AGH Atari 2600 Review: LOCK 'N' CHASE by M-Network (Mattel) One of the better Intellivision (and arcade) ports around, Lock 'N' Chase thrusts you into the role of a thief who must collect all the dots while avoiding the cops (sound familiar?). Once you do, an exit opens up and you have to escape before you're caught. As you're being chased, you have the ability to lay down up to two barriers to deter your pursuers, but the barriers are not permanent and soon disappear. As in other games of the same genre, points are awarded for picking up the bonus item (a box, in this case.) As usual, there are some tradeoffs compared to the arcade game. First, you can lay barriers hrizontally but not vertically, so forget about trapping the cops in the corners. Plus, the cops have no personality -- they just chase after you. The graphics aren't that good either. While the cops look like the robots from Berzerk, you look like a hat with legs. If you're caught, you don't collapse in your hat, you just start again. You won't find much in the sound department either, just generic noises. The controls are very good, enabling you to make fast turns and evasive maneuvers. Despite its many shortcomings, Lock 'N' Chase is an addicting game. If you were put off by the Intellivision's bad controls (and many of us were, no doubt), then go with this one. You won't get the great graphics, but the gameplay's all there... and isn't that what matters? Title Lock 'N' Chase Publisher M-Network (Mattel) System Atari 2600 (VCS) Graphics 5 Sound 6 Gameplay 8 Overall 7 Reviewer Adam King