General:

Date of Release: 17^th August 1983

Model Nr: PG-74
Acronym: Popeye Game
Rating: DC3V 0.0002W
Battery: 'C' batteries x 2
Manufactured: Japan
Sold: Less than 250,000 (USA & Europe Only)
Nr. of players: 1
Lives: 3
Modes: Game A & Game B
Controls: Left and Right Control Lever. Punch Button.
Other Buttons: Game A, Game B, Time, Alarm & ACL

Game-Play:

Popeye is also the same game as the Panorama (PG-92). Here you control Popeye left and right. You are on a bridge at the harbour fighting Brutus, who has captured Olive. Your object is to punch Brutus into the Ocean and save Olive. If you capture the can of spinach that Olive kicks down to you Brutus gets punched onto the hook.

Game differences:

In Game B you have to watch out for the swordfish that tries to get you from below.

Trivia:

Highest possible score is 999. At 300 points your misses are erased and if you didn't have any misses, your score is doubled until you get a miss.

Cheats and tricks:

If the last 2 digits of your score are 01-30, you have to only hit Brutus twice before he takes a step back. 4 times if you are about to hit him in the water. 31-70, you have to hit him 3 times (5 times for the water) and 71-00, 4 times (6 times for the water) before he takes a step back. When Brutus punches, move Popeye back to avoid the blow. Even if Popeye is at the very right of the screen, he can avoid Brutus punches by moving the control lever to the right. If the swordfish get Popeye, he will take a step back. Every 3 times you knock Brutus in the water, Olive will kick a can of spinach down towards Popeye, and if he catches it, he punches Brutus so hard, he that he is caught by a hook, which means Popeye can save Olive. As the game progresses, Brutus throws more and more punches.

Points:

When Brutus takes a step back, score 2 points. When Brutus is knocked into the ocean, score 5 points. When Popeye saves Olive, score 15 points.

Misses:

When Popeye is on the right edge of the pier and Brutus punches him into the ocean, score a miss. When you have 3 misses (shown by Popeye's on the upper right side of the screen.), the game ends.

Other notices:

If you hold in Game A or Game B key the highest previous score will be displayed. If the unit is left as it is after game is over, time display will appear in about five minutes. A game is not interrupted even if TIME key or other game keys are depressed during game playing. Pressing ACL switch or removing batteries erases high score from memory.

Issue Differences (click to enlarge pictures)

The table will show how to tell the different Issues that were made:

N/A

The battery covers seem to have a number on the back, but they seem to vary a lot and I won't even speculate what the difference is.

Box Variations (Click to enlarge):

Game Variations:

Shipping Box:

Fits 10 games

Instructions (English):

Instructions (Japanese):

Pictures Wanted

Instruction Variations:

Other Paperwork: