Mouskattack

Last updated: January 17, 2026

Overview

Mouskattack is an action arcade game developed and published by On-Line Systems (later Sierra On-Line) in 1982.¹² The game is a Pac-Man variant that casts players as Larry Bain, a plumber working for the fictional “Rodent Rooter” pest control company, tasked with exterminating oversized rats in the notorious underground tunnels known as Rat Alley.³⁴ Described as “an unbeatable blend of quick thinking arcade action for one or two players,” Mouskattack offered both single and multiplayer modes on home computer platforms during the golden age of maze-chase games.⁵

The game was originally developed for the Atari 400/800 platform in late 1981 before being ported to the Apple II in early 1982 and later to the IBM PC.⁵ While the core gameplay closely resembled Namco’s iconic Pac-Man, Mouskattack distinguished itself through its unique pest control theme and the addition of mouse traps as a strategic gameplay element.³⁴ The game represented On-Line Systems’ continued experimentation with arcade-style action games alongside their growing adventure game catalog during this formative period of the company’s history.

Despite its solid gameplay foundation, Mouskattack was not considered a major commercial success for the publisher.⁵ The game’s development history is intertwined with On-Line Systems’ earlier and more legally troubled Pac-Man clones, making it an interesting footnote in Sierra’s early arcade game efforts.⁵

Game Info

Developer: On-Line Systems¹² Designer: John Harris, Ken Williams, Al Nystrom⁵ Publisher: On-Line Systems¹² Engine: Machine Language⁵ Platforms: Apple II, Atari 400/800, IBM PC²⁵⁶⁷ Release Year: 1982⁸⁹ Series: None Protagonist: Larry Bain Sierra Lineage: Core Sierra

Story Summary

Mouskattack presents a simple but colorful premise rooted in blue-collar humor.⁵ The game’s setting, Rat Alley, is described as being “infamous among the legions of the plumber” with rumors circulating about “extremely large rodents” that inhabit its underground maze of tunnels.⁵ This infestation requires the services of a professional exterminator brave enough to venture into the dangerous depths.

Players take on the role of Larry Bain, a plumber employed by the pest control company Rodent Rooter.³⁴ Larry’s mission is straightforward: navigate through the maze-like tunnels of Rat Alley, eliminate the giant rats that pursue him, and ensure every section of the maze is traversed to complete each level.³ The premise cleverly reframes the Pac-Man formula through a relatable pest control narrative.

The character of Larry Bain was notably based on a real person who worked at Sierra during the game’s development.⁵ According to developer insights from John Williams, Larry Bain “disappeared after the game launched,” adding an air of mystery to the game’s behind-the-scenes history.⁵ This practice of naming game characters after real employees was not uncommon at the small, close-knit On-Line Systems during this era.

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

Mouskattack utilizes a top-down perspective typical of maze-chase games of the era.⁴ Players control Larry Bain through the maze using joystick or keyboard controls, navigating the tunnels while avoiding or confronting the pursuing rats.³ The game supports both single-player and two-player modes, allowing for competitive or cooperative pest control action.²

Structure and Progression

The game follows the classic Pac-Man structure where players must traverse the entire maze to complete each level.³ As players progress through successive levels, the rats become faster and more aggressive, increasing the challenge.³⁴ The maze layout differs between the Atari and Apple II versions, with the Apple II remake featuring a “different maze and slightly different game play” compared to the original Atari version.⁵

Puzzles and Mechanics

The core gameplay involves Larry Bain being pursued by four rats through the maze corridors.³ To defend himself, the player must strategically set mouse traps throughout the maze to eliminate the pursuing rodents.³ This mechanic serves as the game’s equivalent to Pac-Man’s power pellets, giving players a means to turn the tables on their pursuers. The combination of maze traversal, pursuit evasion, and strategic trap placement creates the “quick thinking arcade action” that the game’s promotional materials emphasized.⁵

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

As a 1982 release from a smaller publisher, detailed contemporary review scores for Mouskattack are limited in the available research. The game was released during the height of the Pac-Man clone phenomenon, when numerous publishers were producing maze-chase games to capitalize on the arcade hit’s popularity.¹⁰⁵

Modern Assessment

Modern gaming communities have provided retrospective ratings for Mouskattack across various platforms. The game receives modest but generally positive scores from users who have revisited this early On-Line Systems title.¹²⁴

Aggregate Scores:

• MobyGames: 3.8 out of 5 (user ratings)²
• MyAbandonware: 4.5 out of 5 (2 votes)⁴
• LaunchBox Games Database: 3.50/5 (Apple II), 4.00/5 (Atari 800)¹

The Atari 800 version consistently receives higher ratings than the Apple II version across multiple databases, suggesting that the original platform version may have offered a superior gameplay experience.¹

Development

Origins

Mouskattack emerged from On-Line Systems’ early experiments with Pac-Man-style arcade games.⁵ The game’s code was based on Jawbreaker, another On-Line Systems Pac-Man clone, which itself was a modification of the even earlier game Gobbler.⁵ This lineage is significant because Sierra was sued over Gobbler for “resembling Pac-Man too much,” leading to the company’s more cautious approach with subsequent maze-chase games.⁵

The original Atari version was developed by John Harris, who was John Williams’ roommate at the time of the game’s creation.⁵ Harris completed the Atari version in late 1981 in a remarkably short development cycle of “less than two weeks.”⁵ This rapid development timeline was possible due to the game’s foundation on existing Jawbreaker code and Harris’s familiarity with the Atari platform.

