It's dinnertime and Lady Bug is ready to eat! Take a stroll through the garden and nibble on the rows and rows of pretty flowers. Be careful though -- there are many dangerous insects that just love to eat ladybugs -- and they're fast too! Block their way by swinging the gates closed, and stay away from the deadly poison. Oh -- and don't forget to collect the bonus prizes to get the help of other ladybugs and a special invite to the Veggie Bounty Harvest! GOOD LUCK!
While many prototypes of unreleased games have surfaced over the years, there are a few notorious titles that have not. This includes Lady Bug, a title that appeared in arcades and was even advertised in Coleco's Atari 2600 Catalog, but never saw the light of day. It's not even known if work was ever begun on the Atari 2600 port. Well, Atari 2600 fans no longer have to wait for a version of Lady Bug, as Atari enthusiast John W. Champeau has developed a remarkable 2600 version! John's first Atari 2600 homebrew game was Conquest of Mars, one of the finest homebrews to be developed for the 2600.
The object of Lady Bug is to clear the maze of all the dots while avoiding up to four insects. Once all four insects have entered the maze, a bonus vegetable appears in the middle. Eating this veggie not only earns big points, but also freezes the insects for a few seconds. Also appearing in the maze are hearts that increase the bonus multiplier and letters that can be used to spell EXTRA for a bonus ladybug or SPECIAL to earn a round in the bounty harvest maze full of vegetables to eat! If the insects start to gain on the ladybug, she can use the revolving doors to block their attack as she tries to clear each maze. When all flowers and items have been collected, you advance to the next level where the insects are even faster. The game ends when the last ladybug has been eaten.
If you've ever played Lady Bug in the arcade or on the ColecoVision, you'll be amazed at how faithful the 2600 version is to the original!
Lady Bug may be purchased from the AtariAge Store, complete with a label and full-color manual designed by Nathan Strum. |