Cosmic Avenger

Foot on the throttle, finger on the trigger and enemy fighters pouring in from right to left — Cosmic Avenger is the essence of the classic space shooter in the form that arcades and living rooms of the early 1980s adored. No needless ceremony, just pure, nimble action that will test your reflexes.

The game belongs among horizontally scrolling shmups, where you constantly move forward over varied terrain and have to handle threats coming from all sides. Enemy vessels fly overhead, while ground bases and rockets fire at you from below. The key to survival is splitting your attention: while shooting down aerial targets, you have to simultaneously bombard whatever lurks below. This dual fire — horizontal and vertical — gives the game a pleasantly hectic pace.

Cosmic Avenger's charm lies in its directness. It needs no complex mechanics or lengthy explanations; a single glance at the screen and you instantly know what to do. That's precisely what makes it a showcase title of its era, when arcade games had to grab the player within the first few seconds and keep them constantly on their toes.

On the ColecoVision, this type of fast action felt good. The console had enough power for smooth scrolling and legible graphics, so the home version offered a satisfying experience for anyone craving a dose of space combat without having to scrounge for coins for the cabinet.

Today, Cosmic Avenger is more one for connoisseurs and collectors, but as a representative of the early shmup genre it has its value. It's a reminder of a time when one good idea and a proper portion of enemies were all it took to create a game you'd spend hours on, trying to beat your own record.

Why play: For a genuine, fast old-school space shooter where only reflexes and the hunger for a higher score count.