Surrender Your Quarters: The Classic Arcade Games Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
2 min
Surrender Your Quarters: The Classic Arcade Games Quiz
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About This Quiz

Arcade games were claiming millions of dollars in quarters long before the first home video game systems showed up on store shelves. Take our quiz to see how much you remember about these classic arcade games!
Who is not one of the ghosts in "Pac-Man?"
Blinky
Inky
Fred
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

There are four ghosts that chase Pac-Man in the games. Their names are Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde, and all have distinct travel patterns.

What does the joystick control in "Defender?"
spaceship
alien
asteroid
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In "Defender," players use a joystick to control a spaceship, which is used to destroy invading aliens while protecting astronauts on the surface of the planet.

What cool feature did "Galaxian" offer that wasn't found on "Space Invaders?"
3-D glasses
voice control
diving ships
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Galaxian" was one of many "Space Invaders" clones introduced in 1979, but it offered one feature not found in the original -- alien ships that could dive down out of formation for a more targeted attack.

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What tool can you use to flip all enemies on the screen in "Mario Bros.?"
cherry
POW block
mushroom
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Hitting the POW block would flip all enemies to their backs, but the block could only be used three times before it would disappear.

Which of the following was not a threat in "Centipede?"
cockroaches
spiders
scorpions
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

To win at "Centipede," players were forced to avoid a host of obstacles including spiders, scorpions and fleas -- not to mention a screen filled with dangerous mushrooms.

What kind of creature is Coily from "Q*bert?"
ape
spider
snake
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A player loses a life in "Q*bert" when he runs into Coily the snake or crosses paths with a pair of purple bad guys named Ugg and Wrongway.

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Which classic game featured a ship named Blaster?
"Space Invaders"
"Tron"
"Tempest"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the 1981 game "Tempest," players guided a ship named Blaster down a 3-D tunnel while destroying obstacles using a Super Zapper.

What kind of animal is the title character in "Pengo?"
lion
penguin
duck
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Pengo is a penguin who moves along a maze of ice blocks while avoiding the evil Snow Bees in the 1982 arcade favorite.

What year did "Ms. Pac-Man" come out?
1971
1981
1991
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The power pellet-chomping "Ms. Pac-Man" started gobbling quarters in 1981. The game was similar to the original "Pac-Man," but featured different colored screens and solid walls, plus additional warp tunnels that allowed players to sneak across the screen.

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What year did the first major arcade game -- "Pong" -- hit arcades?
1962
1972
1982
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Made by Atari, "Pong" became the first commercially successful arcade game in the 1970s, spawning dozens of imitators and inspiring an arcade frenzy. The first "Pong" prototype was installed in a California bar in 1972, and the rest is gaming history.

How many rows of aliens do players have to defeat in "Space Invaders"?
3
5
7
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Players use a laser gun on the bottom of the screen to blast through five rows of aliens in the classic 1978 game.

What was the original name of "Pac-Man?"
"Disc-Man"
"Puck-Man"
"Pizza-Man"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The first "Pac-Man" machines were installed in a Japanese movie theater in 1979. By the time the game came to the U.S. the next year, the name had been changed to "Pac-Man."

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How many levels of "Pac-Man" do you need to complete for a perfect score?
100
256
999
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The maximum possible score in the game is 3,333,360. It took world record holder Billy Mitchell 6 hours and 256 levels to get his name at the top of the "Pac-Man" record books in 1999.

What's the most valuable bonus item in "Pac-Man?"
pretzel
banana
key
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Forget fruit; the bonuses prizes in "Pac-Man" range from a cherry worth 100 points to a key worth 5,000 points.

What color car is used by players in the classic "Rally-X" game?
blue
red
yellow
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In "Rally-X" players must steer a blue car around a maze, capturing flags while avoiding a red car in hot pursuit.

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Which of these was "Rally-X" famous for?
3-D graphics
background music
wireless controllers
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Rally-X" came out in 1980 and was one of the first games to have continuous background music. The Namco-produced arcade classic was also one of the first games to introduce the concept of bonus rounds.

Which of these can Frogger jump on in the water?
lily pads
sand bars
logs
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The 1980 favorite "Frogger" challenges players to cross a busy road, then traverse across a river using logs, alligators or turtles.

What happens when you reach 990,000 points in "Defender?"
extra lives
game resets to the beginning
game permanently shuts down
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Defender" had a strange bug that rewarded players with bonus lives and extra ammo at 990,000 points. Once the player reached a million points, the game would restart, but players would still get to keep those extra lives in the rebooted game.

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What company produced "Asteroids?"
Nintendo
Atari
Namco
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Atari introduced "Asteroids," in which players guide a triangle-shaped ship through a field of asteroids and hostile UFOs, in 1979.

How many segments did the classic "Tron" game have?
2
3
4
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Tron featured four distinct segments when it came out in 1982, including Battle Tanks, Light Cycles, Grid Bugs and the MCP Showdown.

How many cubes are in each level of "Q*bert?"
12
28
56
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the 1982 favorite "Q*bert," players guide the title character down a pyramid made of 28 cubes. As Q*bert hops on each cube, it changes color.

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Which game featured an aircraft named Solvalou?
"Xevious"
"Defender"
"Space Invaders"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the 1983 scrolling shooter "Xevious," players control a combat aircraft named Solvalou while avoiding enemy attacks from the ground.

What are the dragons called in "Dig Dug?"
Fygars
Flubers
Pookas
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Dig Dug" featured two types of bad guys, including fire-breathing dragons called Fygars and cute little monsters known as Pookas.

Which of these does Popeye collect in the 1983 arcade title?
hearts
stars
coins
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the game, Popeye must collect hearts, musical notes or letters dropped by Olive Oyl, all while avoiding Brutus and other enemies.

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What color hair does the player's fighter have in "Punch-Out!!?"
blond
black
green
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Players control a green-haired fighter while boxing with such foes as Glass Joe and Quick Kid in the 1984 arcade game.

What kind of creature is Mr Do?
superhero
wolfman
clown
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Introduced in 1982, "Mr. Do!" was a "Dig-Dug"-style game featuring a clown who collected cherries while avoiding a gang of red monsters.

How many different worlds were in the original "Donkey Kong?"
2
3
4
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Players had to work their way through four different worlds of obstacles in the 1981 game, including the opening ladder scenes, a series of conveyor belts, a bunch of elevators, and finally, a level that required Mario to remove rivets to defeat the great ape.

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Who is Mario trying to rescue in the original "Donkey Kong?"
Darlene
Pauline
Peach
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Princess Peach wasn't around when "Donkey Kong" debuted. Instead, the angry ape was holding Pauline hostage, and Mario was off to the rescue!

What year did the "Mario Bros." arcade game come out?
1977
1980
1983
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In the original 1983 version of "Mario Bros.," enemies spilled from a series of underground pipes, leaving Mario and Luigi stuck fighting in the sewer.

What's the most valuable bonus item in "Ms. Pac-Man?"
cherry
pretzel
banana
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Like in the original "Pac-Man" game, cherries in "Ms. Pac-Man" are worth 100 points. To really max out the scoreboard, look for bananas, which add a whopping 5,000 points to your total.

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