Stella 7.

Battlezone comes to the C64, courtesy of Damon Slye! Actually, there is a port of Battlezone for the C64 from Atarisoft, but that is another story. In this game, you are given control of a “Raven” type tank. This is equipped with a forward firing turret, shields and a cloaking device. The action takes place over seven separate Solar Systems, hence the name. Vector graphics are used very well here, running at a decent speed.

The barren alien landscapes are beautifully rendered. The enemies are quite unique and varied. These can be range from tanks on sleds, hovering tanks, laser batteries, homing mines and flying bird-like gliders. Some can cloak as well. On the final level, you get to face off with the enemy boss'(Gir Draxon) tank! To complete a level you have to destroy a certain number of enemies. Do this and a warp-link appears, then travel through that to the next level. Your tank’s shields and energy can be recharged at either the warp-link or a fuel bay – but be aware that the fuel bays are scarce. The difficulty level is high on this game. Strategy is needed to succeed in the game, for different enemies require different tactics. It’s a pity there is no in-game music, but the sound effects are pretty good. An involving and challenging game which perhaps expands on its origins as a clone.