The gameplay of Jumping Jackie for the Atari 2600 is inspired by the original Jumping Jack for the ZX Spectrum; however, it is not a direct port of the original game. Jumping Jackie for the Atari 2600 was developed with both the strengths and limitations of the Atari 2600 hardware in mind. While the core concept of the original game remains largely intact, numerous modifications have been made. As in the original, you help Jackie jump through moving holes to reach the top of the screen. You must think quickly and act fast.

Jackie has just married Jack, but now Jack, the Jumping Jack from the house of ZX Spectrum, has disappeared. Jackie suspects he might have run away to his ex-girlfriend. To find him, she needs to turn into the Jumping Jackie and jump higher and higher. However, her new mother-in-law, the Giga Mouse, keeps causing trouble and making things even more difficult.

VIDEO

PICTURES

BASICS

• You need to jump higher and higher to reach the next floor. The only way up is through the holes. If you hit the floor instead of a hole, it will harm you.
• You can run in both directions. The longer you keep running, the faster you go.
• There are five levels, each one more challenging than the previous one. The floors on each level are a different colour ranging from easy to hard. Once you reach the top floor on the fifth level, you have won.

CONTROLS

Action	Game behaviour
RESET switch / Joystick 1 Fire	Starts the game
SELECT switch	Chooses game difficulty (if Jackie is red, it gets harder). Works before the game starts.
Joystick 1 Left	Jackie runs left
Joystick 1 Left	Jackie runs right
Joystick 1 Fire	Jackie jumps

GAME MODES

You can switch between White Mode (for rookies) and Red Mode (for pros). To do so, use the SELECT switch before the games starts. If Red Mode is active, Jackie changes from white to red.

WHITE Mode	RED Mode
Lose a life only if Jackie falls all the way to the bottom.	Lose a life every time Jackie falls – no mercy!
The Giga Mouse always moves in the same predictable pattern – no surprises here.	The Giga Mouse goes wild and changes floors randomly – stay sharp!
Jackie just chills and waits patiently if you pause; she won’t take off without you.	Jackie gets antsy; if you go idle, she’ll start moving on her own.
Floors speed up on the last two levels.	Floors move fast on every level.

Beware: The Giga Mouse does not harm you on the 1st level. But on each subsequent level, you will lose one life when you encounter the Giga Mouse. On the final, 5th floor, the Giga Mouse will kill you as soon as you touch her.

The game is completely free of charge. You may play it many different ways using

• the original Atari 2600 (you may save the game file on an SD card put into your Harmony cartridge or Unocart)
• the Atari 2600+ if you flash your Harmony card with this game (in single mode). Use of the NTSC game version is recommended, even if your 2600+ is connected to a PAL TV
• the Stella emulator on your computer (PC/Mac/Linux)
• an Atari 2600 emulator app for Android
• the Javatari online player
• various consoles with Atari 2600 support and an SD card slot (Anbernic etc.)

There are many new ideas in my mind for developing Jumping Jackie in the future. Buying me a coffee will help me go further! If you support me with at least $4, I’ll create something very special for you by changing the Giga Mouse into any monster of your choice. Leave me a message with your expectations while buying a coffee.

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