Bowling

aka: Boliche

Moby ID: 14960

Released

1978 on Atari 2600

Credits

2 people

Releases by Platform (by date)

Publishers

Developers

Atari, Inc.

Moby Score

6.1

#20,885 of 24.3K

Critics

64% (4)

Players

(22)

Review Ranking

#156 on Atari 2600

Collected By

57 players

Genre: Sports
Perspective: Diagonal-down
Visual: Fixed / flip-screen
Interface: Direct control
Sport: Bowling

Atari 2600 Specs

Multiplayer Options: Hot Seat
Number of Players Supported: 1-2 Players

Included in

Atari Collection 2 (2020)
Atari: 80 Classic Games in One! (2003)

Original

Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration (2022)

See Also

Bowling (1975 on Arcade)
Bowling (1979 on Microvision)
Bowling (1979 on Apple II, TRS-80)
Bowling (1979 on Ohio Scientific)
Bowling (1981 on Atari 8-bit)
Bowling (1981 on TRS-80)
Bowling (1982 on TRS-80 CoCo)
Bowling (1987 on Apple II)
Bowling (1995 on Dedicated handheld)
Bowling (1999 on PlayStation, 2009 on PSP, PlayStation 3)
Bowling (2019 on Nintendo Switch, 2020 on PlayStation 4)

Description

Bowling is, of course, a bowling game that can be played by one or two players. The gameplay is from a side view of the bowling alley; using the joystick, you need to try to bowl the highest score possible by knocking down the pins on the right side of the screen. There are several game variations available; in the easier variation, you can use the joystick to control the direction of the ball on its way towards the pins. In the harder game, once the ball is released you no longer can control its direction. There are also two difficulty levels that control how difficult it is to get a strike.

Groups +

Gaming Service: Game Room

Screenshots

Credits (Atari 2600 version)

Programmed by	Larry Kaplan
Cover Artwork	Cliff Spohn (as C. Spohn)

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 64% (based on 4 ratings)

Players

Average score: 2.7 out of 5 (based on 22 ratings with 1 reviews)

Bowled over

The Good
Feels like bowling

The Bad
Obviously the graphics and sound are a little primitive

The Bottom Line
Likely, this is the first video bowling game. Compared to the first baseball, football, and basketball games, this one is a triumph. You can quibble with the graphics and sound, but this is bowling in much of its glory.

Atari 2600 · by eratik (105) · 2016

Analytics

MobyPro ^{Early Access}

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

Related Games

Undead Bowling
Released 2013 on Nintendo 3DS

VIC Bowling
Released 1982 on VIC-20

Bowling / Trilogy
Released 1979 on Apple II

Electronic Bowling
Released 1989 on Dedicated handheld

Arcade Bowling
Released 2008 on iPhone, Nintendo DSi

Super Bowling
Released 1977 on Arcade

Bowling Ballers
Released 2021 on iPad, Android, iPhone

Strata Bowling
Released 1990 on Arcade

3D Bowling
Released 1982 on Arcadia 2001

Related Sites +

Wikipedia: Bowling
Information about Bowling at Wikipedia

Identifiers +

MobyGames ID: 14960

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Servo.

Xbox 360, Windows added by Alaka.

Additional contributors: chirinea, DreinIX.

Game added September 26, 2004. Last modified May 11, 2024.