Production

Following the completion of the Atari original, the game was remade for the Apple II platform by Ken Williams and Al Nystrom in early 1982.⁵ The Apple II version featured modifications including a different maze layout and slightly altered gameplay mechanics, distinguishing it from the Atari original.⁵ The IBM PC version was later developed by Dick Taylor.²

Development Credits:⁵²

• Atari Version Designer/Programmer: John Harris
• Apple II Version Designers/Programmers: Ken Williams, Al Nystrom
• IBM PC Version Programmer: Dick Taylor

Despite the team’s efforts across multiple platforms, Mouskattack “wasn’t a great seller” according to insider accounts.⁵ This commercial underperformance may have contributed to On-Line Systems’ gradual shift away from arcade-style games toward the adventure games that would ultimately define Sierra’s legacy.

Technical Achievements

Mouskattack was programmed in machine language to achieve the fast response times required for arcade action gameplay.⁵ The game utilized the full color capabilities of its target platforms, with the Atari version taking advantage of that platform’s superior graphics hardware.¹⁴

Technical Specifications

Atari 8-bit Version:⁴

• File Size: 32 KB
• Perspective: Top-Down
• Media: 5.25” Floppy Disk²
• Players: 1-2 Players²

Apple II Version:⁴

• File Size: 21 KB
• Perspective: Top-Down
• Media: 5.25” Floppy Disk²
• Players: 1-2 Players²

IBM PC Version:²

• Media: 5.25” Floppy Disk
• Business Model: Commercial²

Version History

Version	Date	Platform	Notes
1.0	Late 1981	Atari 400/800	Original release by John Harris5
1.0	January 1, 1982	Atari 800	Commercial release1
1.0	Early 1982	Apple II	Remake by Ken Williams and Al Nystrom with different maze5
1.0	June 1, 1982	Apple II	Documented release date1
1.0	1982	IBM PC Booter	Port by Dick Taylor2

Easter Eggs and Trivia

• Real Person Protagonist: The game’s main character Larry Bain was named after a real Sierra employee who mysteriously “disappeared after the game launched.”⁵
• Roommate Development: Programmer John Harris was John Williams’ roommate when he wrote the original Atari version of the game.⁵
• Rapid Development: The entire Atari version was completed in less than two weeks.⁵
• Legal Heritage: The game’s code originated from Jawbreaker, which came from Gobbler, which caused Sierra legal troubles for its close resemblance to Pac-Man.⁵
• Platform Differences: The Apple II version features a completely different maze layout compared to the Atari original.⁵

Legacy

Sales and Commercial Impact

By On-Line Systems’ own assessment, Mouskattack “wasn’t a great seller.”⁵ The game was released during a crowded market of Pac-Man clones, making it difficult to stand out despite its unique pest control theme. The title represents an interesting transitional period for On-Line Systems as the company experimented with arcade action games before focusing primarily on adventure gaming.⁵

Collections

Mouskattack has not been included in any known official Sierra collection releases. The game remains primarily accessible through abandonware preservation efforts.⁴¹⁰

Fan Projects

No significant fan remake or modification projects have been documented for Mouskattack. The game exists primarily as a historical curiosity in Sierra’s early catalog rather than as an actively preserved title with ongoing community support.

Related Publications

• Game Manual: Original packaging included a physical manual describing gameplay and controls (exact specifications not documented in available research)

Critical Perspective

Mouskattack occupies an interesting position in early Sierra history as one of several arcade-style games the company produced before fully committing to the adventure game genre that would make them famous.⁵ The game’s connection to the legally problematic Gobbler through the Jawbreaker codebase illustrates the wild west nature of early 1980s game development, where code reuse and gameplay cloning were common practices that sometimes led to legal complications.⁵

From a modern perspective, the game is best understood as a competent Pac-Man variant that offered some unique twists through its mouse trap mechanic and pest control theme.³¹⁰ While it failed to achieve commercial success, Mouskattack demonstrates the programming talent present at early On-Line Systems, with John Harris’s ability to complete the game in under two weeks showcasing the rapid development cycles that characterized this era of home computer gaming.⁵

The game’s classification as a “Pac Man variant” by multiple sources reflects both its derivative nature and its place within a broader genre of maze-chase games that dominated early 1980s home computing.¹⁰³ For Sierra historians, Mouskattack serves as a reminder that the company’s path to adventure game dominance included numerous experiments in other genres.

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

• Not currently available on modern digital storefronts

Download / Preservation

• MyAbandonware – Mouskattack⁴

Wishlists / Community Interest

• GOG Dreamlist – Mouskattack¹⁰

References

Footnotes

1. LaunchBox Games Database – On-Line Systems Publishers – release dates, platforms, community ratings ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

2. MobyGames – Mouskattack – developer/publisher info, platforms, technical specs, user ratings, Dick Taylor IBM credit ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶

3. GameSpot – Mouskattack – genre classification, platform coverage, game database entry ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹

4. MyAbandonware – Mouskattack – file sizes, user ratings, platform information, top-down perspective ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹²

5. Sierra Chest – Mouskattack – developer insights, John Harris/Ken Williams/Al Nystrom credits, development timeline, Larry Bain trivia, Jawbreaker/Gobbler code heritage, commercial performance ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵ ↩²⁶ ↩²⁷ ↩²⁸ ↩²⁹ ↩³⁰ ↩³¹ ↩³² ↩³³ ↩³⁴ ↩³⁵ ↩³⁶

6. Retro365 Blog – On-Line Systems History – context for early On-Line Systems arcade games ↩

7. UVList – Mouskattack – platform information, developer credits ↩

8. Internet Archive – MobyGames Mouskattack – archived version, gameplay description, Larry Bain character details ↩

9. Scribd – SierraVault Game List – comprehensive Sierra games catalog, release chronology ↩

10. GOG Dreamlist – Mouskattack – Pac Man variant classification, basic metadata ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