Dead Eye is an early arcade game that was first released in 1978 by Meadows Games. The aim of the game is to flip a coin, and then shoot it to keep it in the air, scoring points as you do so.

The game takes place on a single screen, with a ceiling, two walls and a floor, and you control a cowboy using an analogue dial, moving him left and right. If the coin hits the ceiling, you get 100 points. If it hits either wall, you get 500 points. If the coin hits the floor, though, it will bring that round to an end.

Ducks randomly appear on-screen and can be shot for extra points. A large duck will sometimes fly across the screen, and if you shoot it, it will give you 1000 bonus points, but it will also drop a bomb toward you when destroyed.

Graphically, Dead Eye is very simple. The display is actually monochrome, with cellophane strips positioned on the screen to give some colour (a common occurrence in late 1970s arcade games).

Gameplay-wise, Dead Eye is playable and is still fun to this day, in spite of its simplicity. The game is largely forgotten these days, though. I have vague memories of seeing this in arcades in the late ’70s, but I can’t remember if I ever put money into it.

Oh, and Meadows Games‘ Dead Eye is not to be confused with the 1996 Konami arcade game of the same name. Which is easily done.

More: Dead Eye on Moby Games