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Game ID: 24448
Console / System: Atari 2600
Title: Pursuit of the Pink Panther
Aliases: The Pink Panther, Pink Panther: The Video Game, Trail of the Pink Panther
Scarcity (loose): 10
Value in USD (loose): 0
Scarcity (complete): 0
Value in USD (complete): 0
Publisher: NAP/Probe 2000
Section: 4
Designer: Roger Booth (programmer)
Designer 2: Jim Wickstead (designer)
Designer 3: Robbin Daniels (graphics)
Designer 4: Todd Marshall (audio)
Developer: James Wickstead Design Associates
Style: Platform/Fixed Screen
Description: NAP bought the game from U.S. Games, as reported in the October 1983 issue of Video Games magazine. It was announced in NAP’s summer 1983 CES literature as "The Pink Panther", "Pink Panther: The Video Game", and "Adventures of the Pink Panther" before NAP's marketing finally settled on "Pursuit of the Pink Panther" (as shown in the Nov 83 issue of Videogaming Illustrated; an Atari 8-bit version also exists with the same name. ). Scheduled release date was September, 1983. A screenshot was shown in the Jan 1984 issue of Elec Fun w/ Computers and Games magazine (page 10) and mentioned NAP permanently cancelled it (along with Lord of the Dungeon and Power Lords) due to problems with the RAM chips used in the carts. However, according to an interview with Bob Harris in the Spring 2001 issue of Classic Gamer Magazine, NAP hired a company to fabricate the new "RAM/ROM" chip that U.S. Games had developed for Pink Panther, but unfortunately, the new chips failed and the Probe 2000 division was shut down as a result. Description: "Players control the Pink Panther as he sneakily makes his way through several screens, attempting to outwit the Inspector. For his final challenge, he must dangle from a swinging rope, steal the famous Pink Panther diamond and escape unnoticed." The Pink Panther is the property of and was licensed by MGM-UA Home Entertainment Group, Inc. At least 4 prototypes are known to exist. Steve Averitt found a copy in an unlabeled Probe 2000 cart shell at a thrift store in Sept/Oct 1994, and paid $1.50 for it! Another, which had a hand-written label, was sold via eBay in 2006 for $4,750 to Jose "wonder007" Artiles, but according to him the seller backed out. 2 months before, some unnamed person sent the Atariage webmaster photos of a labeled prototype cart, but they never showed the photo to anyone else until someone posted it in March 2011. A 4th copy was sold via Game Gavel in 2011 for $975. One ad description states the game has 5 screens, but it's believed all the existing copies are the same and they only show 4. As of yet, nobody has made the game publicly available, although al least 50 boxed and numbered copies were made (using a Melody pcb) and sold by Roman Sharnberg to a select few, for $85 each. Maybe we need Inspector Clouseau to steal the game back for the rest of us to enjoy.
Country / region: USA
Part #: 3152VC
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