Retro Game Review: Venture (ColecoVision)

Fond memories came rolling back in when I fired up one of my favorite old ColecoVision games, Venture.

Venture embodies many aspects of gaming that are long, long extinct. There's a heavy emphasis on accumulating a high score, it's devilishly difficult, has no "real" ending to reward you for your accomplishments, simple graphics and music, and a lot of repetition.

The treasure screen.

What makes Venture really special, though, is that it seems to be able to capture gamers and non-gamers alike. One of my family members, who normally shuns video games, is a Venture expert through and through. It's simple enough for most folks to pick up and play, but difficult enough to provide hours of frustrating, yet rewarding frivolity.

You play the red little smiley face wth a bolted-on bow & arrow, lovingly known as "Winky." (OK, get it out of your system now. I'll try not to say "Winky" again. What's so dirty about "Winky" anyway? At least they didn't call him "Mr. Winky.")

The man himself: Winky.

Anyway, Winky's arduous task is to delve deep (chuckle) into the perilous colored dungeons of... erm... not sure where, but he's been assigned treasure hunting duty there regardless. You'll have to navigate the "overworld," head into each room individually, glom the loot, and bust out as fast as you can.

Level two overworld map.

Here's the problem, though. First of all, some of these rooms play tricks on you - i.e., walls disappear, monsters appear out of nowhere, etc. Second of all, the monsters can still hurt you even though they're dead. So, you may have killed a monster right in front of the EXIT and you can't get out as the dead carcass hasn't disappeared yet!

Monsters that appear out of nowhere is just one trick this game will play on you.

Of course, you may be wondering why this is actually a problem. It's the hall monsters, of course. Hall monsters, you say? Well, they kinda look like a cross between a broccoli and a space alien. One way or another, they'll chop you to pieces like a Blendtec.

Watch out for the death vegetable alien.

Once you make your way through the main levels, you'll acquire lots of treasure and eventually fill the board. It will gradually get more challenging as you progress further and further, although the scenery won't change much. So, what's the point in playing this game, you ask?

The bottom line is that it's simple, addictive, challenging fun. You'll find yourself timing your own performance through the levels, racking up higher and higher scores, screaming and swearing when you realize you trapped yourself behind a dead dragon with the Hall Monster creeping up behind you, and best of all, seeing how far you can get without losing your Winky.

Plot & Storyline: 1/5

Non existent plot and storyline typical of older games, but I think even a weak attempt at plot would actually detract from the game.

Challenge: 4/5

Incredibly hard and frustrating at times, but not impossible. At its best when you're cussing at the screen.

Play Control: 2/5

There's a delay when moving and changing directions, which has the effect of actually adding challenge to the game. I gave this a low rating, but the game wouldn't be the same without it.

Replay Value: 3/5

Easy to come back to, and easy to pick up and play, but more variety in the levels would be really nice.

Retroliciousness: 5/5

Old graphics, great music for the time, has all the components needed to embody the original gaming experience.

Overall Pete Rating: 3.5/5

A must play for any true gamer. An excellent first foray into old school gaming for those unfamiliar with it.