Atari 5200

Moon Patrol

This space shooter makes a fairly smooth transition to the 5200. Your moon rover is a bit blocky, but the scrolling background looks impressive -- particularly the futuristic city. Moon Patrol is a challenge because you have to concentrate on the road in front of you while shooting UFOs above. On the 5200 controller the jump and shoot buttons are right next to each other, which I found to be awkward (and sometimes confusing). The gameplay itself is virtually identical to the arcade game. There are two skill levels and a continue option.

I loathed this game in its VCS incarnation. Its flickery graphics and choppy scrolling killed the game. I'm happy to report that the 5200 version comes almost indistinguishably close to the arcade original. In Moon Patrol, you take control of an armored go buggy, tooling across the lunarscape. It's just you against alien spaceships, tanks, and a grueling, pockmarked path. In addition to the vehicle-swallowing pits natural to the landscape, the enemy vessels can blast holes in front of you. 5200 Moon Patrol successfully retains both the wild gameplay and the trademark audiovisual effects that helped to distinguish Moon Patrol in the arcades. The background graphics are gorgeous, and the soundtrack does a terrific job of setting a playful mood -- while incorporating some of the eeriest sound effects found in a classic home videogame. And since the key to conquering this game lies in the precise timing of jumps, the joysticks do not detract from the gameplay one bit. Recommended.