
- Title
- Chase the Chuck Wagon
- Developer
- TMQ
- Publisher
- Spectravision
- Designer
- Mike Schwartz
- Released
- 1983
- Genre
- Maze
- Platforms
- Atari 2600
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Chase the Chuck Wagon was created as part of a promotion involving the Chuck Wagon line of dog food. Purina contracted video game distributor Spectravision to produce a game themed around dogs and dog food. Customers could redeem proofs of purchase from bags of dog food in exchange for the game, an example of a new marketing technique that emerged during the popularity of video games in the early 1980s. In practice, the promotion was relatively unsuccessful, and unshipped cartridges were destroyed.
Reader's Guide
Chase the Chuck Wagon is far from the rarest of games for the Atari 2600, but it is often referred to as the Holy Grail of Atari 2600 video game collecting. Its significance lies in its origin as a promotional item tied to a major brand, Purina, and its limited distribution via mail order. The game was programmed over a weekend by Mike Schwartz, who used existing code from his first game, Artillery Duel, and noted that the sound effects were basically the same. The game's legacy is shaped by its scarcity and the unusual marketing strategy it represents, though it is not the rarest title in the Atari 2600 library.
Did You Know?
- The game was written by Mike Schwartz over a weekend using existing code from his earlier game Artillery Duel.
- Players could only obtain the game by mailing proofs of purchase from Purina dog food bags.
- The reward screen requires the player to stop a falling dog dish with the fire button to earn 100 points.
- Unshipped cartridges were destroyed after the promotion ended.
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