In 1980, the Sega corporation peered into the nation's soul and determined that kids didn't really want to blast aliens, race cars, or chomp power pills. They wanted to take a 25-cent trip through time to a 19th-century shooting gallery. In spite of this insight, Sega went on to be one of the most profitable video-game companies of all time.
Gameplay: There's no involved story about saving the world or rescuing the girl. You're pretty much just trying to shoot all the targets before you run out of ammunition. Clear a level, and you get to take a shot at a big scary bear in the bonus game. There's not much strategy, but hardcore Carnival players know to take out the ducks first, then aim for the boxes that give up additional shots. Careful that you don't unintentionally hit a negative point or ammo marker, and for maximum points, go for those pipes early, before their value drops!
Okay, so it turns out that there is a little strategy after all… but unlike complicated button-fests such as Defender, all this game needed was a single joystick and one button. Ah, simplicity, thy name is Carnival.
Could be mistaken for: A trip to the county fair, or the boardwalk, or maybe even the carnival.