Space Invaders

The Good
Those who haven't heard or played Space Invaders before, the main object is to slide your ship left and right, shooting all 55 invaders on screen, while dodging their lasers. To make matters worse, the invaders are moving down towards Earth. And just when you thought you killed all invaders, fresh new ones appear on screen. Four barriers are provided for your own protection, but the invaders will take a chuck out of them with their lasers if they happen to shoot anywhere near them. You will receive 20, 30, or 40 points for each invader you kill. A passing spaceship will also fly past, and by shooting this ship, who knows how many points you are awarded.

In the arcade version of space Invaders, all the invaders are white; but in the NES version, they are color-coded, with two rows of green and cyan invaders, and only one row of purple invaders. Each one of them turn to yellow and red once they get close to Earth. You have three lives, and you lose one of them if one of the invaders hit your ship. As usual, lose all your three lives and the current game ends.

Space Invaders must be one of the most difficult games ever. More often than not, the invaders will block your shots simply by shooting its lasers so it collides with yours, and both lasers disappear. Furthermore, if invaders turn yellow or red, it is much more difficult to shoot them, as you are directly underneath the invader, and you won't have the chance to slide away out of trouble.

The Bad
Too difficult for me. I can't quite get to the next round.

The Bottom Line
With repetitive levels and greater difficulty, this game might not be your cup of tea. For a greater experience, play Taito's Super Space Invaders or the remake.

Rating: *½