Comparing Atari 2600 Battlezone to its arcade predescesor is a little unfair. If you're looking for the arcade game, you won't find it here. Gone are the vector graphics, replaced by a typically inexact, and overly colorful, 2600 canvas. Gone is the dual-joystick control scheme, replaced by a simplified single-joystick interface (the same interface used by all home versions of Battlezone, to be sure). Gone are the structures that could shield your tank from enemy fire, when not getting in the way of a safe retreat. Gone are the homing missiles. Even the background volcano is gone. So why is a direct comparison "unfair"? Because 2600 Battlezone is, simply put, fun! Where the arcade game comes off more like a war simulator (not in a bad way), the 2600 version comes off as more, well, arcade-like. The simplified controls and uncluttered battlefield give the player less to worry about, while the faster pace requires an itchier trigger finger and a little more faith in good reflexes. And just to make things even more like a typical arcade game, two enemy tanks can attack at one time, compared to arcade Battlezone's mano-a-mano confrontations.
Fun or not, a game calling itself Battlezone better have at least some essense of the original. Happily, the Atari 2600 version does retain that essense. The physics of the game are almost as realistic as they were in the original. To the point, rotating in one place is not going to save you from enemy fire, just like it wouldn't in real life and just like it doesn't in the arcade game. The 2600 version does skimp on the physics slightly, preventing the player's tank from getting stuck even on enemy vehicles. However, with up to two enemy craft on the field at a time -- tanks, super tanks, and jets, which are the 2600 version's replacement for homing missiles -- enemies can run into and even shoot one another! Such "accidents" are always good for a chuckle.
Again, if you're looking for a realistic tank simulator more like the original Battlezone, you will have to look somewhere else. But if you're the type who prefers Need for Speed over Gran Turismo, give this port a shot. And hey, why not both?
Grade: B+.