Video games - A.P.B.

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	Video games - A.P.B.

A.P.B. ("All Points Bulletin") is a 1987 arcade game by Atari Games. In the game, the player assumes the role of "Officer Bob," a rookie police officer. It was developed during the Golden Age of Arcade Games.

Gameplay

The player is given a view of Officer Bob's patrol car. The player controls the car with standard driving pedals and a steering wheel. The object of the game is to meet (or exceed) the daily quota of busting various types of law-breakers. Along the way, the player must refuel the patrol car (by driving through filling stations) and beat the time limit for the day. The player gets "demerits" for accidental collisions and running over pedestrians and bonuses for a "perfect day" and each arrest over the quota. Picking up donuts extends the time limit for a day.

The game begins by having the player ticket common misdemeanor infractors (such as those littering) by pulling up behind them, pushing the siren button and having them pull over. Eventually, the game gives the player the task of ticketing serious criminals. Every third day, the player will be required to go after an A.P.B. ("All Points Bulletin"). When this criminal is caught, the player must "persuade" a confession out of them (you actually beat it out of them). The "confess-o-meter" is filled by tapping alternatively on the "fire" and "siren" buttons.

The game ends when the player reaches his demerit maximum or fails to reach his arrest/ticket quota.

The game cabinet is more or less a standard upright. The main controls consist of a steering wheel, a siren button, a "fire" button (gun) and an accelerator pedal. The cabinet has two lights on top, red and blue, which flash when the player presses the siren button. The cabinet has a detachable seat which can be used to convert the cabinet into a sit-down game.

Popularity

The game enjoyed moderate success in the marketplace, as most Atari games did. Its high-resolution graphics and novel cabinet design, with the flashing lights atop, added to its initial appeal.

Hardware

A.P.B.'s system hardware used the Atari System 2, including:

CPUs: T11 (10 MHz), 6502 (2.2 MHz)
Sound: YM2151 (3.579545 MHz), 2 x Pokey (1.789772 MHz), TMS5220 (625.00 kHz)

Ports

A.P.B. was ported to several home computer systems. These ports were mostly developed by Tengen and published by Domark.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for A.P.B. ]

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