Educational / Education - Geography · 1984
Agent USA
Published by Scholastic, Inc. · Developed by Tom Snyder Productions, Inc.
atarimania.com — atari-400-800-xl-xe-games-agent-usa-138
Information
- Genre
- Education - Geography
- Language
- Machine Language
- Controls
- Joystick, Keyboard
- Players
- 1, Demo
- Programmer(s)
- Khudari, Omar, Snyder, Tom
- Graphic Artist(s)
- Khudari, Omar, Reynolds, Peter H.
- Sound
- Snyder, Tom, Lutes, Chris A. Jr.
- Cover Artist(s)
- [unknown]
- Year
- 1984
- Publisher
- Scholastic, Inc.
- Developer
- Tom Snyder Productions, Inc.
- Country
- USA
- License
- Commercial
- Medium
- Disk
- Rarity
- 8
- Serial
- ZA95662
Votes / Statistics
Rating: 7.9/10 · Votes: 116 · Downloads: 6,597 · Hits: 29,102
Additional Comments
Screenshots (13)
Cover Art (5)
Instructions (24)
Ads (1)
Book / Magazine Reviews (1)
Electronic Games · October, 1984
By visiting the information booth located in each state's capital city, Agent USA can see a map showing Fuzz Bomb's location and predicting the direction in which the Fuzz menace will spread. With such an urgent mission at hand, garners might expect to be jetting to the site, but for unclear reasons the on-screen hero rides the railroad network crisscrossing the country. It's not possible to buy a ticket direct to where Fuzz Bomb is. Instead, Agent USA must take a series of short rides between major cities until he reaches the ultimate destination.
The railway stations' graphics are very attractive, with both local and express trains arriving every few moments on the busy tracks. Agent USA is a cute pair of feet emerging from under an oversized fedora. The cityscapes forming the skylines are lighted according to the time of the day, dawn to dusk and the musical accompaniment to the train rides is especially pleasing.
Designed for players aged 9 and over, Agent USA requires careful strategy to stop the Fuzz Bomb before it turns the country's entire population into static.
Gamers must learn to manage their time efficiently if they are to buy tickets, catch the train in time and grow the crystals needed to overcome the alien.
The best lesson taught by the game is geography. Maps of the alien's location are only in the state capitals, so the game quickly teaches the names and locations of the major cities in our country.
From a gamer's viewpoint, Agent USA is one of the most successful educational titles now on the market. Unlike many learning programs, it stands up well as a fun activity. And it's so good kids'll never know it's educational if you don't tell them!
Comments (10)
Pio — 15 Apr 2016
Best Game Ever ! :> <:
rave.N — 12 Jul 2015
Makes my top 10 games of all time for Atari 800, but even as I write this "Agent USA" is merely ranked # 98 out of 100 most popular downloads. Check out Tom Snyder's other big game named "Bannercatch", whose demo looks and feels like every good Dan Bunten game rolled into 1. Agent is slightly educational for its US Geography suggests the name of the publisher Scholastic Inc. But is too much fun to be ignored. The enemy boss is clearly a caricature of TV with no signal "the Boob Tube" turning people into boo bs like a contagion. But rather than a super cop my preference is to parallel the main character to the likes of Dr. Timothy Leary, saving the people by getting them to tune in turn on and drop out. I won a few times back in the 80s. You need an inventory of at least 100 crystals when you face off against the Fuzz Bomb. Notice the wtc twin towers in the skyline of NYC ??
Urmo345 — 9 Nov 2013
Haha, even after 25 years it was extremely fun to beat this fuzz bomb again :) Good game!
POTA — 13 Jan 2013
Hello, if anybody interested - the remake od the "Agent USA" is under production now. Please visit: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/738899176/path-of-the-agent?ref=live and wish us luck:)
Mad — 3 Mar 2008
My most favourite game for atari800. Fantastic feel of freedom, almost 'real time':) and feeling that 'something is spreading' and it could come by train into any city. Spent many sundays with school atlas and this game. Atlas useful in cities with no info booth:) Nice city panoramas, beautiful day color changes, freedom and TRAINS:)
Ashman — 30 Jan 2008
I could never figure out how to finish the game, Now I know 20 years later lol. Played this for hours upon hours, most of the time as a fuzzbomb
Muffy St. Bernard — 14 Oct 2007
Brush up your geography! Seems like it could be repetitious...you've got to ride A LOT of trains. But fun and attractive, love the sound effects, love the thinly-veiled TV paranoia.
Byte — 7 Aug 2006
This game couldn't be "won", in the sense that once you destroyed the FuzzBomb, it would have a congratulations screen and then it would start all over again.
Atari_E477 — 29 Dec 2005
The spooky part of this game was where AgentUSA himself would get "fuzzed" leaving you to watch him travel in a zombie like state hoping to get un-fuzzed. I remember playing this game for hours but don't ever remember winning it. Interesting sound effects.
Dave — 26 Nov 2005
This is one of my favorites, incredible replayability.