A great early scrolling shooter. Unlike many of its contemporaries, there is real thought put into the enemy designs and formations, as well as the level layouts. This makes each new area exciting, and keeps you engaged even if you’re not very good and find yourself quickly obliterated. It makes you feel like the game can be learned – not necessarily through memorization or sheer repetition, but through quick, careful reading of the encounters and smart planning. Plenty of shooters capture this feeling, but for the Master System in 1986, it’s impressive work.

The graphics and music are simple but pleasing, and the same can be said for the game on the whole. It doesn’t innovate in any real way but it’s carefully and thoughtfully made, and the result is satisfying, playable, and replayable.