''Penetrator'' is a 1982
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer.
Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colou ...
video game made by
Melbourne House programmers Philip Mitchell and
Veronika Megler. The game is a clone of
Konami
, is a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machines, slot machines, and arcade cabinets. Konami has casi ...
's 1981 ''
Scramble'' arcade game. ''Penetrator'' was ported to the
TRS-80
The TRS-80 Micro Computer System (TRS-80, later renamed the Model I to distinguish it from successors) is a desktop microcomputer launched in 1977 and sold by Tandy Corporation through their Radio Shack stores. The name is an abbreviation of ...
and
Commodore 64.
Gameplay
In ''Penetrator'', the player flies a ship which can shoot forward and drop bombs. Levels scroll from right to left, with a line representing the ground. The first level is in open air, with just mountains to dodge, missiles which try to hit the ship, and animated radars. From the second level onward, 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 flow seamlessly into each other, signified by 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 reversed levels. The ultimate level results in a seemingly impassible landscape, however due to a bug if the player accelerates into it, they can get through but the game crashes shortly after.
In addition to the single-player game, there's an alternating two player mode, and a training mode with unlimited lives and access to any of the levels, plus a level editor.
Reception
The ''
Computer Gamer'' review of the Commodore 64 version in highlighted the versatility of the level editor.
''
BYTE
The byte is a unit of digital information that most commonly consists of eight bits. Historically, the byte was the number of bits used to encode a single character of text in a computer and for this reason it is the smallest addressable unit ...
'' praised the graphics of the TRS-80 version of ''Penetrator'' and described the game as "eminently playable".
In a summary of game genres, ''
Computer and Video Games
''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') was a UK-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot website ...
'' chose ''Penetrator'' as an exemplary Spectrum ''Scramble''-type game, noting the responsive controls and their "thoughtful" layout on the keyboard. One criticism was the slow pace of the title screen: the player is presented with a fireworks display and slowly-drawn title before play can proceed.
References
External links
''Penetrator''at
World of Spectrum
Unofficial Apple II port
1982 video games
ZX Spectrum games
Commodore 64 games
TRS-80 games
Horizontally scrolling shooters
Video game clones
Video games developed in Australia
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