Missile Command Games
Missle Command Games on the ZX Spectrum
Missile Command
Missile Command (along with Space Invaders, Frogger, Pac Man, and Asteroids) must be one of the most well known and well remembered arcade games of all time.
This title was a 1980 arcade game created by gaming legends Atari which was also licensed to Sega for European releases.
The 'plot' of Missile Command was very simple.
The player had six cities which were being attacked by an endless hail of incoming ballistic missiles, some of them even 'splitting' like multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles.
In later levels smart bombs would appear which evaded a less than perfectly targeted missile making them quite difficult to destroy.
Planes would fly across the screen dropping yet more missiles downwards - unless you took them out first that is!
As a regional commander of three anti-missile batteries, you had to defend the six cities in their zone from being destroyed. If all of the cities were destroyed then it was game over.
Many versions of Missile Command games made it onto the ZX Spectrum (our favourite out of all the 8-bit retro computers, but Missile Command appeared on nearly every 8-bit computer such as the ZX80, ZX81, Oric 1, Oric Atmos, Vic 20, Commodore 64, Acorn Electron, BBC Micro and the Amstrad CPC 464) - and below we have a listed some of the more notable ones.
You can't have a retro gaming article without a bit of Missile Command, we hope you enjoy it....
Missile Command Arcade Version
Armageddon (Ocean Software)
Armageddon (Ocean Software)
The sinister sounding Armageddon was released by Ocean Software in 1983.
Based on Atari's Missile Command it was a nice version for ZX Spectrum gamers.
It was different from the original due to the fact that missiles that you fired were not drawn out as a line (like they were in the Atari version).
In Armageddon you actually saw your little missile launch and fly to wherever you had fired it which was a nice touch by the programmers.
The cross hair movement was smooth and responsive and made aiming against the bad guys simple enough.
Ocean's Armageddon was a playable and slightly different version of Missile Command that still plays pretty well years later.
Armageddon By Ocean Software
Armageddon (Silversoft)
Armageddon (Silversoft)
Armageddon was another Missile Command type game on the ZX Spectrum.
This version was released by Silversoft in 1983.
Similar to Missile Command playing wise, it did not quite have the smooth cross-hair movement of Ocean's game, even if it did share the same title.
The smart bombs were in there as well as the incoming ballistic missiles, and over all Armageddon was a decent enough effort.
This game (despite being nicely presented) probably lacked the overall polish of other Missile Command type game.
It's still worth a look though if you enjoy games in this genre.
Missile Defence (Anirog Software)
Missile Defence
Missile Defence was a released for the ZX Spectrum by Anirog software in 1983 (1983 certainly seems the year for Missile Command type games eh?)
Missile Defence came in 16K and 48K versions, and is probably the most playable and frenetic of the Missile Command games available on the Sinclair machine.
Each level increased in speed and number of incoming missiles.
With enemy bombers making things more hectic, hard to kill smart bombs and fast firing rockets, Missile Defence was a very playable game indeed.
The sound effects really captured that 'arcade game' feel and are impressive for a 1983 title.
If we take all of this into account we reckon that Keith Burkhill's Missile Defence is the best game in this genre that you could get for the ZX Spectrum.
Give it a try but beware - once you reach level 9 you need almost super human reflexes to keep those missiles at bay!
Missile Defence By Anirog Software
See these games in detail
Remember these games (and many more!) can be seen on our dedicated ZX Spectrum Games site which has reviews, images, videos, a quiz and even interviews with industry legends such as Joffa Smith, Jim Bagley, Dave Hawkins, Dave Rogers, David M Webb, Colin Stewart, Peter Gough and Doug Burns!
All relevant links to many retro gaming treasures are in the links section below. Thanks all!
Now, where's my trackball.... ?
