''Cosmic Camouflage'' is a

multidirectional shooter Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs ) are a sub-genre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of charact ...

for the

BBC Micro The British Broadcasting Corporation Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, is a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers in the 1980s for the BBC Computer Literacy Project. Designed with an emphas ...

and

Acorn Electron The Acorn Electron (nicknamed the Elk inside Acorn and beyond) was a lower-cost alternative to the BBC Micro educational/ home computer, also developed by Acorn Computers Ltd, to provide many of the features of that more expensive machine at a ...

. It was released in 1988 as the sequel to

Acornsoft Acornsoft was the software arm of Acorn Computers, and a major publisher of software for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron. As well as games, it also produced a large number of educational titles, extra computer languages and business and util ...

's ''Meteors''. Both games are

clones Clone or Clones or Cloning or Cloned or The Clone may refer to: Places * Clones, County Fermanagh * Clones, County Monaghan, a town in Ireland Biology * Clone (B-cell), a lymphocyte clone, the massive presence of which may indicate a pathologi ...

of the 1979

Atari, Inc. Atari, Inc. was an American video game developer and home computer company founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. Atari was a key player in the formation of the video arcade and video game industry. Based primarily around the Sunny ...

arcade video game An arcade video game takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. Most arcade video games are coin-operated, housed in an arca ...

Asteroids An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

''. The game was only available on the compilation ''Play It Again Sam 4'', along with ''

Frak! ''Frak!'' is a scrolling platform video game programmed by Nick Pelling for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron and published by his own Aardvark Software in 1984. It was ported to the Commodore 64 the following year by "The B Team" (Jason Perkin ...

'', '' Spellbinder'', and either '' Grand Prix Construction Set'' (BBC) or ''Guardian'' (Electron).Reed, M: "Compilation Capers", ''Electron User'', #6.03, December 1988

Gameplay

The player controls a spaceship in order to avoid and destroy

asteroids An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

. The controls are rotate, thrust and fire. It expands on ''Meteors'' by introducing different types of asteroids and enemies, and a limited use

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the ...

function that allows the player to pass through asteroids and enemies.

Reception

Electron User ''Electron User'' was a magazine targeted at owners of the Acorn Electron microcomputer. It was published by Database Publications of Stockport, starting in October 1983 and ending after 82 issues in July 1990. Initially it was included as a 16- ...

'' called it a "radically improved" game compared to its predecessor, concluding "''Cosmic Camouflage'' is a novel implementation of a classic, and if you enjoyed ''Meteors'' you'll love this upgrade". Although individual games weren't given a score, the compilation overall was given a score of 9/10 and awarded "Golden Game" status.

References

1988 video games Acornsoft games BBC Micro and Acorn Electron games BBC Micro and Acorn Electron-only games Europe-exclusive video games Multidirectional shooters Single-player video games Superior Software games Video game clones Video games developed in the United Kingdom {{shmup-videogame-stub