Bug Attack

The Good
This is an excellent game from Cavalier Computers. If you have not heard of the company, they were founded by two high school classmates who began releasing titles for the early 8-bit computers such as Microwave and Star Thief. I don't think they are around now, but they also released a game called Bug Attack which was so popular at the time. The game plays similar to Centipede, but it is slightly different.

Like Atari's game, the player starts off with three lives. They are at the bottom of the screen and can manoeuver left and right. On the other side is a pest, which the player must shoot to proceed to the next wave. Separating the two is a garden of some sort, and the player can clear a path through it, so it makes it easier for them to accomplish their goal. As usual, contact with any of their projectiles results in a loss of life.

There is only one world to describe Bug Attack - variation. You see, you fight in a garden full of cacti, clovers, and purple floors, not just fighting one enemy. Each wave in the game is filled with a different creature including ants, millipedes, and med flies; and all three have their own method of attacking you, whether it be getting in your way or dropping daggers down at you. Clear enough waves, and you are treated with a nice cinematic where a med fly is seen pollinating a flower.

I enjoyed looking at the title, which has a rainbow feel to it rather than the bland one-color title used in other games. Everything in the game looks nice, especially the field full of purple flowers you see if you progress enough in the game. The enemy movements are animated nicely, as is your beetle. Bug Attack is also one of the first games to feature background music while you play. Cavalier's rendition of “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” while you are fighting ants is a nice touch, but that is the only music that you hear during the game.

The Bad
The explosion you hear on the title screen is loud, annoying, and unnecessary. You cannot bypass it and skip to the game, so the only way not to hear it is to turn off your speakers.

The Bottom Line
So, Bug Attack is a must-have game for the Apple II. It takes the concept of Atari's Centipede and expands on it by adding background music and cinematics. The graphics and sound is brilliant also. A classic that every Apple user deserves to have in their collection.