Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle
Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle — frequently asked questions
- Is Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle on Steam?
- No. Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle is not distributed on Steam, so there is no Steam Charts or SteamDB player count for it. Its live popularity is tracked here via Twitch viewership instead.
- What platforms is Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle on?
- Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle is available on ColecoVision, Atari 2600.
- When did Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle release?
- Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle was first released on December 31, 1982.
About Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle
You control a Smurf who is off on an action-packed rescue mission! Gargamel has captured Smurfette, taken her to his castle and imprisoned her! You'll direct Smurf through all sorts of dangerous situations on his way to save her. Will Smurf rescue Smurfette or will she remain imprisoned?
Summary via IGDB.
Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle on Wikipedia
Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle is a 1982 platform game developed and published by Coleco for the ColecoVision and Atari 2600. The game is based on the television series The Smurfs. In the game, the player must brave a series of obstacles to rescue Smurfette from Gargamel's castle.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Game details
- Platforms
- ColecoVision, Atari 2600
- Developer
- Coleco
- Publisher
- Coleco
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer
- Themes
- Action, Fantasy
- Series
- The Smurfs
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Built by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atari 2600Details ↓ | 1983 | $13 | $65 | $180 | Graphics ★★★½ · Play-Action ★★★½ | JWDA (designed by Henry Will IV) |
| ColecoVisionDetails ↓ | 1982 | $8 | $26 | $30 | Graphics ★★★★ · Play-Action ★★★★ | — |
Prices are per version and are not interchangeable, and neither are the reviews: conversions in this era were often built by a different studio than the original, so a score earned on one machine says nothing about how another plays.
Collector value & authenticity
Atari 2600 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-06
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a week
- Complete: about 5 times a year
- Sealed: about once a year
Prices marked “few sales” rest on about one recorded sale a year, so treat them as a rough guide: the next copy could sell well above or below. Expect to wait for one to come up.
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-19.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $3.89 in Oct 2008, $12.42 five years ago, and $12.67 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2009 | $3.89 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $5.00 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $3.63 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $6.50 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $6.95 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $5.85 | $49 |
| Jan 2015 | $25 | $19.95 |
| Jan 2016 | $6.99 | $37 |
| Jan 2017 | $7.25 | $12.50 |
| Jan 2018 | $9.99 | $10.91 |
| Jan 2019 | $7.68 | $23 |
| Jan 2020 | $7.95 | $37 |
| Jan 2021 | $9.80 | $37 |
| Jan 2022 | $10.25 | $30 |
| Jan 2023 | $9.98 | $39 |
| Jan 2024 | $11.43 | $33 |
| Jan 2025 | $10.24 | $40 |
| Jan 2026 | $13.06 | $70 |
| Oct 2026 | $12.67 | $55 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Label | Rarity |
|---|---|---|
| North America Coleco | Standard | Scarce+ |
| Europe CBS Electronics | UK White | — |
| Europe CBS Electronics | UK Color | — |
| Europe CBS Electronics | German Color | — |
- North America: Catalog number 2465 is disputed: it is listed for two different Coleco games, so it is withheld here.
Also released in South America by CCE, Digitel, Digimax, Dynacom, Microsoft, Tron.
Source: Catalog numbers, label types, rarity, controllers and player counts: AtariAge 2600 software database
- Region
- NA+EU
- Released
- 1983
- Controller
- Atari Joystick
- Players
- 1 - 2
- Authenticity
- Low
The Atari 2600 version
Coleco's Smurfs platformer on the 2600, a simple licensed game with a box that outsells the cartridge.
Coleco published Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle for both the ColecoVision and the 2600, based on the television series The Smurfs. You guide a Smurf through a series of obstacles to rescue Smurfette from Gargamel's castle. The 2600 version came out in April 1983 in North America, designed by Henry Will IV and developed by JWDA, with a PAL release later that year.
It is a cheap loose cart. Complete copies cost a good deal more.
What the press said at the time
| Computer Entertainer Vol. 2 No. 2 | May 1983 | Graphics ★★★½ · Play-Action ★★★½ |
“While this version is somewhat less elegant than the ColecoVision game on which it is based, Coleco has done an amazingly good job of translating it to this format.”
Computer Entertainer rated graphics first and play action second, from four symbols (excellent) to one (poor) — stars in most years, diamonds in 1986–87 — comparing each game only with other games for the same system.
