Paratrooper

The Good
There are quite a few games where you use a ground-based gun to shoot down helicopters, and prevent paratroopers from dropping down onto the surface. The best one of these I played was Rabbit’s take, mainly because of the high level of customization that occurs before the start of the game, although this only concerns the gun itself and its projectiles. You can choose whether your bullets are sprayed at an angle or in a straight line, and if you want the gun to move or remain stationary in the center of the screen. Moving my gun (facing up all the time) while spraying bullets everywhere is a great way to boost my score quickly.

The gameplay is quite frenetic, and you need to keep an eye on everything that goes on the screen so there would be less chance of a paratrooper getting onto the ground. Shooting helicopters all over the screen is a bonus, however, as you get to watch the fireworks that result when you kill helicopters every second. Based on my experiences, once the troopers have their parachutes open, it is too late unless you choose to have angled shots.

Paratroopers boasts impressive animations. Apart from the aforementioned fireworks, I enjoyed watching the gun turn around whenever you push the joystick left or right, and its explosion when you let a paratrooper come into contact with it. The game may be over at this point, but it will give you a few seconds to see your gun turning into a lump of charcoal. Letting too many paratroopers onto the ground is worth it to see a huge tank appear and blow you up. This tank is well designed and is much bigger than any other sprite.

The gun itself looks fantastic as well, as are the helicopters that fly overhead. Sound effects are quite good as well. If rapid fire is turned on, the shooting of the gun is satisfying. Up the top of the screen are two scores, with the one on the right being your high score. The game can be used to “score attack” – beating your high score in every game.

The Bad
You only have one life – get destroyed and the game is over.

The Bottom Line
Paratroopers was released at a time when games were easy to get to grips with, where you shoot down helicopters while making sure paratroopers don't reach the ground. The graphics and sound are excellent, and the sheer level of customization not only makes the game stand out from others of its kind, but it also means that the game can be played over and over again.