Serpentine

Genre: Maze
Developer: David Snider
Publisher: Brøderbund Software
Year: 1982
System: Atari 8-bit

Serpentine is a single-player maze-action game developed by David Snider and published by Brøderbund Software in 1982 for the Atari 8-bit family, alongside releases on Apple II, VIC-20, and Commodore 64. The player controls a segmented “good” snake in a maze populated by three opposing “evil” snakes.

Gameplay involves consuming enemy snake segments—starting from their tails—to defeat them. When enemy snakes shrink smaller than the player’s snake, they turn green and can be eaten head-on. Green frogs appear randomly and, when eaten, add a segment to the player’s snake. Snakes occasionally lay eggs: the player’s eggs mature into extra lives if left until the level ends, while eggs from enemy snakes hatch into new adversaries unless destroyed. Each level ends once all enemy snakes are eliminated, after which the player returns to a protected zone and advances to a new maze. The Atari cartridge version includes five mazes, fewer than the twenty found in versions for other platforms.

As levels progress, enemy snakes grow faster and longer, while the player’s snake slows as it grows. Players start each life at standard speed. Strategic play involves timing egg laying, choosing when to chase, and controlling growth to manage speed and vulnerability.