APB (1987 video game)

APB
Flyer showing the arcade cabinet's attached seat
Developer(s)Atari Games (arcade)
Tengen
Publisher(s)Atari Games (arcade)
Domark
Atari Corporation (Lynx)
Designer(s)Mike Hally
Programmer(s)David Theurer
Alan Murphy
Russell Dawe
Artist(s)Mike West
Composer(s)Arcade
Brad Fuller
Hal Canon
Earl Vickers
Amiga
David Whittaker
Platform(s)Arcade, Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Lynx, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC
Release1987: Arcade
1989: Amiga, ST, C64, Spectrum, Amstrad CPC
1991: Lynx
Genre(s)Vehicular combat
Mode(s)Single-player
Arcade systemAtari System 2

APB (short for "All Points Bulletin") is a video game released in arcades by Atari Games in 1987. The player assumes the role of "Officer Bob," a rookie police officer. As Bob, players drive around the city, ticketing motorists for minor infractions and pulling over more serious offenders. Eventually, players must apprehend criminals for which an all-points bulletin has been called.

The arcade cabinet looks like a police car, with a gas pedal, steering wheel and a siren button, complete with flashing lights atop the unit. The game's cartoonish visuals and sense of humor gained it positive reviews. The game was slightly criticized for its difficulty; the game's developers later admitted that a long development cycle had resulted in the gameplay growing more complicated than originally planned.

Ports of APB were released for the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum in 1989. The home versions were mostly developed by Tengen and published by Domark.[1][2] A version for the Atari Lynx handheld was published later, in 1991.

  1. ^ APB. Zzap! October 1989. p.18.
  2. ^ Knight, Kyle. "A.P.B. - Review". All Game. Rovi. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. Retrieved August 16, 2012.