Stella's Stocking is a fun compilation of Christmas games and Christmas music from a collaboration of talented programmers. Dave Exton did a great job on the manual and label artwork. My two favorite games from this cartridge are Stay Frosty and Grandma's Revenge. Stay Frosty is a fun little platformer with great graphics by Darrell Spice Jr. Grandma's Revenge is a holiday-themed version of Death Race that has Driver Controller support and two-player support. As for the other 3 games, Elf Dash is an interesting one, but has some confusing controls. Cold War and Tossing Cookies are two rather simple games that might be better for the little ones. Overall, it's an excellent value and it's even fun to just turn it on and watch the 8-bit fireplace while listening to the Christmas tunes on the main screen.

I annoyed Al to restock this game when I first got into collecting for 2600. When he finally did, I was not disappointed with my order--got all of the available 2600 Christmas themed games!

Great variety and of course solid gameplay. Stay Frosty is a classic, Elf Dash is a hidden gem, and using the driving controller with Grandma's Revenge is twisted fun!

This is an older collection, but no less fun than some of the newer titles! It has an amazing themed menu selection screen, and five Christmas-themed titles:

Stay Frosty: This is my favorite of the collection, and worth the cost of the cartridge all on its own. You are a snowman putting out stray fires while finding ice blocks to avoid melting completely. It's a great combination of puzzle and platform game, with amazing graphics, and good sound effects. Great concept, and excellent execution!

Elf Dash: Collect the items you need, and avoid haywire toys that can knock you down along the way, I like the countdown timer instead of lives and score, and the strategy of timing with the elevators. This one is a lot of fun, and my second favorite of the collection.

Cold War: This is a simple but fun two-player game. You control one of two snowmen on your side, trying to hit the snowmen on your opponent's side with snowballs. It's much like an enhanced, holiday-themed Outlaw.

Tossing Cookies: You are Santa trying to capture your wayward reindeer! Collect cookies, pacify each reindeer with a cookie, then catch them. The gameplay is pretty straight-forward, but could use a little more variety. Still, it's cute, and an original concept.

Grandma's Revenge: After her untimely demise due to careless reindeer, grandma's spirit is seeking revenge by trying to run over all 9 reindeer with a car. Brilliant concept for sure. :) I appreciate that this game can optionally make use of the driving controller, and it plays much better that way. While not my favorite of the collection, it may grow on me as I get good enough to pass the first level, and try out the two-player variant.

Overall: This is a fun collection, and very well packaged with a festive menu / game selector. It's well worth the price, and I highly recommend it.

One of the best original multicarts you can get on the Atari 2600! Though it has been surpassed by The Byte Before Christmas, this is still a very nice collection of games.

Games included:

Stay Frosty: The golden game of this package! Addictive puzzle-platform game in which you have to absorb all fireballs present in order to proceed on; each level and loop will literally get more heated and challenging! Expanded and improved in every way in Stay Frosty 2, but still a damn awesome game on its own!

Elf Dash: Very nice speed game where you play as an elf in a big rush to finish his errands of collecting the remaining gifts inside a closing Santa's Workshop! However, there are rogue toys out to prevent the elf from finishing his work and want him to stay in the workshop. I really like the variety of each toy you have to avoid and is the 2nd-best game on the package!

Cold War: Holiday-themed Outlaw; not really my cup of tea, but if you enjoyed Outlaw, then you'll most likely enjoy this.

Grandma's Revenge: Grandma gets here revenge on this cool remake of Death Race 2000 (late-1970s Exidy game). Makes great use of the Atari Driving Controller and a fun little game where you turn Reindeer into guts! I'd consider this to be the 3rd-best game of this package.

Tossing Cookies: Perhaps the worst game on this collection (no offense to the creator); you pilot Santa and his reindeer to get cookies to keep up his energy, avoid clouds that slow him down, as well as avoid lightning to save Christmas. It's too easy and sounds better on paper than it actually is.

While technically weaker than The Byte Before Christmas, which I enjoyed all the games on there, I'm still giving this package the same score, if only for Stay Frosty; it's that good! Also, that interface; damn nice looking!

Stella’s Stocking a video game review

Recently I received the Atari Age homebrew game Stella’s Stocking, which is actually a 5 games in 1 cart. This cartridge I always wanted to purchase from the Atari Age game store, but as luck would have it, this game turned up on ebay.de, eliminating the US to DE postage costs.
Not that this would make any difference, if I want a title from the USofA, I buy it, no matter what postage and customs charges occur.

My cartridge is one of the limited editions, it being number 69 out of, I presume, 100, which is in itself cool already.
First off, my Stella’s Stocking cartridge is PAL, meaning it was developed for the European Television format. Basically insert the cart into the old VCS, it works straight out of the box, no TV line adjustment needed.

