Gorf - Colecovision

This game is yet another missile-and-base game created to rival the original arcade classic "Space Invaders". Like many games of this genre it's just Space Invaders but with a difference. And in this case it’s button control. In other missile-and-base games you could keep tapping fire until the cows come home; but in Gorf you need to decide carefully whether to shoot or not. It works like this: If you fire a missile and click to send out another before it’s killed an enemy, the original bullet will disappear and the new one will fire. This way the missile fired stays in the air for however long you want it to; and stops the barbarian button smashers in the arcades.

One other way this game differentiates itself from its older predecessor is by the barrier. In Space Invaders there were three green blocks that you could use for cover. On Gorf there’s a single shield that’s thinner but stretches the full width of the screen. This allows more freedom of movement at the beginning of the level, but because the shield only take a single hit from an enemy missile to breach, you soon have to dodge as you shoot. This early respite gives new players a chance to get used to the control system. more