Word Zapper
20K plays 1982 #Action#Shooter#Educational
Word Zapper is an Atari 2600 game written by Henry Will IV and published under the Vidtec label of U.S. Games in 1982. Word Zapper is a mixture of spelling and arcade gaming, in which a word appears at the bottom of the screen and then letters scroll across the top which can be shot to spell words.
The player controls a spaceship-like 'Zapper' which can move about the screen and shoot up, left, and right. The objective is to shoot the letters that spell the current word, in order, while shooting or avoiding asteroids in the lower portion of the screen. There are four types of asteroids, and each has a different effect if it comes into contact with the Zapper. The 'Doomsday' asteroid ends the game. The 'Scroller' asteroid mixes up the scrolling letters for five seconds. The 'Zonker' and 'Bonker' asteroids knock the Zapper to the side.
The game ends after being hit by a doomsday asteroid, after the 99 second timer runs down, or the ultimate goal of completing three words.
Text: Wikipedia via RetroGames.cz, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Keyboard controls
| Atari 2600 | Player 1 | Player 2 |
|---|---|---|
| D-pad | ↑↓←→ | IKJL |
| Fire | Z | N |
| Game Select | Shift | |
| Game Reset | Enter |
Hotkeys
- 1 Quick save state
- 2 Quick load state
- 3 Change save slot
Most games start with Game Reset. Paddle games (Breakout, Kaboom!…) need a gamepad stick.
Gamepads are detected when you press a button. Remap any key from the emulator’s Controls menu (gear icon).
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