[img width=400 height=484]http://www.atarimania.com/2600/boxes/hi_res/jawbreaker_cart.jpg[/img]

SPECS:

Game:  Jawbreaker
Year:  1982
Publisher:  Tigervision
Developer: Sierra On-Line
Designer: John Harris
Rarity (according to AtariAge): 5 = rare
Controls: Joystick
Number of Players: 1 - 2 (turn based)
Average Cost: approx $20 - $30 loose
Also Available On: Atari 400/800, Atari 5200 (homebrew), Apple II, Commodore 64, Commodore VIC-20, TI-99/4A, and Tiger stand-alone version  (gameplay may differ for each system)

Tagline/Description: "You're loose in a candy factory! Quickly move the chomping set of teeth to eat up all the candy bars. Be careful, the happy faces may get you! Clear the screen and it's time for some quick hygiene - a tooth brush will clean your teeth to get you ready for your next romp through the candy factory.  Tigervision fun at its sweetest."

Imagine if Pac-Man and Turmoil for the 2600 had a love child, that child's name would be Jawbreaker.  Jawbreaker is essentially a Pac-Man clone and earlier versions of it on the Atari 400/800 verify this accusation (see picture below).  Though Atari never went after Tigervision for infringement, rumor is that they were in heated discussions with Sierra On-Line (the developer) for their very similar 400/800 version.  All 400/800 Jawbreaker games were also replaced by a version similar to the 2600 version referred to as "Jawbreaker II."  Though similar in many ways to Pac-Man, I believe that Jawbreaker for the 2600 stands on its own and adds a new spin to videogaming's most well-known icon.

Jawbreaker for the Atari 400/800 (look familiar?)
[img width=384 height=240]http://retro-pc.com/images/jawbreaker.jpg[/img] 

In Jawbreaker, you control a set of chomping teeth and you must maneuver your way through a horizontal maze eating candy dots, while avoiding the jawbreakers. Although the concept is similar to Pac-Man, in Jawbreaker, the horizontal walls of the maze are constantly in motion and offer only limited escape by traveling through openings in these walls (as opposed to Pac-Man's stationary maze).  The goal of Jawbreaker is to devour all of the candy on the screen and you can also gain additional points by eating a "power bar," which strengthens your teeth and allows you to devour the jawbreakers for a limited time.  If you are successful at finishing a board, you are rewarded with a comical, yet voracious, toothbrushing to prepare you for more candy eating.  Jawbreaker, like the few other "dental hygienic" games on the 2600 (see Plaque Attack (Activision) and Tooth Protectors (DSD/Camelot), reminds us that it's okay to eat like gluttons, as long as we follow up with keeping our choppers nice and sparkly.

Jawbreaker for the Atari 2600

**video courtesy of Highretrogamelord89**

What I like most about Jawbreaker are the controls and the fluidity of the game.  Though movement in the game is limited to up, down, and side-to-side (perfect for the stiff 2600 controls), the action is fast-paced and you really have to be able to take in all of the movements on the board very quickly.  The jawbreakers and escape openings travel at various speeds and one must not only pay attention to the line you are currently on, but also those directly above and below you.  If your mouth comes in contact with a jawbreaker, you not only lose a life, but your teeth are also shattered and actually drop out of your mouth.  The teeth dropping, the creepy, smiley faced jawbreakers, and the toothbrushing at the completion of each level add a fun and comical element to the game.  Also, Tigervision cartridges are colorful, have a unique look, and are fun to collect, since they add a nice rainbow of coloration to your normally bland, black stack of rectangles; Jawbreaker being a distinctively bright, candy apple red color.   

Like the majority of the 2600 catalog, Jawbreaker is played for points.  Since the gameplay is so simple and easy to grasp quickly, I've enjoyed hours of playing this game with friends and competing for highest score.  For many of you who were disappointed with the port of Pac-Man on the 2600 like myself, I can highly recommend this game as a suitable substitute.


RATINGS (on a scale of 1-4: 4 being the highest):

Controls:  4
Graphics:  3  (should I even be rating this category, it's Atari)
Sound Effects/Music: 3
Concept:  3 (not original, but fun none the less)
Replay Value: 4
Cart/Box Art:  4
Overall Score: 3.50

**Since this is my initial blog entry, please comment and feel free to let me know what features or qualities about this game, or the others I will review, that you would like to know more about.  Any suggestions or constructive criticisms are greatly appreciated.  Thank you**

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