Dandy

Information

Genre

Arcade - Gauntlet

Language

Machine Language

Controls

Joystick, Keyboard

Players

1, 2 (sim.), 2+

Programmer(s)

Palevich, John Howard

Graphic Artist(s)

Palevich, John Howard

Sound

[n/a]

Cover Artist(s)

[unknown]

Year

?

Publisher

Econosoft

Developer

Atari

Country

New Zealand

License

Commercial

Medium

Disk

Rarity

10

Serial

ES31

Votes / Statistics

Rating: 7.8/10 · Votes: 45 · Downloads: 0 · Hits: 6,340

Additional Comments

Comments (6)

• Atari A to Z (Pete Davison) — 4 Jul 2022

  Dandy is the reason Gauntlet exists, making it a fascinating game from a historical perspective -- and a fun party game even today. Throw in the fact it has its own level editor and you have a remarkable achievement for the 8-bit era! Let's Play! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtZB4OIgB0Q

• AbbotKinneyDude — 18 Jan 2021

  John H. Palevich also wrote the PD game "Shoot!" published in COMPUTE! #16 (September 1981). https://ksquiggle.neocities.org/asmgames/shoot.htm

• Daniel Thomas MacInnes — 7 May 2011

  This game was the inspiration for Atari's Gauntlet, which arrived a couple years later. I remember reading Ed Logg's endorsement years ago, although I cannot remember the source. But I wanted to add this bit of trivia to the great collective unconscious. A classic Atari 8-bit game.

• Auntie Pastie — 31 Jan 2010

  The similarities between this game and the later Gauntlet are obvious. Page 6 magazine even claimed that Dandy (AKA Dandy Dungeon) was better than what they considered the mediocre Atari 8-bit conversion of Gauntlet. Having read that, I must admit to having been slightly disappointed when I actually played Dandy Dungeon. I was probably spoiled by having played various (non-Atari) versions of Gauntlet, plus DD was already quite a few years old by then. But it certainly originated the concept, so credit where it's due. The theory behind the game is pretty interesting too.

• Kumar Goundan — 14 May 2008

  The developer, John Pavelich, is now a senior developer at Microsoft. He has ported Dandy to several languages, including C++ and F#. He has even written a version for the Xbox 360 (but not for sale). Great idea for a senior thesis (read the manual and learn his story). It must have left a lasting impression on him, knowing that he wrote versions of Dandy in many languages.

• Muffy St. Bernard — 2 May 2007

  Simply the best! Fun to play all around (though more than two players wasn't exactly practical), and a well-designed level editor for endless replayability. It loses something without joystick control but you can still enjoy it with a keyboard (in a pinch).