Hard Hat Mack

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Description

Hard Hat Mack is a platform game similar in concept to Donkey Kong. The player controls a worker who must complete specific objectives in a construction site while avoiding enemies and trying not to run out of time. The game has three vertical levels consisting of simple paths, springboards, conveyor belts, and elevators. The goals involve replacing holes in the floor, catching a moving jackhammer to secure plates, collecting lunchboxes, and dropping wares into a processor. The titular hero loses a life when hit by falling bolts or tagged by wandering vandals or OSHA representatives. The game is over after the player character loses three lives. Completing the three unique levels brings the player back to the beginning, with the game cycling through the same levels at a faster speed.

Screenshots

Promo Images

There are no promo images for this game

Part of the Following Group

• Donkey Kong variants

User Reviews

Fun, But Tough	Apple II	ETJB (447)
Donkey Kong is Over Rated	PC Booter	Yeah Right (57)
A good game for us nostalgic gamers.	PC Booter	Tomer Gabel (4351)
Frustrating Little Platformer	Apple II	Game22 (42)

Critic Reviews

TeleMatch	Atari 8-bit	May, 1984	1 out of 6	100
TeleMatch	Apple II	May, 1984	1 out of 6	100
Atari Gamer - XL-XE Game Review Edition	Atari 8-bit	Dec, 2013	8 out of 10	80
Amstrad Action	Amstrad CPC	Oct, 1985	66 out of 100	66
The Video Game Critic	Atari 8-bit	May 05, 2013	D+	33

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Trivia

Controversy

One of the villains in the game is a OSHA agent. OSHA enforces Federal Health and Safety rights within the workplace and at least one California State Senator publicly accused the game of being anti-worker for depicting OSHA agents as villains, which prompted some retail stores to pull the game from their shelves.

Cover art

The front cover illustration, like most of the first Electronic Arts games, has the EA logo (not so) hidden in the photo. But it also appears more cleverly in the inside photo of the two developers; look for it as part of the falling lunchbox.

CGA Composite patch

The PC Booter version of the game only supports CGA 4-color graphics, but in 2012 an amateur patch was released which allowed the game to use the CGA Composite 16-color mode. The patch can be found here.

Title

One of the four large meeting rooms on the first floor of the "Mission Control" building of Electronic Arts Redwood City, CA campus is named Hard Hat Mack. The four meeting rooms are named after EA's first four games.

Information also contributed by Trixter

Related Web Sites

• AGH Atari 8-bit Review of Hard Hat Mack (A nice review of the same game on the Atari 400/800.)