It may sound like the world’s most annoying game, but 1983’s Dolphin for the Atari 2600 is quite clever. Like a dolphin. Its brain is big so that it can avoid being turned into a delicious sandwich. The question is: can you? Is your brain bigger than a dolphin’s? Are you smarter than a turtle?

There are no turtles in this game, but there is a giant squid that you can kill after touching the magic seagull. That’s right, it’s Atari 2600 time. Back in the days when they could make video games about pretty much anything.

Dolphin requires you to use your ears as well as your human fingers, unless you have flippers. Perhaps you’ve figured out how to play this game by watching the footage. Listen carefully for the tunes that indicate where the holes in the wall of seahorses are. Wall of Seahorses — yet another excellent heavy metal band yet to be invented.

I wasn’t sure what to make of Dolphin at first until I spent some time with the game and found it quite enjoyable as well as innovative. It’s not immediately apparent how to play, but the really high‑pitched tune indicates there’s a hole at the top, the low‑pitched tune indicates a hole at the bottom, and there are several in between. If you have a good ear for music, you’ll probably be pretty good at Dolphin.

The directional arrows indicate the current, and if you can catch one of those you score some bonus points. You can also use them to switch directions and try to avoid the squid. There’s a different indicator letting you know when the magic seagull is about to fly by. Jump in the air and touch it to turn the tables on the evil squid. The squid is not magic. The squid is evil. The seagull is magic. That’s how this works. It’s like the prequel to Ecco the Dolphin except… not at all.

Like most of the Activision games from the era, the visuals are really nice. I like the water effects. The ripples in the ocean are serene and tranquil, setting the stage for your dolphin to be eaten by a giant squid. Ha! Stupid squid. Blinky dolphin means death. For you. Blinky Dolphin Means Death — yet another great heavy metal band, right up there with Stop Eating Slugs.

I’m not good at playing guitar, but I found that after a while I did get pretty good at playing Dolphin once you figure out which tune indicates a hole in the wall of seahorses. This is a fun game and you can find it out there for next to nothing. It doesn’t cost very much. It’s a nice break from the ordinary on your Atari 2600. If you’re looking for something different, a real crowd‑pleaser once you get your friends into it, check out Dolphin.

There are several difficulty settings, and I’m playing this with the mighty Sega Genesis controller, which works the best when you have flippers, by the way. Which I do. I’m not sure I’ve ever told you that, but I actually have flippers. And a blowhole. Additionally, I’m magical and so is this game. Dolphin, highly recommended for your Atari 2600.