This is the quintessential game for the 2600!!! On your mark, geT SET....
The first event is the 100M Dash...sounds like it should be easy right? Well it is, until you decide you need to really make a strong finish. On first effort, newbie decathletes started slamming the joystick back and forth when the gun sounded, and didn't stop until you crossed the line about 15 to 16 seconds later...The first run was always slow for new players because it took them a few tries before they learned to hold the Joystick on the table, and tap the stick between their thumb and index finger. Just like real athletes you learned to fine tune your timing and technique to make your runs faster and faster.
Next up is the Long Jump...again you slam the joystick back and fourth, but when you come to the foul line, you press the button. Now, there is only one button on a standard Atari joystick, and despite my Dad's emphasis in smashing it as hard as he could, the lack of velocity sensors would not make his on screen persona jump any higher. It was simply a controlled stroke of the button that launched our cyberathlete forward into the virtual sand pit...speed of the stick, timing on the button...simple.
Following the Long Jump were the Shot Put, High Jump, 400M, 110M Hurdles, and Discus Throw....more of the slamming of the joystick with well timed button presses (some events had you press the button multiple times) to put your score/athlete over the top. In the real Decathlon athletes receive a day off as Day1 ends on the 400M dash; Day2 picks up with the 110M Hurdles. You will get no such day off...sad to you. You just get to keep going, and going, and going.
The Pole Vault is either the second or most grueling part of the competition. As our vaults take us to new heights we are repeatedly pressing the button after a short sprint of joystick slamming....Now we got to see who the conditioned cyberathletes are. Every time you cleared the bar it went a touch higher...if you were good you were at this for a long time...if not, your forearms were spared. I remember one day my Dad said with amazement, "Sweetie, you’re sweating!" I was actually drenched, sitting in from of the screen slamming the stick around, but during a short break I replied, "Yeah, but I'm kicking your butt!" It was at this point in the game that you gained some idea of what it could be like to be a REAL Decathlete...your arms ache, you breathe like you just ran a block, you're are sweating, and you need a break badly, but you just keep going.
Javelin Throw is a kind of rest time, where you get 3 tries to throw the javelin as far as you can down the field. After the standard stick-slamming run-up, the javelin's elevation is controlled by the holding and well timed release of the button (I believe this was the same action as in the Shot Put). Again the simple keys to success were your actual fitness, and technique development; which were perfected by practice, practice, practice. The only bad thing about the Javelin was that it's casual pace ended, and then you had to face the 1500M Run.
Now for those who are not Track & Field fans, or those who have no concept of Metric distance, the 1500 meter run is nearly a mile long. Actual Olympic Decathletes like Bruce Jenner ('76) or Dan and Dave ('92) are expected to cover this distance in under 5 mins to produce a good time; in Decathlon you are expected to do the same! Yes, you will be slamming the stick back and fourth for upwards for 5 mins; so do not dawdle...and just pray that you have the endurance to complete this physical trial. If you don't have what it takes to go at a near sprint, you can go slower, but it will just take longer to complete the last event , and you will hurt just as much when you finish.
Event finish times and distances thrown/jumped are converted into scores for each event. Final scores of 8000 or better could be photographed and the pictures sent to Activision for an actual Bronze, Silver, or Gold Decathlon patch (this was done with a Polaroid or film; as we old folks had no digital cameras back in the day). I accomplished this feat one summer day, sent in my screenshot and about 8 weeks later got my Gold patch...It was that day I realized this was probably the most EXPENSIVE Atari game ever, because in the wake of my 2 or 3 month trial/sprint to victory were no less than 15 broken joysticks (at about $10-$15 each).
Since 1983, no video game has really captured the combined intensity of competition and need for fitness...Dance Dance Revolution is a close runner up, but Decathlon did so back in 1983...old school always wins. If for no other reason, Decathlon is a strong enough title to make you want to keep and old Atari VCS/2600 around. For those of who have a PS2 or GBA, you can get this title along with 40+ other classics in the Activision Anthology, which I also highly recommend.
Cheers,
Ra-Qin
PS- It could be hard to find a joystick from the Atari era, but if you could find one, it makes Decathlon PERFECT. Play for keeps, and take no prisoners...There is nothing better than to be in the heat of competition and see your friends or a parent scream when the stick breaks in the middle of an event, forcing them to leave the competition if they don't have another controller lying about...I look at it as an injury in the competition; if you don't train well, or use the best equipment, you will fall apart in the heat of the game.