Private Eye cover art

Private Eye

You choose from five different cases to work, each with its own requirements. For example, the first case, "Safecracker Suite," requires you to locate the gun used in a crime and have it verified at the gun…

31 December 1984

Private Eye is an arcade developed by Activision, released 31 December 1984 on Atari 2600.

Verified Sources: IGDB

What Private Eye is

Private Eye is an arcade game developed by Activision and released in 1984. It is available on Atari 2600 only.

The premise, in the publisher's words

You choose from five different cases to work, each with its own requirements. For example, the first case, "Safecracker Suite," requires you to locate the gun used in a crime and have it verified at the gun store, then locate stolen money and return it to the bank and then capture Henri Le Fiend and turn him into the police station. You have only a limited amount of time before the statute of limitations runs out and Henri Le Fiend gets away. Hindering your investigation are a number of obstacles, including potholes, falling objects, unfriendly animals, and knife-throwing thugs, to name a few. You drive around the city in your modified 1935 Model A, which can jump as high as two stories. It…
Description from the publisher · source

How it plays

It is played from a third person perspective. Its themes are action and mystery. It is a single-player game with no multiplayer component.

What it launched against

Private Eye launched on 31 December 1984, within three weeks of Impossible Mission, Jet Set Willy, 3D Starstrike and Bomb Jack.

Released around the same time: Impossible Mission, Jet Set Willy, 3D Starstrike, Bomb Jack.

Official trailer

Gameplay Video thumbnail

Sourced from the publisher’s YouTube channel.

Screenshots

All media

Quick answers

Private Eye — frequently asked questions

When did Private Eye come out?
Private Eye was released on 31 December 1984 for Atari 2600.

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