Hasbro's Centipede is scheduled to be issued in CD-ROM and Sony Playstation formats in the fall, with Pong and Missile Command following. Although Hasbro will modify the old games, it says it has a lot to work with. Atari sold the rights and patents to JTS, a maker of computer, desktop and notebook hardware in the early 1990s, but the games collected dust in the San Jose, Calif., concern's archives, until Hasbro's overture earlier this year. Va. In the original game, players dodge cars. In the enhanced version, the challenges include toxic wastes, lava and frozen cliffs.
Players can escape by jumping onto the backs of birds and flying through clouds and canyons.
Hasbro and other conventional toymakers have been making a strong push in computer games after several false starts. Its market share is currently about 5.5 percent, says PC Data. Mattel has a 3.6 percent market share and is No. 10, estimates PC Data, which tracks sales information from 70 percent of the nation's retailers. Lego Systems Inc., the Danish toy maker, recently announced plans to expand its computer-game portfolio. All rights reserved.