''John Elway's Quarterback'', also known as ''John Elway's Quarterback Challenge'' and ''John Elway's Team Quarterback'', is a 1987

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

Summary

Tradewest Tradewest, Inc. was an American video game company based in Corsicana, Texas that produced numerous games in the 1980s and early 1990s. The company was the publisher of the '' Battletoads'' and ''Double Dragon'' series in North America and the PAL ...

developed ''Quarterback'' as an

arcade video game An arcade video game is an arcade game that takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. All arcade video games are coin-oper ...

. In 1988

John Elway John Albert Elway Jr. (born June 28, 1960) is an American former professional football quarterback who spent his entire 16-year career with the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). Following his playing career, he then spent 1 ...

agreed to endorse it, and the company renamed the game ''John Elway's Quarterback''. Tradewest released a version for the

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...

and Melbourne House for various home computers such as

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer developed and marketed by Sinclair Research. One of the most influential computers ever made and one of the all-time bestselling British computers, over five million units were sold. ...

IBM PC compatible An IBM PC compatible is any personal computer that is hardware- and software-compatible with the IBM Personal Computer (IBM PC) and its subsequent models. Like the original IBM PC, an IBM PC–compatible computer uses an x86-based central p ...

Apple II Apple II ("apple Roman numerals, two", stylized as Apple ][) is a series of microcomputers manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1977 to 1993. The Apple II (original), original Apple II model, which gave the series its name, was designed ...

, and Apple IIGS, Apple IIGS. The arcade game is an upright cabinet that supports two players. The controls are different for both the left and right sides (offense and defense). There is a spring-loaded joystick which allows the player to angle and release according to where they were throwing (for the

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

) or kicking. When

possession Possession may refer to: Law *Dependent territory, an area of land over which another country exercises sovereignty, but which does not have the full right of participation in that country's governance *Drug possession, a crime *Ownership *Pe ...

changes, players switch sides of the console, and play continues. In both cases, players can select from a playbook of formations and plays. On offense, the player has the option of selecting the "normal play," which is nearly impossible for the defense to stop if performed correctly. To select the "normal play," the player must highlight the play in the play selection menu and wait for the play selection menu timer to expire. In the "normal play," the quarterback must pass the ball quickly to avoid being sacked, as the

offensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

collapses unusually quickly in this formation. Once the ball is released, the

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

s will run toward the ball. If the ball is caught, the receiver will have the ability to run at extremely high speeds. The receiver will then be nearly impossible for the defense to catch and tackle.

References

External links

* * *
''John Elway's Quarterback'' instruction manual
{{Rare 1987 video games 1988 video games Arcade video games Apple II games Apple IIGS games Nintendo Entertainment System games Tradewest games ZX Spectrum games Commodore 64 games Amstrad CPC games Video games scored by David Wise Video games scored by Sam Powell Video games developed in the United States Single-player video games Leland Corporation games Rare (company) games