Atari Video Cube is an amazing piece of programming. Across each row of tiles you can see up to five colors: the three colors of the tiles, Hubie, and the background color. When Hubie moves across the cube and rotates it left or right, six tile colors can be seen across every row, plus Hubie and the background. The Atari 2600 was not designed to display that many colors on any given row. Games usually work around this by making certain graphics flicker back and forth, but in Atari Video Cube, there is no flicker whatsoever. Technically, that is very impressive. However, good programming isn't the only thing required to make a good game, and unfortunately this game doesn't really have much more.
As puzzle games go, Atari Video Cube isn't bad, even for a Rubik's Cube knock-off, but it isn't really all that engaging. Good puzzle games leave you feeling rewarded when you solve the puzzle, and great puzzle games make you want to dive back in immediately for another round. To many people, the original Rubik's Cube was a great puzzle game. This one is just there. It has consistent and fair rules, it isn't too difficult (much easier than Rubik's Cube, in fact), but it lacks a real sense of accomplishment or reward. Consequently, it doesn't really lend itself to lots of replays.
Atari later re-released the game as Rubik's Cube despite the different rules. Both versions of the cartridge are highly collectible due to their rarity, but that's not the same as fun to play. If you want to challenge yourself with a good puzzle, get a real Rubik's Cube, or just play Tetris.
Grade: C.