Word Zapper
- $7.99
- Regular price
-
$8.99 - Sale price
- $7.99
- Unit price
- per
The cartridge or disc on its own, cleaned and tested — no box or manual. Game condition guide →
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Item Condition
Game only: the cartridge in a protective holder, no box or manual. The photos are of this exact cartridge — look them over closely for its condition, packaging and details. Every cartridge's shell, label and board are checked for authenticity when it comes into the store, and it's tested before it's listed. It ships in a collector's bag or a hard plastic case.
Item Description
Most educational games of the early 1980s felt like homework with a joystick attached. Word Zapper plays like an arcade shooter first, and it is a lot tougher than its spelling-bee premise lets on. A target word or a string of scrambled letters appears at the bottom of the screen while the Scroll, the game's taunting alphabet ticker, parades every letter across the top. Your job is to blast those letters in exact order from a nimble little Zapper ship that fires up, left and right, and to match three words before a 99-second clock runs out.
The real trouble drifts through the lower half of the screen. The asteroids are not all alike: Zonkers and Bonkers shove the Zapper sideways just as you line up a shot, a Scroller scrambles the alphabet for a few seconds, and a Doomsday asteroid ends the game on contact. That turns every letter into a small tactical puzzle. Slide under the right spot on the Scroll, clear a lane through the rocks, fire, and do it again with the timer ticking down. It is frantic in a way that sneaks up on you, and it rewards quick eyes as much as good spelling.
Word Zapper was developed by James Wickstead Design Associates, programmed by Henry Will IV, and published in 1982 by U.S. Games under its Vidtec label. The asteroid movement grew out of the studio's earlier Space Jockey, and the game was a runner-up for Most Innovative Videogame at the 1983 Arcade Awards. With 24 variations for one or two players, it is one of the more inventive oddities in the 2600 library: a shooting gallery and a word game fused into one, and a fun one to bring out for kids or friends who think every Atari game is about space invaders.
Fast factsgame data via IGDB
- Released
- 1982
- Publisher
- U.S. Games
- Developer
- James Wickstead Design Associates
- Players
- Single player, Multiplayer
About the game
Word Zapper is a one or two-player, full color, action game with 24 variations, designed to be played on the ATARI (R) Video Computer System (TM) or Sears Video Arcade. The Joystick Controller links you with a most profound vehicle of amusement, the rotary wing Word Zapper. It is armed with vertical and horizontal firing lasers and capable of incredible maneuverability. Opposing you is the Scroll -- a diabolic device designed to wear out the wrist an boggle the mind. The Scroll parades the alphabet across the screen, taunting you to duplicate a word or scrambled letters flashed at the bottom of the screen. You must shoot each letter in perfect order, and you must match three words or letter combinations within 99 seconds. Sounds easy? Wait until you meet the Scroll's friend, the Asteroids.
Summary from the IGDB community database — the condition and contents of this listing are described above and in the photos.
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Atari 2600
Word Zapper
$7.99
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Atari 2600
Word Zapper
$7.99
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