Stella’s Stocking comes with a well-printed colourful 8-page manual made with sturdy paper and it is of very high quality indeed. The title “Stella’s Stocking” is not printed on the instruction title page, instead it says “Happy Holidays”, which, personally, I find kinda weird, but why not. We also have a great picture of Stella putting gifts into stockings.
Open the page you’ll find an explanation of the Stella cart, for example that it utilizes 64K, a first for Atari Age (this game cartridge is from 2007), that there’s 5 video games on the cart, and that the menu selection screen has some great music, and I quote: Quite possible the best music ever heard in a 2600 game”.
I always like little back info like that.

Onwards, the next pages are devoted to the games, every game instruction is one page long, which also includes some excellent game art. Game 1 is called COLD WAR, controls and gameplay is explained within the instructions. Game number 2 is TOSSING COOKIES, number 3 is STAY FROSTY, number 4 is called ELF DASH, and last but not least, we’ll find GRANDMA’S REVENGE as the fifth game.
Humorous headlines accompany all the games, that gives a nice touch.

A box for the cartridge is not available, that is a bit of a shame, as I like my video games in boxes, but nevermind.
The cartridge label is also of high quality, and it shows the same girl, Stella, she herself wearing stockings, putting gifts into stockings hanging on the chimney wall. The name of the game is printed on the label, and down on the bottom of the cart, the number 69 is written within a small, white square. Underneath is says, “AtariAge Holiday Greetings 2007”. An end label is provided as well.





Now let’s fire up this little beauty and see what’s the games are all about in a quick overview:

COLD WAR:
This 2-player game is a great snowball fight, select small snowballs or big snowballs and let your opponent have it. Level 2 onwards has obstacles like ice walls and other nasty elements. Great fun for two players.

TOSSING COOKIES
You are Santa in this game but all your raindeer have flown away and it’s your job to catch the deer and then to get on your way for whatever a Santa has to do on the night before Christmas. Basically in the first level you have to collect all the magic cookies within a time limit of 30 seconds. Beware of the lightning bolt, this will, of course, kill you. If you don’t manage to collect any cookies within 30 seconds you will lose a life. On the second level you have to catch the raindeer by tossing the cookies towards them. The raindeer will slow down once eaten a cookie, and you’ll have 15 seconds to catch the deer.
Original game and very challenging.

STAY FROSTY
Here’s AAs most famous snowman, who made a return in Stay Frosty 2 just recently.
Put out all the fires on each level, but watch out, the Snowman’s melting in the process. Collect ice blocks to replenish your energy. This game is great fun and a classic.

ELF DASH
Holly the elf has to collect 40 items. Manic toys are her enemy as they are trying to kill her. Basically a platform and ladders game, collect the items, collect the key for the next level, avoid enemies at all costs. I like this game a lot.

GRANDMA’S REVENGE
Kill all raindeer by running over them with your car? How nasty for Christmas, I like it. I’m gonna keep this for playing in Dec 2016.

All in all, a super great cartridge well worth the money.
I guess I better get Stay Frosty 2 next.

Thomas

Yes. It is an excellent homebrew collection and from a retro gamer and including his 7 year old we both enjoyed the games very much.

Recommended

I love the attract mode and the music. I was surprised to hear it from the 2600! I think the compilation as a whole is good but I was underwhelmed with a few of the games.

By far my favorite is Grandma's Revenge. I think this game makes the cart and I think I would have bought it separately.

I love the easter egg in Grandma's Revenge. It is just a great extra into an already good package.

While I'm not as sure it is as a whole better than Toyshop Trouble this is a great deal with some variety on it. Definately worth picking up.

Holy cow! Stella's Stocking is an amazing piece of homebrew genius.

The music is pretty remarkable. It has to be some of the best music to come out of an Atari 2600 to date. You can even select from a variety of different holiday songs from the title screen just by pushing your fire button.

As an added bonus, you can just have the cart in attract mode around the holidays for background music complete with the warm glowing fireplace on the screen.

The menu system for selecting games is also pretty awesome. Just move the joystick left or right and up comes a new game start screen.

The production of the entire package is stellar. The label is very clean, colorful and comes complete with a sexy Stella in stockings on the front. How can you go wrong with that? Even the manual is top notch.

I like all the games on the cartridge, but I have to say that Grandma's Revenge is my favorite. It's nice having another game to use my driving controllers with.

If you have the means, I highly recommend this cartridge. Getting so much on one cartridge for the price is a great deal.

Stella's Stocking is a collection of five holiday-themed mini-games, originally sold during the AtariAge 2007 Holiday Sale. The menu for selecting the games squeezes amazing music out of the 2600, along with colorful graphics and titles that slickly scroll into place. Be sure to listen to the extra songs at the fireplace screen, too. This is one of the nicest presentations you'll ever see on a 2600 cartridge. But how do the games themselves stack up?

Stay Frosty is a platformer where your goal is to keep your snowman from melting by collecting ice and finishing each level before the sun melts you. Complicating things is that in order to complete each level, you must use your snowman to extinguish roaming fireballs. Each fireball will melt you more, requiring you to collect more ice. Can you collect enough ice to stay frosty and move onto the next level?

