Considering I'm not
very fond of shooters, I wasn't exactly bowled over with enthusiasm when handed the
prospect of reviewing one. After playing through it once I knew I would be spending
several hours of quality time with this cart.
The object is simple. Equipped with a tiny spaceship (armed with missiles and bombs) destroy the Dreadnaughts before they obliterate your home planet of Terra. These massive enemy vessels engulf several screens, and approach one at a time. They are armed with a multitude of guns, cannons and missile launchers. Although all of these weapons can be taken out by your ship, only the destruction of the energy vents which align the exterior are necessary to wipe out the enemy. Unlike the Intellivision version where the screen scrolls horizontally, vertical scrolling occurs here.
Plenty of action awaits as gamers will encounter over a dozen shots blazing in unison toward your tiny ship. Those who enjoy amassing total destruction would surely satisfy their whims as each armament can be picked off one by one. The best strategy is not to freely blast away but to dismantle enemy installments tactically. Several different ships are encountered, ensuring that your strategy will have to change to handle the new positions of gun emplacements.
The graphics are somewhat weak in comparison to others for this system, although all items are easily distinguished. Nevertheless, those who seek plenty of action should not pass this one up. Your dollars will be well spent.
TIP: Concentrate on clearing a path by destroying the guns. On your second or third pass, fly through this path and bomb the engines to slow the dreadnaught down, gaining valuable time.
