Penetrator (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Penetrator is an early Sinclair ZX Spectrum
game made by Melbourne House
programmer Philip Mitchell, one of the early hits. It was released in 1982 as a clone of the Scramble
arcade game
.
In Penetrator, the gamer flies a ship, which can shoot forwards and drop bombs beneath the ship. The first level is on open air, with just mountains to dodge, missiles which try to hit the ship, and animated radars. From the second level onwards, the game is inside increasingly complex caverns, so the ceiling is also a danger, as well as new enemies - the missiles are now sometimes replaced with skulls that can move up and down, blocking the path.
The levels change with no pause, only the screen colour changes. After four levels there is a short fifth level where a base needs to be destroyed by dropping a bomb precisely, and then there is a firework animation as a reward. After all levels are finished, the ship goes back through inversed levels, with backward turned landscape.
Reviews at the time said that graphics and the game were impressive, even stunning.
There is an edit mode for designing levels, and a training mode with infinite number of lives in which one can start from any level. Also, there is a simultaneous two-player mode. The game's sound consisted of a characteristic uplifting theme
before ship launch, while in-game there were simultaneous shooting/explosion effects, which was relatively advanced use of the limited one channel Spectrum beeper system at the time.
Later, versions for Commodore 64
and TRS-80
appeared.
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
game made by Melbourne House
Melbourne House
Krome Studios Melbourne, originally Beam Software, was a video game development studio founded in 1980 and based in Melbourne, Australia. The studio operated independently from 1987 until 1999, when it was acquired by Infogrames, who changed the name to Melbourne House...
programmer Philip Mitchell, one of the early hits. It was released in 1982 as a clone of the Scramble
Scramble (arcade game)
Scramble is a 1981 horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up, arcade game. It was developed by Konami, and manufactured and distributed by Stern in North America. It was the first side-scrolling shooter with forced scrolling and multiple distinct levels...
arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
.
In Penetrator, the gamer flies a ship, which can shoot forwards and drop bombs beneath the ship. The first level is on open air, with just mountains to dodge, missiles which try to hit the ship, and animated radars. From the second level onwards, the game is inside increasingly complex caverns, so the ceiling is also a danger, as well as new enemies - the missiles are now sometimes replaced with skulls that can move up and down, blocking the path.
The levels change with no pause, only the screen colour changes. After four levels there is a short fifth level where a base needs to be destroyed by dropping a bomb precisely, and then there is a firework animation as a reward. After all levels are finished, the ship goes back through inversed levels, with backward turned landscape.
Reviews at the time said that graphics and the game were impressive, even stunning.
There is an edit mode for designing levels, and a training mode with infinite number of lives in which one can start from any level. Also, there is a simultaneous two-player mode. The game's sound consisted of a characteristic uplifting theme
Theme (music)
In music, a theme is the material, usually a recognizable melody, upon which part or all of a composition is based.-Characteristics:A theme may be perceivable as a complete musical expression in itself, separate from the work in which it is found . In contrast to an idea or motif, a theme is...
before ship launch, while in-game there were simultaneous shooting/explosion effects, which was relatively advanced use of the limited one channel Spectrum beeper system at the time.
Later, versions for Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and TRS-80
TRS-80
TRS-80 was Tandy Corporation's desktop microcomputer model line, sold through Tandy's Radio Shack stores in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The first units, ordered unseen, were delivered in November 1977, and rolled out to the stores the third week of December. The line won popularity with...
appeared.
External links
- Penetrator at MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
- Penetrator at World of SpectrumWorld of SpectrumWorld of Spectrum is a website devoted to cataloging and archiving material for the ZX Spectrum home computer popular in the 1980s, and has been officially endorsed by Amstrad which holds the rights to the ZX Spectrum brand...