As a devoted bunch of Atarians, we eagerly awaited the release of the Atari Lynx, poring over magazines, screenshots and buzz until release day. Four of us had pre-ordered Lynxes, trusting Atari yet again, but we never really saw the potential for the Lynx as a “handheld” per se, even though it was often advertised as such. I mean, we saw the specs, we knew just how large this machine was going to be. Instead, we anticipated the system for its multiplayer experience; up to 8 players, each with your own screen. Over our entire Lynxing lifetime, there were a couple of great single player games, but the ones we easily played the most were the amazing multiplayer ones... Todd's Adventures in Slime World, Checkered Flag, California Games, Battle Wheels, and Xenophobe, to name just a few.

Slime World got the most play in the end though, mainly due to its cooperative and competitive deathmatch mode. With four Lynxes between us, most of our games were with two teams of two playing against each other. We initially played with the teams in the same room face-to-face, but it was tough to talk to your teammate and strategize with your enemies within earshot. So, we decided to play the game in separate rooms, huddled next to the door, with the comlynx cable running underneath it. Now this really perfected the experience. Finally, we could plan out everything in detail, whispering commands to each other and developing concerted attacks on the weaker foe, trailing enemies, and luring them into traps. Of course, on your screen, it was impossible to tell who was your teammate, (all of the other players had the same colored hair) so there were the odd times when you mistook your friend for a foe, and vice versa. But, it all added to the fun in the end, and gave you an excuse to “accidentally” kill off your friend when they let you down.. “Oh that wasn't you.. sorry.” It was nothing more than pure delight to hear the opposing team dissent and turn on themselves when you foiled their plans.

Sadly, it's much harder nowadays to get many working Lynxes together, and all the carts and cords necessary. Most of the new collectors who missed the system the first time around don't realize what Epyx and Atari had brought to gamers, and fail to see its full potential for true cooperative and competitive multiplayer gaming, much ahead of its time. Sure, it started a few fights among our group, but looking back, it still has to be some of the best gaming moments of our lives.