Carrier Attack

The Good
A carrier has run out of fuel somewhere in the ocean, and a group of bombers are using this to their advantage; as they pass by the carrier, they will drop one or more bombs down on it. Your job is to prevent that from happening. It is okay to let the carrier sustain a few hits, but if it receives fifty, its weapon systems are disabled and it will take a few more hits before submerging to the bottom. To distract you from your job, other planes will also fly by, checking what the commotion is all about. You are punished for not timing your shots; you are awarded a minus score for any bombers you miss.

How many fly-byes the bombers makes depends on the wave you are on. Although the game uses unexpanded memory, the graphics are still impressive, with standard diagonal lines on the left side moving to give the impression of waves. The mushroom clouds that form when the carrier has been hit are good (blink, and you miss them) Similar to Paratrooper’s “Guided Missiles” option, you can move your projectiles toward a passing bomber, making the game a lot easier.

There is a different colored background for each wave, and it seems to me that the battle takes place during various times of the day. For instance, wave one takes place during the afternoon whereas the next wave happens during sunset. So for each wave, you are not looking at the same sort of background all the time.

Sound effects include the siren introducing each wave and the snippet of Beethoven that plays when you complete a wave. There are also standard sound effects where you make a hit and get hit yourself, and these are the same sonics from other games released around the same time.

The Bad
There is nothing I didn't like about this game.

The Bottom Line
Carrier Attack is an excellent game that any VIC-20 user will enjoy, regardless of how much memory they have. The aim is to shoot as many bombers as you can without sustaining fifty hits. The missiles can be guided to make the game easier. The graphics are excellent, with different settings for each wave. Definitely for shooter fans.