Way back in 1980, Eugene Jarvis programmed one of the most memorable videogames in history when he created Defender. At the time the game was state of the art and featured graphics like no other game – considering most arcade gamers were still playing Pongin black and white this isn’t a surprise. Midway sold 60,000 Defender arcade cabinets making it their best-selling unit ever (a record that’s still unbeaten today) – and all this despite the game being deemed a failure at a 1981 tradeshow because it was so hard.

The original Defenderwas essentially a side-scrolling shoot-’em-up, but with the bonus of flying both left and right. You were surrounded by a range of alien enemies and your task was to exterminate them all and save the humans that they were trying to eat.

Just like the company has already done with the classic Spy Hunter, Midway has redeveloped Defenderinto a modern title. The new game has kept the concepts that made the original Defender such a big hit, and has tweaked them beyond all recognition to bring you a brand-new alien shoot-’em-up.

The game begins with a basic tutorial to show you the ropes and explain a few of the finer details, like how to shoot and collect power-ups that emerge from destroyed crates. It also details how you can rescue human colonists and this is really important throughout the entire game. Basically the Manti swarm are causing havoc across the universe and good pilots are in short supply. Your job is to defend the colonised bases and also save as many of the inhabitants as you can. Every time one of the aliens lunches on a human, they transform into a more aggressive enemy so it is vital that you juggle your time between saving these defenceless mortals and killing the Manti that are trying to destroy everything.

Considering how basic the graphics of the original game were, the aliens in this new version look like a crossbreed of Space Invaders and the Predator. They move at incredible speeds around the screen so it is lucky that your ship is very easy to control. To make precision flying a lot easier the boost button has been positioned on the shoulder buttons making it easier to stop and engage the enemy rather than flying around in circles.

Of course, if you wish to tackle the Manti at full speed, you are able to do so and the nifty loops and barrel roll manoeuvres will help you to achieve that. If you are successful in your mission, you are awarded points for killing enemies and rescuing any colonists. These points of course increase your flight ranking, but they can also be used to purchase upgrades and extra lives for your ship. Each craft has four weapon slots and there are several new upgrades available to aid you in the battle against the Manti. When you have proved yourself to be an accomplished pilot, new ships will become available and there are six in total to collect and fly. All these craft have different abilities like speed and shields, but also have unique weapons that may be beneficial on certain sorties.

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