Marble Madness is a 1984 retro arcade game by Atari Games, designed by Mark Cerny. The game is a platform-based race against time, where players control an onscreen marble navigating through six unique, obstacle-laden courses. Inspired by miniature golf, racing games, and M.C. Escher's art, Cerny aimed to offer a distinctive gaming experience. The game stands as Atari's first to employ the Atari System 1 hardware and C programming language, and one of the first to offer true stereo sound. Despite technological limitations, the game gained commercial success and critical acclaim for its challenge level, distinct visual design, and stereo soundtrack. It was later ported to various platforms and inspired several other games.