<s>
Klax	B-Application
is	O
a	O
puzzle	O
video	O
game	O
released	O
in	O
arcades	O
in	O
1990	O
by	O
Atari	O
Games	O
while	O
Namco	O
distributed	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
Japanese	O
markets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Klax	B-Application
was	O
originally	O
published	O
as	O
a	O
coin-op	O
follow-up	O
to	O
Tetris	B-Device
,	O
about	O
which	O
Atari	O
Games	O
was	O
in	O
a	O
legal	O
dispute	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
version	O
,	O
released	O
in	O
mid	O
1990	O
,	O
and	O
Fatal	B-Application
Run	I-Application
,	O
are	O
the	O
final	O
releases	O
for	O
the	O
console	O
which	O
was	O
discontinued	O
in	O
early	O
1992	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Controls	O
consist	O
of	O
a	O
four-position	O
joystick	B-Device
and	O
a	O
button	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Using	O
the	O
joystick	B-Device
,	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
move	O
the	O
paddle	O
left	O
or	O
right	O
to	O
catch	O
tiles	O
in	O
various	O
colors	O
as	O
they	O
advance	O
down	O
the	O
conveyor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
goal	O
is	O
to	O
form	O
"	O
Klaxes	B-Application
,	O
"	O
or	O
unbroken	O
horizontal/vertical/diagonal	O
lines	O
containing	O
three	O
tiles	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
color	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bonus	O
points	O
are	O
awarded	O
for	O
completing	O
multiple	O
Klaxes	B-Application
with	O
a	O
single	O
tile	O
(	O
including	O
lines	O
of	O
four	O
or	O
five	O
matching	O
tiles	O
)	O
and	O
for	O
Klaxes	B-Application
formed	O
by	O
the	O
falling	O
of	O
already-placed	O
tiles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Pushing	O
up	O
on	O
the	O
joystick	B-Device
will	O
flip	O
the	O
topmost	O
tile	O
on	O
the	O
paddle	O
a	O
short	O
distance	O
up	O
the	O
conveyor	O
,	O
while	O
pulling	O
down	O
accelerates	O
the	O
motion	O
of	O
the	O
tiles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
wave	O
has	O
an	O
objective	O
that	O
must	O
be	O
reached	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
making	O
a	O
set	O
number	O
of	O
Klaxes	B-Application
,	O
scoring	O
a	O
certain	O
number	O
of	O
points	O
,	O
or	O
surviving	O
a	O
set	O
number	O
of	O
tiles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Akers	O
programmed	O
Klax	B-Application
in	O
just	O
a	O
few	O
weeks	O
using	O
AmigaBASIC	B-Language
,	O
then	O
ported	O
each	O
line	O
to	O
C	B-Language
.	O
In	O
a	O
1990	O
interview	O
,	O
he	O
said	O
he	O
wanted	O
to	O
"	O
produce	O
something	O
playable	O
,	O
compact	O
and	O
relatively	O
quick	O
to	O
develop	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
His	O
influences	O
were	O
Tetris	B-Device
and	O
tic-tac-toe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	O
Games	O
released	O
Klax	B-Application
in	O
February	O
1990	O
,	O
with	O
Namco	O
releasing	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
Japan	O
a	O
few	O
months	O
later	O
,	O
and	O
soon	O
called	O
it	O
a	O
"	O
major	O
arcade	B-Application
hit	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Akers	O
created	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
and	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
editions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Klax	B-Application
received	O
the	O
Parents	O
 '	O
Choice	O
Foundation	O
's	O
seal	O
of	O
approval	O
in	O
1990	O
,	O
won	O
Best	O
Mind	O
Game	O
at	O
the	O
1991	O
European	O
Computer	O
Leisure	O
Awards	O
,	O
and	O
Dennis	O
Lynch	O
of	O
the	O
Chicago	O
Tribune	O
named	O
Klax	B-Application
the	O
Best	O
Cartridge	O
of	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Midway	O
Games	O
gained	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
Klax	B-Application
upon	O
purchasing	O
Atari	O
Games	O
in	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mike	O
Mika	O
,	O
who	O
was	O
working	O
on	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Color	I-Device
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
placed	O
a	O
hidden	O
wedding	O
proposal	O
inside	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mike	O
Mika	O
also	O
inserted	O
a	O
hidden	O
Snake-like	O
game	O
and	O
a	O
mini-adventure	O
game	O
as	O
easter	O
eggs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
arcade	B-Application
version	O
,	O
Klax	B-Application
was	O
converted	O
to	O
most	O
contemporary	O
home	O
computers	O
and	O
video	O
game	O
systems	O
of	O
the	O
1990s	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
,	O
Amstrad	B-Application
GX4000	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
as	O
its	O
final	O
official	O
Atari-licensed	O
release	O
exclusively	O
in	O
Europe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Klax	B-Application
is	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
with	O
versions	O
for	O
all	O
three	O
of	O
the	O
leading	O
1990s	O
consoles	O
:	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
,	O
the	O
Genesis	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
the	O
TurboGrafx-16	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Klax	B-Application
was	O
included	O
in	O
Arcade	B-Application
Party	O
Pak	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
reissued	O
in	O
Midway	B-Application
Arcade	I-Application
Treasures	I-Application
,	O
a	O
2003	O
compilation	O
for	O
the	O
GameCube	B-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
Xbox	B-Application
,	O
and	O
PC	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
appears	O
in	O
Lego	B-Application
Dimensions	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Japan	O
,	O
Game	O
Machine	O
listed	O
Klax	B-Application
in	O
its	O
April	O
1	O
,	O
1990	O
issue	O
as	O
being	O
the	O
seventh	O
most-successful	O
table	O
arcade	B-Application
unit	O
of	O
the	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
release	O
,	O
Famicom	O
Tsūshin	O
awarded	O
the	O
PC	B-General_Concept
Engine	I-General_Concept
version	O
30	O
out	O
of	O
40	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Klax	B-Application
was	O
ranked	O
the	O
26th	O
best	O
game	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
by	O
Amiga	B-Device
Power	O
in	O
1991	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
NES	B-Language
version	O
is	O
ranked	O
44	O
in	O
IGNs	O
Top	O
100	O
NES	B-Language
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
capsule	O
review	O
of	O
the	O
Lynx	B-General_Concept
version	O
for	O
STart	O
,	O
Clayton	O
Walnum	O
commented	O
,	O
"	O
Once	O
you	O
start	O
playing	O
Klax	B-Application
,	O
a	O
maniac	O
with	O
an	O
Uzi	O
wo	O
n't	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
tear	O
you	O
away	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Julian	O
Rignall	O
reviewed	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Lynx	I-General_Concept
version	O
for	O
CVG	O
Magazine	O
in	O
January	O
1991	O
,	O
saying	O
"	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
simple	O
,	O
but	O
very	O
,	O
very	O
addictive	O
"	O
and	O
giving	O
a	O
rating	O
of	O
93	O
out	O
of	O
100	O
.	O
</s>
