# Painter (video game)

Painter is a 1994 action-puzzle video game developed and published by Sinister Developments for the Atari ST. In the game, the player controls a sprite character through levels by painting all lines on a grid to fill enclosed areas while avoiding enemies against a time limit.
Sinister had previously made shareware conversions of arcade games for the Atari ST, Amiga and PC platforms. Painter was released as shareware through bulletin board systems and public domain libraries. It was also available through Sinister via registration with additional levels and a level designer, and was later made available as freeware. An Atari Jaguar CD version with new levels was released in 2003, and a licensed cartridge version with new levels was released in 2024.
Painter received a generally favorable reception, with reviewers praising the addictive gameplay, digitized sound effects, and smooth presentation, while others felt it was fun but dated. Criticism was also directed at minor bugs and the lack of Memory Track support.

## Gameplay

Painter is an action-puzzle game where the player controls a white sprite character. The objective of the game is to paint all the lines on a grid to fill in the enclosed blocks by guiding the character around them. Enemies roam the area chasing the player and must be avoided by making a hole in the grid, temporarily preventing them and the player from passing over the hole. The player also has a time limit to complete each grid. Once all the lines are painted and the grid areas are filled with color, the player moves on to the next level. There are over 100 levels and each one features a set of intersecting blocks. Levels become increasingly complex as the player progresses, featuring invisible grid lines, short timers, and intricate layouts. The player can resume their progress via passwords given after completing each level.

## Development and release

Painter was produced by Sinister Developments, an Edinburgh-based independent programming team formed by Gordon Gibson and comprising members of the group Cynix. Sinister had previously created shareware ports of arcade games such as Asteroids, Centipede, Galaxian and Space Invaders for the Amiga, Atari ST and PC platforms. The game was released as shareware for Atari ST in July 1994 through bulletin board systems and public domain libraries. It was also available through Sinister via registration with 100 additional levels and a level designer, as a covermount with the July 1994 issue of Atari ST User magazine, and included with Starball (a pinball game) as part of disk number GD2315 from Goodman International. The game was later made available as freeware.
A version of Painter was planned to be hidden in Slam Racer, an unfinished racing game Sinister was developing for the Atari Jaguar. In 1996, the Jaguar version was made available for download via unofficial development kits that load the software onto the Jaguar. On August 8, 2003, Sinister released an Atari Jaguar CD version with 100 new levels, but requires a bypass cartridge or boot program in order to run. A special JagFest edition with 20 exclusive levels was also released at the 2003 Classic Gaming Expo. In 2008, AtariAge user "omf" released a cartridge version for the Jaguar in regular and special editions. In 2009, the cartridge verison was also sold by Nick Harlow of 16/32 Systems at E-JagFest, an event dedicated to the Jaguar scene. In 2024, publisher Reboot Games made a licensed cartridge release called Painter – Definitive Edition limited to 50 copies, with new levels.

## Reception

Painter received generally favorable reviews. ST Review's Nial Grimes found it very playable, highlighting the crisp sound effects and smooth presentation, stating that "Painter may lack the looks of today's games, but it's right up there with Tempest in terms of playability". Atari ST User labelled it as a simple but addictive game, assessing that it is playable despite the sparse graphics. Atari Explorer Online's Michael R. Burkley said it was a "fast-paced and thinking person's game", while ST Format's Nick Peers felt it was fun but dated and had nothing to keep the player coming back. MyAtari's Graeme Hinchliffe praised its addictive gameplay and soundtrack, but criticized minor bugs and the lack of Memory Track support. The Atari Times' David Sherwin opined that the game's minimalist visuals complemented its abstract theme and arcade-style gameplay, while praising the post-techno music and digitized voice samples.