TRONICA GOALKEEPER, LCD ELECTRONIC GAME 1982

Tronica electronics were based in Hong Kong. But were very popular in places like Russia. They produced a variety of popular games in the 1980s, including titles like “Space Revenger” and "Shuttle Voyage"21.

Tronica’s games were part of the broader trend of handheld electronic gaming that included other brands like Nintendo’s Game & Watch series. Many of their games were literally knock offs of Nintendo's popular titles. Goalkeeper is a case in point. The actual gameplay, and LCD mechanics were identical to the early Game and Watch title Vermin, which had been released under the Time Out and Mego brand in America. In Game and Watches Vermin moles would appear up the screen and you would have to hit them with a hammer when they appeared. Tronica's Goalkeeper uses the exact LCD graphics and sound but footballs appear instead of moles, and the character who used to move left and right to stop the moles has been replaced by a goalkeeper graphic. It is a very interesting example of how companies would get around copyright issues.

These games typically had LCD screens and were powered by small batteries, making them portable and convenient for on-the-go entertainment.

Even though Tronica is no longer in production, their games remain a nostalgic piece of gaming history and are still sought after by collectors today.