DEFENDER Arcade Game
By Mark Nobes

Entex Arcade Defender Handheld Video Game from 1982
Inevitably, due to the success of the game, it spawned lots of clones, including Dropzone which was released by Arena Graphics in 1984 for the Atari 8-bit and C64 computers. Dropzone won critical acclaim in most computer magazines of the day, including a gold medal in Zzap! 64 for the C64 version with a 95% rating. I remember playing Dropzone on my Atari 800XL and it was extremely responsive and a joy to play.

Atari 2600 cartridge box CX2609 (Williams Electronics)
Defender on the Atari 2600

Screenshot from Atari 2600 version
Defender on the BBC Micro Model B and Acorn Electron
The BBC version was developed by Acornsoft and was a very authentic clone. In fact, it was too authentic for its own good and this led to the game being renamed Planetoid for legal reasons. The game was also released on the Acorn Electron, the budget version of the BBC Micro. Acornsoft were pretty brilliant at game conversions, and this is, without doubt, regarded as one of the best of all the home computer versions from the 80s, although the Atari 8-bit version is also very decent and has some excellent sound effects, as is Guardian by Alligata Software for the C64, which I'll come to in a moment.

Defender BBC Micro Model B Screenshot
Defender on the Commodore 64
As with the Atari XL and XE computers, the C64 was a very capable and advanced machine for its time. Although not as refined as the arcade version, the game plays well on the C64. It looks a little crude, but this was one of the earlier C64 games and the graphics look more Hi-res than other home computer versions. The sound effects are excellent, and I also like the way the screen compresses and disappears to the right when you move up a level - a nice touch.

Defender C64 Screenshot

Defender Atari 800 screenshot