In 1978 my brother Mike got the Mattel Football 2 handheld electronic game. We were instantly addicted, and spent many hours playing against each other. The game was simple enough, using small red LEDs as the offensive and defensive players as well as the ball (when in flight on a pass or kick), but required quite a bit of practice to play well. The sound effects were simple too, but somehow managed to fit with the visuals. Overall, it was amazingly immersive, which may be hard to believe. (Well, hey, it was 1978.)

Recently it occurred to me I might be able to track down a working version so I could relive those days and also show my kids what electronic games were like when I was younger. Naturally I turned to eBay and learned that indeed vintage instances could be had for a reasonable price. Surprisingly, I also discovered that Mattel had recently reissued the game and it could be purchased new from eBay merchants as well as from Amazon. Further research, however, revealed that the reissued version wasn't exactly the same game. For some reason Mattel mangled the passing mechanics so it was clear I'd only be able to truly enjoy the original version. I soon tracked down and bought one, and by happy coincidence the seller was from Nashville, TN (where I grew up and spent so many hours playing the game nearly thirty years ago)..

Everything was just as I remembered it. It took me only half an hour to recapture the basic reflexes needed to dodge rushing linemen, slip sideways to escape tacklers, and dance around in the pocket to set up a pass. I still find it great fun playing, though it's about one gazillionth as sophisticated as a Madden football on a PSP.