When
arcade translations have been announced for the 2600, gamers have grown
accustomed to expecting extremely inferior versions. Crossbow is an
exception to this general belief.
This is a shooting gallery-type cart, where the premise is to protect several friends as they slowly make their way across six different landscapes. Controlling a crosshair, shoot down rocks of lava, falling stalactites, birds, arrows and other objects as they aim to destroy your friends. On the "map" screen, decide between one of three paths to follow in order to ultimately enter a castle, which provides passage to the next level.
Six of the eight scenarios from the arcade version are present in this translation (with the bridge and town scenes missing). The graphics of Atari's other shooting game, Air-Sea Battle, pale in comparison to the creatures and backgrounds in Crossbow. All of the action and excitement has been preserved from the arcade!
Unfortunately, this cart does contain some flaws. You receive no acknowledgement that a level has concluded other than a bonus tacked onto your score. The joystick control is somewhat sluggish and the game becomes repetitious. Nevertheless, this is a very enjoyable arcade translation which stretches the 2600's capabilities close to the limit. A nice change of pace from the countless dull shootem' ups which are very common to this system.
TIP: To reach the castle in the shortest time, pick the paths in this order: green, green, blue, red.