It seems a little weird reviewing Stay Frosty, since I came up with the concept for it while Stella's Stocking was being developed. Darrell Spice did a great job of programming the game, and it was really exciting seeing Frosty come to life. The main thing I wish we could have spent more time on were the level designs. While there are 32 levels in the game, most of them are too easy to solve on the first or second try. A more puzzle-like approach, where certain paths must be followed, or ice must be collected in a certain pattern to keep from melting, would have added more challenge, especially to the earlier levels. The beginnings of those elements are there - like having to intentionally melt Frosty to fit through certain gaps, or removing an enemy from a platform so it can float upwards to help you reach another area - but I would have liked to have seen more of it. That said, the game is fun to play with appropriately slippery physics, melting effects and a good variety of level layouts. Visually, there's quite a lot of animation in the game: Frosty's face changes expression as he melts, he bounces and leans as he moves, and the sun and fireballs will watch him as he moves around the screen. I'm a little biased since I designed the graphics, but for what it's worth - I think they look pretty cool. It's hard to classify Stay Frosty as a mini-game, since with just a few more tweaks, it could easily be a full-fledged cartridge on its own.

In Tossing Cookies you control Santa's sleigh on a stormy night. His reindeer have gotten loose and you must round them up by tossing Mrs. Claus' Christmas cookies at them. As they're blissfully snacking on them, they slow down enough for you to capture them. Each level has two rounds - the first where you collect cookies, and the second where you toss them at the reindeer. The layouts vary from level to level, with different cloud formations that will impede your progress.

Based on an earlier homebrew - GoSub - Tossing Cookies has the potential to be a really fun game, but the main knock I have against it is that it's just too slow. It feels like you're slogging through thick mud instead of flying, and running into the clouds only slows you down more. This kind of game really cries out for responsive controls and zippy gameplay. Also detracting from it, is that there is no score or progress indicator. You have no idea how far you are in the game, or how well you're doing, so there's little incentive to try to collect more cookies, or capture the reindeer faster.

Elf Dash is a platformer where you must control Holly the elf, and help her collect various objects while avoiding rampaging toys which have run amok. Holly must use elevators to move between the floors of each warehouse and pick up all of the objects and a key before moving on. She can sprint for a limited time - which is extended when picking up the key.

You have unlimited lives in Elf Dash, but limited time. The goal is to complete all warehouses before you run out of time. This takes a little practice, but the real challenge of the game becomes in beating your previous times, and figuring out the quickest way through each level. The graphics are fun, with a nice variety of objects and toys to deal with. Some move erratically, some will fire at you, and figuring them all out will keep you on your toes. The sound effects are sparse, but work well enough. What matters though, is that the game is a lot of fun. The controls are spot-on, and the levels are well-thought-out. It's simple gameplay at its best, and an expanded version of this game could easily stand on its own. It reminds me of some of the better third-party platformers for the 2600.

Grandma's Revenge is loosely based on the novelty song about a certain holiday hit-and-run incident involving hoofed mammals. Now it's payback time, and you have a variety of vehicles at your disposal to exact your homicidal revenge. The game is half Indy 500 and half Death Race. The goal is simple - run over as many reindeer as possible, before running out of fuel or wrecking all of your cars. You have different cars to choose from, various power-ups to help you in your hunt for revenge, and the environment will change to include ice, barriers, and other challenges. There are also a few Easter Eggs - including one that gives you a different way to "Strike Back".

Although the graphics are a little sparse, the sprites are are nicely rendered with multiple vehicles - including an F-1 racer, a VW bug and a snowmobile - and reindeer fleeing for their lives. There are a several game variations to choose from: a two-player competitive mode, where one player is Grandma, and the other is the reindeer; and the option to use Indy 500's driving controllers - which makes the game controls super-responsive. Grandma's Revenge has a certain sadistic charm, makes for a fun mini-game, and it has plenty of options to keep you thoroughly entertained as you mow down entire herds of Santa's flying fodder.

Cold War is a two-player only game, where you control snowmen engaged in a snowball fight. Each player has two snowmen, and the first player to knock out both of the other player's snowmen wins the round. You move a cursor to select which of your snowmen you control (similar to many sports games), and then fire away! The longer you hold the fire button down, the farther your snowman will throw. As the game progresses, you'll have to knock down snow forts that are in your way. First player to win three rounds, wins the game.

Cold War surprised me by being one of those (almost) perfect little two-player games, that doesn't seem like much on the surface, but when you get into it, it ends up being a lot of fun. Since the game is so simple to play, it takes almost no time for someone to learn the game and get good enough at it to have some fun. As you progress into the game, there are snow barriers that add an element of strategy to the game, and you can even use the hats of your dead snow-comrades as shields. My one gripe about it is that once you get into playing the game, it ends too quickly. An option to choose the number of rounds per game (with more snow wall layouts) would have made this fun little game a real gem indeed. Maybe someday we'll get to see an expanded version with more snowmen on each side and more levels.

Stella's Stocking gives you a lot for your money. Even though a couple of the games may have limited appeal, there's a lot of variety here and some really solid game play to be found. The menus are almost worth having on their own cart, the manual (with a pin-up worthy Stella on the cover) is wonderfully illustrated by Dave Exton, and the whole package makes for a great holiday treat.