Boxing Bugs

Arcade Video game published 43 years ago:

Boxing Bugs (c) 1981 Cinematronics.

This is kind of like a reverse of "Star Castle". In the center of the screen is a player-controlled rotating cannon, enclosed within an octagon. The cannon shoots fireballs from one end and has a boxing glove on an extension arm on the other end. The octagon is a protective wall for the cannon. Fireballs and the boxing glove pass over the wall to targets outside.
Bombs are randomly located outside the wall. Each bomb has a lite fuse. Three bugs are also randomly scattered outside the wall. The player's score, the number of cannons remaining, and the number of bugs that must be knocked out to complete the round are shown at the top of the screen.

- TECHNICAL -

Boxing Bugs ran on expanded version of the basic Cinematronics hardware platform. It added a ROM board and a color conversion board which allowed a color game to run on the otherwise monochrome Cinematronics vector platform. It used a Wells Gardner color X-Y monitor, and shipped in a rather unremarkable yellow cabinet that had plain 'Cinematronics' sideart painted on. The cabinet was similar to the one used for "Speed Freak", but not exactly the same.

Main CPU : CCPU (@ 5 Mhz)
Sound Chips : Discrete circuitry

Screen orientation : Horizontal
Video resolution : 224 x 256 pixels
Screen refresh : 38.00 Hz
Palette colors : 32768

Players : 2
Control : Optical spinner
Buttons : 3

- TRIVIA -

Released in March 1981.

One of the last vector games Cinematronics made; very few numbers were produced and Cinematronics' days were numbered. They would make a brief comeback with "Dragon's Lair", but shortly afterwards be swallowed up by Leland Corporation and disappear into oblivion.

A prototype version of this game is known as "Outpost".

Richard Lewis holds the official record for this game with 2,026,022 points on April 15, 1983.

- SCORING -

Bugs or bombs struck by fireballs score 20 points.
Each bug knocked out with the glove scores 200 points.
Each flying bug scores 400 points per punch.

In addition to the above, during a bonus round, sleeping bugs that are blown up score 3000 points each.

- TIPS AND TRICKS -

A rapid fire for the fireballs is activated by holding down the Fire button.

- STAFF -

Designed and programmed by: Jack Ritter
Additional program by: Scott Boden