Captain Beeble

Captain Beeble is a horizontally-scrolling shoot 'em up 16-bit cartridge game for Atari 400 and Atari 800, created by programmer Bob Connell for Inhome Software and published in 1983. This cartridge is now considered very rare.

The player moves Captain Beeble through a series of tunnels and caves by directing the thrust of his jet-pack, similar to the control in Asteroids (video game). A light gravity effect is the only external force moving Captain Beeble.

In each level the player must pilot the captain through labyrinthine caves, dealing with Space Invaders-like "bugs" and moving blocks along the way, to retrieve a crystal and return it to the "C.P.U." -- Crystal Processing Unit -- where he began. Beeble's task is complicated by limited jet pack fuel and the volatility of the crystal. If he carries the crystal too long it explodes. Scoring is based on points, with 100 points earned for every bug killed, and 1000 points for each completed level (i.e. returned crystal).

Levels get progressively harder with the introduction of more obstacles, narrower tunnels, more bugs, and poisonous walls that cause Beeble to explode on contact.