Your Daddy played this game #1: Hard Hat Mack

Like I mentioned in my earlier post, the coolest thing about this writing gig is I get to write about games I’ve played before. So what’s way cooler than that? Why, telling you kids out there that your daddy used to play games that had blocky, two-dimensional characters, that’s what.

In this first installment of Your Daddy played this game, I present to you Hard Hat Mack, a 1983 Apple II game developed by Michael Abbot and Matthew Alexander.

Here’s an interesting trivia: Hard Hat Mack was the first game published by Electronic Arts. Yes, the same company that’s giving a lot of casual players out there loads of fun with The Sims.

According to wikipedia, Hard Hat Mack is similar to Nintendo’s highly successful Donkey Kong but with more variety in gameplay and faster action.

How is it played? Simple. The player guides construction worker Mack, the main character, through a series of goals, making use of a variety of game tools such as paths, sprinboards, conveyor belts and elevators—and he needs to do all these while avoiding an angry vandal and a representative of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. To top this off, you only have three lives and need to finish the round within a given period.

The game has three levels. The goal of Mack in the first level is to replace four holes in the floor of the building and capture a moving jackhammer to secure the plates. Aside from the roaming baddies and the possibility of falling off the side of the building, Mack also has to contend with falling debris.

In Level 2, the player has to guide Mack through a four-level construction site with the goal of collecting five lunchboxes. The OSHA representative blocks the final hurdle, requiring Mack to make a well-timed jump.

For the last level, Mack has to collect boxes, which he needs to drop into a processor. Like in the second level, a pesky OSHA representative stands between Mack and the final box.

The game doesn’t end with Level 3, though. It cycles back to Level 1 but with faster-moving obstacles (read: vandal and OSHA rep) and shorter time limit.

Do you want to know why your dad went bonkers for this game? There are downloads available on the net that can run on DOS.