''Cosmic Guerilla'' is a fixed shooter arcade video game developed by

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a t ...

and released 1979. A

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as t ...

port was published by

Crystal Computing Crystal Computing, later renamed Design Design, was a British video game developer founded in 1982 by Chris Clarke and Ian Stamp while students at the University of Manchester. Graham Stafford, Neil Mottershead, Simon Brattel and Martin Horsley, j ...

in 1983.

Gameplay

200px, left, The aliens steal shields protecting the player's stock of lives ''Cosmic Guerilla'' is a two-dimensional fixed shooter game. The player takes control of a laser cannon at the bottom of the screen whose movement is limited to left and right, and must fire at the aliens above. In contrast to ''Space Invaders'' the aliens are arranged in a single vertical line on each side of the screen, with their movement being towards the centre, one or more at a time, in an attempt to capture and remove the player's shields. The aliens cannot be hit by the player's shots until they begin to move, and the player may only fire one projectile at a time. Once a row of shields has been removed, one of the player's " lives", is exposed and able to be captured. Occasionally a very fast "mothership" will appear and traverse the screen just above the player dropping bombs. There are six levels of difficulty along with four game modes allowing combinations of the regular game, bonus enemies, and faster aliens. There is also a two player mode where players take alternative turns.

Reception

''Cosmic Guerilla'' was invariably compared to '' Space Invaders'', though ''

Sinclair User ''Sinclair User'' was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum (while also occasionally covering arcade games). Initially published by ECC Publications, and later EMAP, it was publi ...

'' described it as the "next step up", with its different scenarios and object arrangement.''Cosmic Guerilla'' review, ''

'', issue 17 (p.32), ECC Publications, August 1983 ''Home Computing Weekly'', ''Sinclair User'' and ''ZX Computing'' all praised the game's smooth graphics,''Cosmic Guerilla'' review, ''ZX Computing'', issue August/September 1983 (p.107), Argus Specialist Publications though ''HCU'' felt that better use could have been made of the sound.''Cosmic Guerilla'' review, ''Home Computing Weekly'', issue 36 (p.17), Argus Specialist Publications, November 1983 The game was generally well received, and described variously as "incredibly addictive" and "very playable", and "highly recommended".''Cosmic Guerilla'' review, ''

CRASH Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch su ...

'', issue 1 (p.46),

Newsfield Publications Newsfield Publications Ltd (also known as Newsfield) was a British magazine publisher during the 1980s and early 1990s. Newsfield Publications Ltd was founded by Roger Kean, Franco Frey and Oliver Frey in 1983. Based in Ludlow, Shropshire, News ...

, February 1984

References

External links

* * {{Crystal Computing series 1979 video games Video games about alien invasions Arcade video games Crystal Computing games Fixed shooters Multiplayer and single-player video games Universal Entertainment games Video games developed in Japan ZX Spectrum games