Spy Hunter for PC MS-DOS is unfortunately a terrible stinker of a video game. I can forgive the four-colour, CGA graphics, but I can’t forgive the repetitive, dull gameplay and the unresponsive controls.
Tag Archives: vertical scrolling
Spy Hunter, NES
The 1987 Nintendo Entertainment System conversion of Spy Hunter was handled by Sunsoft and is an excellent addition to the Spy Hunter family.
In some respects this is better than the arcade original, because it’s not quite so mind-bendingly difficult…
Spy Hunter, ZX Spectrum
Sega did a marvellous job of converting Bally Midway‘s classic Spy Hunter onto the ZX Spectrum in 1984.
Not only is the game colourful and beautifully-adapted to Sir Clive‘s diminutive machine, but it’s also very playable, fun, and challenging.
Spy Hunter, Commodore 64
I remember buying this back in 1984 and enjoying it. Playing it now, though, I can’t help but think that it was a lot better all those years ago…
The Commodore 64 conversion of Spy Hunter is fast and smooth, but the graphics are very chunky. And there’s an annoying, flickery glitch at the bottom of the screen – where the black stripe meets the scrolling playfield – which is a pity.
Spy Hunter, ColecoVision
Coleco‘s 1984 conversion of Bally Midway‘s classic Spy Hunter is a bit of a pale imitation of the arcade parent.
Graphically, it’s a little bland, but the scrolling is fast (I won’t say ‘smooth’, but it’s not jerky) and the sprites and backgrounds are colourful.
Spy Hunter, Arcade
Bally Midway‘s classic Spy Hunter is a thrilling overhead racing game that set arcades alight back in 1983.
Bump ‘n’ Jump, Intellivision
Another excellent Data East arcade conversion, Bump ‘n’ Jump was released for the Intellivision in 1983 to some success.
Raiden, Arcade
A 1990 release into arcades by Tecmo of Japan, Raiden is an action-packed shoot ’em up with a vertical screen and impressive 2D graphics.
Sidewinder, Amiga
Sidewinder – by Arcadia – is a well-respected, and quite exciting, vertically-scrolling shooter on the Amiga, first released in 1988 by Mastertronic.
What makes it exciting are the excellent graphics – in particular the explosions, which are beautifully animated – and the rapid fire Bullet Hell action, which is extremely challenging.
Terra Cresta II, PC Engine
This 1992 sequel to the arcade classic Terra Cresta is a PC Engine exclusive – it did not appear in arcades first.
It’s more of a remake than a sequel, but is incredibly varied and a more than worthy successor to Terra Cresta. As far as mainstream ‘Bullet Hell’ shooters go there are few better.
The King of Grabs 