Trailblazer

Trailblazer is a racing-action game from British studio Gremlin Graphics in which the player steers a bouncing ball along a colorful track made of tiles that vanish, slow down, speed up, or catapult the ball into the air. The goal on every track is to reach the finish as fast as possible without the ball falling into the gap between tiles or hitting an obstacle, and the track unfolds in a fast pseudo-3D perspective resembling a tunnel vanishing into the distance, which was a fairly unusual solution at the time of release.

On the Atari 8-bit, the game relies on a snappy sense of speed and simple yet demanding controls, where every hesitation means a fall and a loss of time needed to achieve a better result. The colorful tiles with their various effects force the player to react at the last moment and learn the layout of individual tracks by heart, which makes the game an ideal candidate for chasing a better time and repeatedly refining a run on the same track. The music and sounds complement the fast pace and underline the arcade character of the title, which sets itself apart from the competition precisely through the combination of speed and colorful clarity.

Trailblazer is a typical example of the British genre fashion of the mid-eighties, when a simple, visually striking concept could stay entertaining on eight-bit machines through dozens of repeated attempts. On the Atari 8-bit it still plays briskly today, and its clearly readable rules make it a pleasant choice for short gaming sessions where it's more about chasing your own record than slow exploration. It's precisely this uncomplicated yet honestly crafted fun that makes it a title worth returning to even after many years, without the player needing to deal with complicated rules or a long learning curve – just pick up the controller and immediately know what to do. Trailblazer thus remains to this day a game suited both for a short break and for a long duel with a friend over the best time.

Why play it: If you're after a short gaming session and a chase for your own record, Trailblazer offers clearly readable rules and brisk fun you can return to even after years without a long learning curve.