Defender

Name: Defender
Programmer(s): Steve Baker
Publisher: Atarisoft
Year: 1983

Description:

Youtube Video of someone Booting an Apple 2e to play Stargate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yM0qJF31WxQ

Defender, released in 1982 by Atari for the Apple II, brought the intense side-scrolling action of Williams Electronics' arcade hit to home computers. In this space shooter, players pilot a spacecraft across a horizontally scrolling landscape, protecting humanoid inhabitants from waves of alien invaders.

The game puts players in control of a ship equipped with lasers and smart bombs. The mission is straightforward: defend humans from being abducted by alien landers. If aliens successfully capture humans, they transform into mutants that aggressively pursue the player's ship. Players must shoot down the aliens while carefully maneuvering to catch falling humans before they hit the ground.

The Apple II version features simple vector-style graphics rendered in the computer's high-resolution mode. While visually basic compared to the arcade version, it maintains the core gameplay elements. The screen scrolls smoothly as players navigate their ship left or right across the playfield. A radar display at the top of the screen shows the position of enemies and humans, helping players track threats beyond their immediate view.

Controls use the keyboard for movement and weapons. The spacebar fires lasers, while other keys control altitude, direction, and smart bombs. Players must master quick reactions and precise timing to succeed, especially when rescuing humans or avoiding mutants. The game becomes increasingly difficult as players progress, with faster and more numerous enemies appearing in later waves.

This Apple II port was notable for achieving arcade-style action on limited hardware. While it couldn't match the sound and graphics of the original arcade game, it successfully translated the core gameplay mechanics that made Defender a hit. The game helped establish the shoot-em-up genre on home computers and demonstrated that fast-paced arcade action was possible on the Apple II platform.

Defender influenced many subsequent computer games and helped prove that arcade-style games could work on home computers. Its combination of strategic elements (managing multiple threats while protecting humans) and action gameplay (shooting aliens while navigating precisely) created a template that many later games would follow.