''Plaque Attack'' is a 1983

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

for the

Atari 2600 The Atari 2600 is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977 as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS), it popularized microprocessor-based hardware and games stored on swappable ROM cartridg ...

that was made by

Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...

. The player must shoot food to protect teeth inside a person's mouth.

Steve Cartwright Steve Cartwright is an American video game designer. He is best known as one of the original Activision game designers, credited with such games as ''Barnstorming'', '' Megamania'', ''Seaquest'' and ''Hacker''. Activision Prior to working at t ...

, who designed the game, said that game was meant to help people develop good dental habits.

Gameplay

The player controls a tube of

toothpaste Toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice that is used with a toothbrush to clean and maintain the aesthetics of Human tooth, teeth. Toothpaste is used to promote oral hygiene: it is an abrasive that aids in removing dental plaque and food from th ...

, defending teeth against various types of food, such as hamburgers and

french fries French fries, or simply fries, also known as chips, and finger chips (Indian English), are '' batonnet'' or '' julienne''-cut deep-fried potatoes of disputed origin. They are prepared by cutting potatoes into even strips, drying them, and f ...

. The objective is to fire toothpaste at

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...

intent on destroying the teeth. If the food touches a tooth, it begins breaking down the tooth. If the player is fast enough to shoot the piece of food as soon as it starts breaking down the tooth the player will be able to save the tooth. If not, the tooth will decay and disappears from the screen. The food comes in waves, and the movements become more complicated. Destroying the food scores points, as does the number of teeth and the amount of toothpaste left at the end of each wave. After a certain number of points is scored, users gain bonus teeth. Bonus teeth are applied at the end of each wave. If all eight teeth are still present, the additional teeth will be placed on the sides of the mouth. Otherwise the teeth will replace any teeth lost. Play continues until all the teeth are gone, at which point the game is over.

Activision patch

Players who scored more than 35,000 points could send a screenshot of their accomplishment to Activision to receive a "No Plaque Pack" patch and congratulatory letter.

Aquafresh Rebate Program

From August through mid-November 1983, a mail-in rebate program ran in newspaper advertisements to cross-promote

Aquafresh Aquafresh (originally spelt "Aqua-Fresh") is a brand of toothpaste Toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice that is used with a toothbrush to clean and maintain the aesthetics of Human tooth, teeth. Toothpaste is used to promote oral hygiene: i ...

and Plaque Attack. The ad offered a $3.15 savings in the form of an instant $0.15 credit for any size Aquafresh toothpaste, and a $3.00 rebate from Activation after sending in the Aquafresh and Plaque Attack

proof of purchase Proof of purchase is often required for sales promotions and manufacturer rebates as evidence that the customer purchased the product. When multiple purchases are required to redeem these rewards, it is referred to as a premium incentive or colle ...

Reception

''Videogaming Illustrated'' described the game as "cute and busy, but nothing more" and gave it B-B+ for gameplay. ''Video Games'' magazine described it, in their review, as "another slide and shoot".

References

External links