That Game from Outer Space

Oscar Noodleman #1

by Stephen Manes

From the author of Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days! and the Pulitzer prize-winning illustrator of Uncle giant video game that appears one day in Pete’s Pizza Palace is the strangest one Oscar Noodleman has ever seen. It looks more like a rocket ship than a game. There’s not a word of English on it anywhere; everything from the control panel to the coin slot is labeled in some strange language that seems to use squiggles instead of letters. And when he and Pete finally figure out how to get it working, they realize it’s the loudest game they’ve ever heard.But as the screen pops out to wrap around Oscar’s head and he gets deeper into the game, he discovers levels and challenges unlike any he’s ever seen. He begins to wonder if this isn’t just a game, but a real rocket from outer space. And that’s when things start getting downright weird . . .

117 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 28, 1983

About the author

Stephen Manes (born 1949) wrote the "Digital Tools" column that appeared in every issue of Forbes until recently when he took a break. He is expected to return in the future. He is also co-host and co-executive editor of the public television series "PC World's Digital Duo," a program he helped create.

Manes was previously the Personal Computers columnist for the Science Times section of The New York Times and a regular columnist for InformationWeek. He has been on the technology beat since 1982 as a columnist and contributing editor for PC Magazine, PC/Computing, PC Sources, PCjr, and Netguide. The now defunct Marketing Computers named him one of the four most influential writers about the computer industry and called him "a strong critical voice."

From April 1995 to December 2008, he also wrote the "Full Disclosure" column, anchoring the back page of PC World.

Manes is coauthor of the best-selling and definitive biography Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry--and Made Himself the Richest Man in America. He also wrote The Complete MCI Mail Handbook and programmed much of the Starfixer and UnderGround WordStar software packages.

Manes is also the author of more than 30 books for children and young adults, including the Publishers Weekly bestseller Make Four Million Dollars by Next Thursday! and the award-winning Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!, which was adapted for the public television series Wonderworks. His books include the cult favorites Chicken Trek and The Obnoxious Jerks and have won a commendation from the National Science Foundation, International Reading Association Children's Choice awards, and kid-voted awards in five states. His writing credits also include television programs produced by ABC Television and KCET/Los Angeles and the 70s classic 20th Century-Fox movie Mother, Jugs & Speed.

Manes is currently serving his fourth term as an elected member of the National Council of the Authors Guild, the country's oldest organization of book authors. Born and raised in the hills of Pittsburgh, he now lives in hillier Seattle.

Reviews

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story about a boy that has a boring life, or one can guess based on the heading. The owner of Oscar's favourite pizza joint mysteriously finds a brand new arcade machine on his doorstep one day and offers to let Oscar be the first to try it. It doesn't have instructions or even legible writing, but that just adds to its mystique. Through sheer curiosity, Oscar replays, wins, and eventually meets the creators of the game.

It's a cute story but a bit flat, especially compared to the second and third books (you can guess the subtitles on THOSE). I first read them out of order, so I'm grading a little more harshly than I might've had I read them in order. It's also a little dated at this point, since their standard is one quarter per play, but kids can still enjoy the story all the same!

Edit to add: It's curious that the pizza place owner is interested in video games but NOT enough to actually learn about them, like how to configure the cabinets and so on, that he and Oscar have to figure it out when they find the strange new game and set it up.

I *do* sort of like the idea of a game that you have to just learn, no instructions. I can imagine the outrage about that from people who DEMAND to know the instructions, though, haha.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author is fantastic. He makes anything believable, even a spaceship manned by cockroaches.