Atari Bytes

Classic '80s detective series "Magnum P.I." was supposed to end ****SPOILER HORN FOR THIRTY YEAR OLD SHOW**** with Magnum dying from multiple gunshot wounds, the last shot of the episode being Magnum walking up to the pearly gates with a contented smile on his face. That finale was actually aired. But then CBS convinced Tom Selleck to return to the show and Magnum survived. What does any of this have to do with this week's game, the 1986 Atari space odyssey SOLARIS? Absolutely nothing. Except for this. SOLARIS was a follow up to STAR RAIDERS that came out in 1986, the dregs of Atari's end of days - it was about as dead as Magnum on that ER exam table - just before the NES really started to stomp all over all other gaming consoles. SOLARIS allowed Atari, instead of dying, to sit up once more and gasp, "I want a pint of stout". Seriously, you need to go find "Magnum, P.I." on Netflix. Thanks to Kevin McLeod at Incompetech.com for creative commons use of his songs "Reformat", "Take a Chance" and "Pinball Spring"