Retro gaming links
- Acorn Atom
The Acorn Atom was the ancestor to the BBC series of computers - Acorn Electron
The Electron was an 8-bit Micro manufactured by Acorn - Amiga 1200
The Amiga 1200, was Commodore's third-generation Amiga computer which was aimed at the home market - Amiga CD 32
It was almost a fantastic games console - Amiga Games
The best for your Miggy - Amstrad CPC 464
During the 1980's entrepeneur Alan Sugar made a foray into the home computer market... - Asteroids
Asteroids (along with the seminal Space Invaders) must be one of the most famous arcade games of all time - Astro Blaster
A table-top scramble clone from Hales / Tomy - Astro Wars
A legendary table top arcade game... - Atari Falcon
The Falcon was Atari's final home computer product before they concentrated on consoles such as the Jaguar - Atari ST
The Atari ST was a 16-bit home computer that rivalled the Amiga - AY Sound
In the 1980's a lot of the 8-Bit micros available used the AY3-8912 sound chip to generate music and sound effects. This was especially useful for games programmers (and games players!) The sound chip was... - BBC Micro
The BBC, known as the BBC micro - Best PC Games
PC Gaming - get the best in online games - Chronos Cheat Codes
Humour, powerups and hidden extras - Commodore 16
The C16 was an 8-bit micro manufacured by CBM - Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 was the flagship of Commodores 8-bit fleet - Commodore 128
The last of Commodore's 8-bit machines - Commodore Amiga
We love the Commodore Amiga!! - Computer History
Sinclair, Commodore, Atari, Oric, Acorn... All your classic machines are here! - Crash Magazine
If you read Crash, then read Crash Magazine! - Dark Star Cheat Codes
Humour and hidden extras... - Frogger
Frogger is an arcade game which was released waaaay back in 1981 - Funny Games
Chuckles a plenty - Games Online
Games Online - one of the phenomenons of the modern internet - Jim Bagley's Games Site
Jim Bagley was a top developer of games software and is still active in the retro gaming industry today - Miniclip Games
Just what are Miniclip games? Well, if you are into games online then miniclip games could float yer boat... - Oric 1
The Oric 1 was a British computer - Oric Atmos
The Oric Atmos was a British computer - Pacman
For those retro gaming fans among us, who can forget the year of 1980 when Pac-man first appeared in the amusement arcades? - Pacman Game
For those retro gaming fans among us, who can forget the year of 1980 when Pac-man first appeared in the amusement arcades? - Scramble games
Scramble must be one of the most famous arcade shoot em ups ever - Sinclair Interface 2
The ZX Interface 2 was a hardware peripheral - Space Invaders
Space Invaders, an all time classic - Spectrum Emulator
Play those classics on an emulator - Spectrum Games
Videos, reviews, images, quizzes and interviews with industry legends. - Spectrum Game Characters
Most of us old school gamers will have fond memories of many games for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum (and other 8-bit and 16-bit machines). From Manic Miner to Way of the Exploding Fist to Night Gunner, these... - Spectrum Programmers
The 48K Spectrum was pushed way beyond it's limitations There were many fine developers who worked on the Sinclair ZX Spectrum during the 1980's and into the early 1990's. They managed to push the machine... - Sport Billy
Sport Billy was a 1979 TV cartoon made by Filmation Associates - Star Wars Computer Games
There were a number of official (and unofficial) Star Wars Computer Games released - Tomy Sky Attack
Tomy 3D Sky Attack. The ultimate in Tron-alike thrills - Vectrex
This classic arcade console is certainly something a little different from most other gaming platforms... - VIC 20
The Commodore VIC-20 - ZX80
The Sinclair ZX80 - ZX81
The Sinclair ZX81 - ZZap64 Magazine
ZZap 64 magazine was one of the most popular monthly magazines available covering the Commodore 64 and it's games - ZX Spectrum Music
The original ZX Spectrum was never designed to compose masterpieces We are talking about the original ZX Spectrum here or the slightly upgraded Spectrum plus. We are not including the Spectrum 128, the plus 2... - 8-bit to 16-bit
An astounding leap in power - 80s theme tunes
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