Page 27 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #5

! ! ! ! Atari 2600

Double-Enders
he Xonox label was created for the
videogame division of K-Tel Corporation. At Artillery Duel/Ghost Rare
the time, K-Tel was well known for their old- Chuck Norris Superkicks/ Common
ies record collections, which they hawked Artillery Duel
on late night TV. They chose the name
Xonox because it reads the same upside Chuck Norris Superkicks/ Rare
down. While their games were very original, Commodore Vic-20 Ghost Manor
the graphics were on the blocky side. The Single-Enders
initial releases were all double-enders; the Chuck Norris Superkicks/ Rare
final games were down to single-enders. Artillery Duel ???? Spike's Peak
Most of the games were re-released in vari-
ous combinations, but some games were Chuck Norris Superkicks ???? Ghost Manor/Spike's Common
produced in such limited quantities that they
are rare today. The double-enders were Ghost Manor ???? Motocross Racer/Tomarc Extremely
even re-released as singles and these are the Barbarian Rare
also considered scarce. Spike's Peak ????
Apparently K-Tel marketing was either Robin Hood/Sir Lancelot Rare
trying all the possibilities seeking the right
formula, or they just wanted to get the most Robin Hood/Super Kung- Very Rare
money for each program by getting product Commodore Vic-20
out on the store shelves. Chuck Norris Su- Double-Enders Spike's Peak/Artillery Very Rare
perkicks can be found under the following Artillery Duel/Chuck Norris
aliases: Ku-Fu Superkicks and Super Kung- Superkicks Very Rare
Fu. Tomarc the Barbarian was originally Atari 2600
called Thundarr the Barbarian but was re- Ghost Manor / Spike's Very Rare Single-Enders
named when the licensing deal fell through. Peak
Vic-20 double-enders are square-shaped. Artillery Duel Rare
Many games were also made in PAL format. It's Only Rock N' Roll Very Rare
There may have been some connection with Chuck Norris Superkicks Rare
Xonox and Bally. The Artillery Duel cart that Motocross Racer/ Extremely
was released by Bally on the Astrocade Tomarc the Barbarian Rare Ghost Manor Rare
looks very similar. Motocross Racer Rare
When one counts the number of games Robin Hood/Sir Lancelot Very Rare
in their collection, it is my view that all com- Robin Hood Very Rare
bos should not be counted over and over,
just once for each unique game. Then it ColecoVision Sir Lancelot Very Rare
becomes a question of listing the games. Is Single-Enders
it Artillery Duel/Spike's Peak or Spike's Spike's Peak Very Rare
Peak/Artillery Duel? Artillery Duel Rare
Here's what I have noticed: Most of the Chuck Norris Superkicks Rare Tomarc the Barbarian Rare
combos show the label separated diagonally
into 2 triangles with a game title in each. It's Only Rock N' Roll Very Rare
There is a number (1 or 2) in a bottom cor- If one is into collecting all the known la-
ner of each. This provides the actual order Motocross Racer Very Rare bel variations, the following third parties
of the titles. The initial releases did not have have legally re-issued some games under
this style label, but their order can be deter- Robin Hood Very Rare their own labels:
mined by the way they were marketed. I
have come up with a memory device that Sir Lancelot Very Rare • Telegames for 2600 (silver label)
takes what I have discussed into considera- Slurpy Very Rare Kung-fu SuperKicks
tion: • JerryG for CV (gold label)
Tomarc the Barbarian Very Rare
Each combo should have each game • Motocross Racer
listed in alphabetical order with the excep- Word Feud Very Rare • Adams's House for CV (white label)
tions of Chuck Norris Superkicks/Artillery Tomarc the Barbarian
Duel (the star always gets top billing), & • Kung-Fu Superkicks
Spike's Peak/Artillery Duel (numbered 1 & 2, ColecoVision
in that order). Double-Enders There are probably others.
The label is generic with no company name
The purpose of the following lists is to Artillery Duel/Chuck Norris Rare mentioned on it.
arrive at a complete catalog listing of every Superkicks
known Xonox single or combination, and Motocross Racer/Tomarc Extremely If anyone has any Xonox or third party carts
hopefully eliminate some of the confusion: not listed above, please contact me at
the Barbarian Rare albackiel @aol.com.
It's Only Rock N' Roll Very Rare

Robin Hood/Sir Lancelot Rare
Classic Gamer Magazine December 2000 27