Once upon a time, there was a kid who spent a night locked in Mister Hidegger's candy factory. When he emerged the following morning, he was so hopped-up on sugar and caffeine that the cliché "Happy as a kid locked overnight in a candy factory" was born. Over time, the phrase morphed into the simile "like a kid in a candy store," and the origins of this classic American aphorism were lost to the mists of history. Until 1982, that is, when an intrepid programmer at Tigervision utilized the power of the Atari 2600 to recreate one of history's greatest moments, eight bits at a time.
Gameplay: This candy factory is divided into nine rows. Each row is filled with yummy, tasty, chocotacular candy bars just begging for you to eat them. Unfortunately, crazy old Mister Hidegger is something of a mad scientist, and he's created some giant smiley-faced jawbreakers to guard his goodies. Due to a flaw in their design, though, you can pick up a power chunk (most likely cheese, but this could not be confirmed by press time) and chomp those jawbreakers into oblivion.
Could be mistaken for: The result of a drunken tryst between Pac-Man and Plaque Attack. But in a good way. Honest.
Kids today might not like it because: At the end of each level, a cute little toothbrush comes out and scrubs your little chompy teeth clean.
Kids today might like it because: It's the closest they'll ever get to realizing their childhood dream of eating their weight in chocolate.
Enduring contribution to gaming history: The little level-end toothbrush laid the foundation for the "Just Say No!" screens that invaded arcades in the late '80s. —Wil Wheaton
Wil Wheaton once rescued 12 Oompa-Loompas and released them into Lake Michigan, where they still live happily to this day.
Image courtesy of Atariage.com