Cartridge & preservation record
Program size 8 KB, measured from the preserved dump.
Catalogue number as recorded for the physical release.
How the Atari 2600 version differs
Computer Entertainer called the 2600 version somewhat less elegant than the ColecoVision original, but still an excellent conversion.
Also on other platforms
ColecoVision
| Atari 2600 | JWDA (designed by Henry Will IV) |
- ColecoVision. Video magazine's Arcade Alley praised the ColecoVision version as having the best audiovisuals in the entire ColecoVision line, likening it to a Saturday-morning cartoon show.
- ColecoVision. The ColecoVision version contains Easter eggs: initials can appear when moving between screens, and moving between two forest screens awards hundreds of thousands of points.
Before you buy
Low risk; no reproductions are documented. The box and manual carry much of a complete copy's value, so check both. Make sure the listing is the 2600 cartridge and not the ColecoVision version, which is a different cartridge for a different console.
Collector value & authenticity
ColecoVision · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-19
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a week
- Complete: about once a month
- Sealed: about 4 times a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-19.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $2.50 in Jul 2009, $7.47 five years ago, and $8.18 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2010 | $3.85 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $1.85 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $4.50 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $4.40 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $5.95 | $19.01 |
| Jan 2015 | $5.75 | $17.99 |
| Jan 2016 | $6.00 | $18.99 |
| Jan 2017 | $6.95 | $29 |
| Jan 2018 | $5.93 | $18.99 |
| Jan 2019 | $7.21 | $19.99 |
| Jan 2020 | $6.02 | $22 |
| Jan 2021 | $6.74 | $19.29 |
| Jan 2022 | $10.05 | $25 |
| Jan 2023 | $10.29 | $29 |
| Jan 2024 | $7.38 | $25 |
| Jan 2025 | $7.60 | $30 |
| Jan 2026 | $8.49 | $21 |
| Oct 2026 | $8.18 | $26 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Label | Model # |
|---|---|---|
| North America Coleco | End label: for ColecoVision | 2443 |
- North America: Model number confirmed by Coleco's 1982 cartridge catalogue.
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1982
- Controller
- Hand controller (control stick only; side buttons not used)
- Players
- 1 or 2
- Authenticity
- Low
The ColecoVision version
One of the nine Coleco cartridges from the console's first year and still the one reviewers praised for its look.
Coleco published the ColecoVision version in 1982, among the nine cartridges it brought out that year, and the 2600 edition followed later. Computer Entertainer gave it top marks for both gameplay and graphics and called it essential for Smurf fans. Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games also called it truly good fun in 1983, approving of the graphics.
The ColecoVision game is also known for secrets. The sources record that initials can appear when you move between screens, and that crossing between two particular forest screens awards a very large number of points. Coleco even announced a Super Smurf for its Super Game Module, but that module never shipped.
What the press said at the time
| Computer Entertainer Vol. 1 No. 7 | October 1982 | Graphics ★★★★ · Play-Action ★★★★ |
“must for all the little and big (including adult) kids who follow the Saturday morning adventures of the Smurfs.”
“With the best audiovisuals in the entire line, this one should captivate kids while providing a stiff challenge for older gamers.”
“You can get tired of this game real fast, but otherwise it's great.”
“No videogame in recent memory has offered visuals that pull the kind of gasps of admiration that Smurfs: Rescue at Gargamel's Castle invariably receives.”
Computer Entertainer rated graphics first and play action second, from four symbols (excellent) to one (poor) — diamonds through early 1987, stars after — comparing each game only with other games for the same system.
Worth knowing
- From the ColecoVision manual. Game Options 1 and 5 are easy versions for very young children, with no attacking creatures and no energy to watch.
- From the ColecoVision manual. Jump size depends on timing: press up again immediately after jumping for a large forward jump, or wait a little longer for a small one.
- From the ColecoVision manual. Energy only refills on entering new countryside, and finishing a section faster earns more Energy Bonus points.
Before you buy
Standard keypad controller. This is one of the cheapest carts in the library loose, and sealed copies sell only a little above complete ones, so there is little reason to pay for a sealed copy unless you want it for the packaging. Check the label says ColecoVision, since Coleco also sold a 2600 edition of the game.
Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle screenshots
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