Starcom

Starcom is a single-player, shareware, scrolling shooter with both vertical and horizontal scrolling elements.

The story behind the game is that, as a member of the Federation's elite fighter, squadron know as Starcom, the player must maintain the peace within the galaxy. A hostile force is taking over small, uninhabited planets in the Orion galaxy. It is Federation policy not to interfere so requests from Orion for assistance were turned down. Then, for several years, all went quiet. The player takes the role of a Starcom pilot who decides to investigate. They jump to Orion through a wormhole not knowing what they'll find on the other side.

What they find is a space shooter game where the objective is to blast alien ships and survive. Wave upon wave of enemy craft come at the player from the top of the screen or from the side. The player's craft has two weapons, a canon and guns, which can be upgraded by collecting power-us. Additionally some power-ups give the player 'helpers', small craft that attach themselves to the players craft and fire in tandem. Helpers are short lived things that eventually run out of power and fall away.

The game is keyboard controlled but can be configured to use a joystick. It has sound and sound effects. The registered game has twenty-one levels while the shareware game has only six.