Airstrike II

Airstrike II (shown on the box cover, but not the title screen, as Airstrike 2) is a horizontally scrolling shooter written by Steven A. Riding[1] and published by English Software for the Atari 8-bit family in 1983.[2] Airstrike II is a successor to 1982's Airstrike which was also programmed by Riding. Both games have gameplay similar to the Scramble arcade game.

Airstrike II
Publisher(s)English Software
Designer(s)Steven A. Riding
Platform(s)Atari 8-bit
Release1983
Genre(s)Scrolling shooter

Gameplay
Gameplay screenshot

The goal of Airstrike II is to clear all five zones using a fighter ship armed with a laser gun and bombs. The ship's ammo and fuel are limited, but can be replenished by shooting a respective dump (F for fuel and A for ammo). The player's ship must navigate tight caverns and watch for enemy fighters and heat-sensitive missiles. The game is split in five zones, which have identical layout but increasing level of difficulty. Some improvements over the predecessor include addition of a scrolling map and a title screen music.

Reception

Airstrike II has been met with a mixed response. The Big K magazine reviewed it twice, with a first reviewer concluding: "It may be very clever, but it's a terrible looking game, and I, for one, spend too much time in front of a VDU to want to have to look at something this ugly."[3], while a second reviewer was more forgiving: "Excellent use has been made of the Atari 800's considerable graphics [...] As it stands, probably English Software's best title".[4]

Bob Chappell writing for Personal Computer News also liked it: "The caverns are filled with defence systems, making the game possibly the toughest and most varied version of this classic to date."[5] Home Computing Weekly covered Airstrike II in issue #054, concluding: "The graphics are nicely detailed and well complemented by colour. If you haven't tired of the idea, Airstrike 2 should satisfy your appetite for quite a while."[6]

References
  1. Hague, James. "The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers".
  2. "Airstrike II". Atari Mania.
  3. "Airstrike II Review". Big-K: 14. December 1984.
  4. "Airstrike II Review". Big-K: 27. May 1984.
  5. "Tough travels". Personal Computer News: 47. March 1984.
  6. "Airstrike II Review". Home Computing Weekly: 14. March 1984.
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