Kaboom! is a fast paced action game released by Activision for the Atari 2600 in 1981. Larry Kaplan designed and programmed the title, taking inspiration from the earlier Atari arcade game Avalanche. Players control a set of buckets at the bottom of the screen, sliding left and right to catch bombs dropped by the Mad Bomber at the top. The concept sounds simple, yet the gameplay produces some of the most intense reflex challenges on the console. Each missed bomb causes the screen to flash and removes one of the three available buckets, ending the round once all buckets are gone. The Mad Bomber speeds up as the player catches more bombs, pushing the action to a frantic pace. Kaboom! was one of the first Atari 2600 cartridges to require the paddle controller for proper play, which gave the game a level of precision that joystick titles could not match at the time. Critics and fans praised its addictive loop and tight controls.
Updated: Jun 22, 2026
Screenshots
0 MB · Atari 2600 ROMs
External mirror link — Roms Portal hosts no ROM files. Always verify a file's checksum against the known-good hash before use.
Specifications
| Platform | Atari 2600 ROMs |
|---|---|
| Genre | Action |
| File Size | 0 MB |
| Release Year | 1981 |
| Developer | Activision |
| Updated | Jun 22, 2026 |
Overview
Kaboom! is a fast paced action game released by Activision for the Atari 2600 in 1981. Larry Kaplan designed and programmed the title, taking inspiration from the earlier Atari arcade game Avalanche. Players control a set of buckets at the bottom of the screen, sliding left and right to catch bombs dropped by the Mad Bomber at the top. The concept sounds simple, yet the gameplay produces some of the most intense reflex challenges on the console. Each missed bomb causes the screen to flash and removes one of the three available buckets, ending the round once all buckets are gone. The Mad Bomber speeds up as the player catches more bombs, pushing the action to a frantic pace. Kaboom! was one of the first Atari 2600 cartridges to require the paddle controller for proper play, which gave the game a level of precision that joystick titles could not match at the time. Critics and fans praised its addictive loop and tight controls.
The game features eight skill levels, with bomb speed and group size growing as players climb higher. Catching every bomb in a wave awards bonus points, and reaching certain score thresholds gives back a lost bucket, rewarding consistent play with longer sessions. Two players can take turns competing for high scores, which made Kaboom! a popular party pick during the early home console era. Activision famously offered a special patch to anyone who mailed in a photograph of their television showing a score of 3,000 or more, building a strong community around the game. The visual design is minimal, with only the bomber, the falling bombs, and the player buckets on screen, yet the bright colors and clean sound effects keep the experience focused and clear. Kaboom! remains a defining example of how a single mechanic, executed with great care, can produce hours of replay value and stand as a true classic of the Atari 2600 library.