Mouse Trap (1981 video game)

Exidy
Industry	Video game development and publishing
Headquarters	United States
Products	Mouse Trap (arcade game)

Mouse Trap is a maze video game created by Exidy and launched in arcades in 1981. It shares similarities with Pac-Man, substituting the protagonist with a mouse, cheese pieces for dots, cats in place of ghosts, and bones instead of energizers. When the mouse collects a bone, it temporarily transforms into a dog that can consume cats. The maze incorporates color-coded doors that players can toggle to obstruct the cats' paths. Additionally, a hawk periodically flies across the maze, unaffected by walls.

In 1982, Coleco released a version of Mouse Trap for the ColecoVision console as part of its launch lineup, followed by adaptations for Intellivision and Atari 2600.

Gameplay

Players guide a mouse through a maze using a four-direction joystick to gather cheese pieces scattered throughout. The maze is guarded by six cats, which begin with two active and release four more one at a time. The maze contains three sets of color-coded doors that players can open or close using designated buttons to block the cats’ movement. Entering the "IN" box teleports the mouse randomly to one of four corners, providing an escape route from pursuing cats. Contact with any cat results in losing one life.

Bones positioned in the corners of the maze can be collected and activated with a fourth button, causing the mouse to transform into a dog temporarily. In this form, the player can eat cats for extra points and temporarily remove them from the maze; however, cats respawn more quickly during this period. Bones not used carry over between levels and lives.

At intervals, a hawk flies through the maze and can capture both mouse and dog regardless of walls, costing the player a life. The only way to avoid the hawk is by entering the "IN" box, which causes it to fly unpredictably before leaving.

Bonus items appear intermittently within the maze for additional points; collecting one causes a higher-value prize to appear elsewhere. This bonus sequence resets if the player loses a life or obtains the highest-value bonus object. Clearing all cheese on the board grants a bonus score and advances to the subsequent level.

Ports

Coleco converted Mouse Trap for its ColecoVision system featuring 15 prize items instead of 32, an option to disable the hawk, and modified sound effects. The Intellivision adaptation introduced an audio warning signaling approaching cats. Scoring was adjusted: cheese awards 90 points each, while cats yield between 100 and 1100 points.

The Atari 2600 version by Coleco simplified both graphics and gameplay mechanics. The maze is smaller with brighter walls; door colors flicker as one uniform set. Notably absent are key elements such as the hawk, "IN" box teleportation area, and bonus prizes; only three cats appear instead of six, and all doors toggle simultaneously. The joystick button toggles door states or activates stored bones via long press or quick tap. Scoring was lowered: cheese is worth 1 point, cats provide 10 points without incremental increases, and completing the maze grants 100 points.

Reception

Michael Blanchet observed in his 1982 book How to Beat the Video Games that Mousetrap's gameplay "closely resembles that of Pac-Man with a couple of very interesting twists". Conversely, Electronic Games (1983) reported that arcade operators regarded it as just another "basic" maze game, which limited its commercial appeal.

Reviews

Games #44

Legacy

In 1982, Buckner & Garcia released "Mousetrap" on their album Pac-Man Fever, incorporating sound effects from the game. When re-recording in 1999, they substituted original sounds with dog and cat noises recorded at a pet store due to lack of access to the arcade machine.

External links