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Hello everyone. We are moving to a new, bigger premises so website ordering will be closed for the next month while we move everything to our new building, reorganise and do a full stock take. We will not be taking any orders or able to reply to any messages during this time. We will be open again at the start of December. Many thanks. Console Passion

Mattel Intellivision

The Mattel Intellivision was test released in 1979 by Mattel Electronics, and was the first Video Games Console to have a 16Bit processor. The console had a 4K Internal Rom system, and was based on a General Instruments Chipset. The console came with two hand controllers built in which sported a twelve button keypad, four action keys and a direction disc. At the time when Atari was the only other major video game manufacturer, this control pad was very unusual.

General release went ahead in 1980, with four cartridges: Poker & Blackjack, Math Fun, Armour Battle, and Backgammon. The original price was $299 which was double the cost of Atari's game console, but this didn't affect sales - nearly 200,000 units were sold in the first year. With the promise of an imminent keyboard add-on which would turn the console too, consumers were interested in the new video games console.

In 1981 Mattel went ahead with an aggressive advertisement campaign, which proclaimed the Intellivision better than the number one selling consoles at the time - the Atari VCS (later the Atari 2600). This in turn generated a lot of media coverage of the 'war' between the two consoles, which in fairness did neither of them any harm. By the end of its second year the Intellivision had sold close to one million consoles.

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Although the promised keyboard add-on never appeared (this was one of Mattel's original selling points - the fact the console would also act as a computer - something that never actually passed the test phases) a voice synthesis add-on was released in 1982, known as the Intellivoice. This was a 'plug-through' adapter, that added speech to games which supported this feature. These included B17-Bomber, where you would hear orders passed to you from your co-pilots!

The Intellivision soon had new competition from the Colecovision, which had better Graphics & Sound, support from arcade companies like Nintendo, Sega & Konami, and even had an add on adapter that allowed it to play all the Atari games currently on the market. As a result, the Intellivision lost some of its market share to the new console.

In an attempt recoup some of their losses from Atari & Coleco, Mattel introduced the Intellivision II in 1983, which was a cheaper looking black plastic unit, retailing at $150 (I'm sure this is just a coincidence, but Atari moved away from their 'wood grain' console, to the sleeker black-plastic 2600 around a similar time!). And, just like Coleco had done the previous year, they also introduced the System Changer Module, which allowed Atari 2600 games to be played on the Intellivision.

Unfortunately for Mattel (and indeed Atari, Coleco & MB) the influx of new consoles and cheap video games causes saturation of the market - there simply weren't enough sales to go round. All four main console manufacturers slashed the prices of their consoles, resulting in massive losses, redundancies and eventually the crash of the American Video Game Market. Enter stage right a Moustached Italian Plumber and a Japanese Pachinko machine manufacturer, and a whole new era of video gaming is born.

So that's the potted history of the Colecovision. A console which lost out to the video game crash due to poor management decisions and market saturation. A shame really, with over 100 titles, the console was starting to have a nice catalogue, thanks to the 'Blue Sky Rangers', Mattel's in-house software development team. However, titles such as Space Armada, Star Strike & Mission X still get some play time around my house - the Intellivision is still the console of choice for my missus. And with the recent release of Intellivision Lives for the X-Box & Playstation 2, a whole new generation are being introduced to these games too.

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Lock N Chase

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£18.00
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£18.00

Your thief is robbing the local bank! Four police officers are hot on his trail. Grab gold coins & treasures on the run! Keep one jump ahead of the law! When the cops close in.make tracks in another direction. Run into a cop and your caught - there's nowhere to hide.

Major League Baseball

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£12.00
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Not just baseball. But baseball where you control the action. Two nine-man teams play a full nine-inning game with all the strategy of real Major League Baseball! It's all there from the crack of the bat to the simulated roar of the crowd - and you control it all!

Las Vegas Poker and Blackjack

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Blackjack! Five Card Stud Poker! Seven Card Stud Poker! Five Card Draw Poker! You play against a shifty eyed, computer-smart dealer. Fast playing, pretend stakes! Action direct from Las Vegas - A Casino in a cartridge!

Las Vegas Roulette

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£12.00
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Join the high rollers at the roulette table. Place your pretend bets then spin the electronic wheel. Try your own system, but watch out - Lady Luck is fickle! Your make-believe winnings may grow or dwindle - just like in Las Vegas.

Lady Bug

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£20.00
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£20.00

Guide the Ladybug around the maze. Eat hearts and lettuce to increase your score. New enemies enter the maze when the border is lit. Move the maze doors to escape enemies, but avoid the poisonous skulls. Each new maze becomes more difficult; enemies moving faster but rewards are greater.

Horse Racing

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£12.00
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Have an exciting Day at the races as you watch a stable of electronic thoroughbreds run 10 times! Two players become jockeys, trying to out sprint and out manoeuvre each other and the computer's horses. Simulated betting action and racing thrills show you why this is the sport of kings.

Hockey

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£12.00
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The speed and thrills of blazing hockey action on the ice! Animated players battle for the puck! You and your opponent start with the face-off at centre ice, skate everywhere on the rink, shoot and score goals!

Golf

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£12.00
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A demanding 9-hole course! You'll need all the concentration, control and strategy you can muster to come in under par. Sand traps, rough, water - this course has them all! Play medal or match, singles or best ball. Even figure your own handicap.

Frogger

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£18.00
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£18.00

Based on the popular Arcade Game from Sega. Life isn't all lazy days and lily pads for a frog - it abounds with dangers. Guide your frantic frog home to safety in a madcap dash across a busy highway and a treacherous river. Fast and furious action is guaranteed to keep things hopping.

Frog Bog

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£14.00
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£14.00

Sitting upon two lily pads in the middle of a lily pond are a pair of hungry frogs; one for you, one for your opponent. Overhead swarm delicious flies. Whether or not your frog scores his dinner while you rack up points is entirely up to you. You control the height and direction of his jump; even the flick of his long pink tongue. Leap too high or at the wrong angle and "Pl-op" your frog goes into the pond. He must swim back to his lily pad, taking away valuable scoring time while your opponent goes on racking up points. As play continues, night will come to the pond. Or, you can choose to play the entire round at night, leaping for fireflies -- in the dark.

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