Avalanche

Avalanche challenges players to prevent cascades of falling rocks from reaching the bottom of the screen. Using a rotating knob to control a multi-tiered platform, your objective is to catch each descending row before it touches down. Successfully catching a full row clears it and earns points, but doing so also reduces the height of your platform, making subsequent rows increasingly difficult as they become smaller and faster. The game features six initial rows of rocks, with later refills offering fewer tiers for protection. Scoring is based on the row number of each caught rock – higher rows yield more points. Clever maneuvering and precise timing are key to survival, as missed rocks reset their position at the top of the screen. Released in 1978 by Atari, Avalanche’s simple premise and escalating challenge provided a compelling test of skill for arcade-goers, though it ultimately faced competition from other popular titles of the era.