Atari Video Cube

In this game, you control Marvin the Cube Master. You move him around a six-sided cube with nine squares to a side. The object is to get all nine sides to be one color each in the least amount of time or fewest moves, depending on the game variation you select.

Marvin changes a space’s color by standing on it and you pressing the fire button. Marvin will then exchange the color he is with the space. Marvin cannot move onto a space of the same color as he is.

To rotate the cube, just move to the edge and press the joystick in the direction to rotate.

The game variations allow for normal or fast speed or timed race or fewest moves. Other variations cause the cube to show all the spaces as black except when it rotates, so you don’t know what color your on. Two of the game variations, one a timed race and the other a fewest moves challenge, restrict you rotations to up and right only, but do not black out the spaces.

Eight of the game variations have the computer play the game itself.

This game started out as Atari Video Cube but eventually was licensed under the Rubik’s Cube name. This game is distinct from the similarly named game Rubik’s Cube 3-D which is displayed in three dimensions so the player can see three of the cube faces at once rather than one.