Laser Blast

The Good
The second game by David Crane during his time at Activision is a horizontally-scrolling shooter where the player controls a flying saucer. What sets this game apart from other games of its kind is that it scrolls until three turrets are seen. These turrets take turns at firing pot shots at you, and it is up to you to take all three out. Once you do, three more appear. It’s important not to stay in the one spot, otherwise a turret will zero-in on you and you’ll be taken down in no time. If you are hit by one of them, you will lose one of your lives. In the early stages of the game, you can fly low to avoid detection, but this is not possible later as an invisible force field will separate you and the turrets.

The game features four variations, as well as an unusual twist. If you are struck, you can still move, landing on one of the turrets to take them out. The variations themselves represent a specific rank. While you are playing on the first one – the “Cadet” level - it is easy to time how long each turret fires a laser at you. The last variation - the "Commander" level - makes this impossible. Using my own playing strategy, I managed to get over 20,000 points and stocked up on reserves (the maximum number is six). If anyone managed to get 100,000 points or more back in the day, they could post a screenshot to Activision to receive a badge. Getting a million rewards you an alternate badge.

The idea is to play the game on the lowest variation to get familiar with the gameplay, then once you work out a strategy on how to avoid being struck down, you then proceed onto the next variation. The higher you go, the faster the screen scrolls and the more aggressive the turrets become. I like the light show you and your turrets create and the BOOM sound that is heard when the turret fires. The six-page manual is beautifully presented, with detailed instructions and tips from Crane himself.

The Bad
I can’t think of anything bad about this game. It was released at the time when Atari 2600 games had no flaws.

The Bottom Line
I enjoyed Crane's last game, Dragster, and he did not disappoint me with this release. This is an addictive game where you have to shoot three turrets at a time before they have a chance to fire at you. The graphics and sound are fantastic, and if you work out a certain strategy to destroying the turrets, you will find that you can't stop playing. Anyone who enjoys earlier games from Activision should definitely get this.