Astrosmash

The Good
AstroSmash is a space-themed action game released for Mattel’s two home systems – the Intellivision and Aquarius – and Atari 2600 (as AstroBlast). You control a laser at the bottom of the screen that can go left or right along the moon surface, shooting objects that are falling from space before they hit the ground. This is a score-attack game, and it is one of the first games where the player loses points; if you let the objects hit the ground, points are lost. However, every 1000 points you gain an extra life.

Most of the objects are asteroids, spinners, guided missiles, and UFOs. The asteroids are different colors and sizes, and some of them even split into two. The spinners will cost you a life if they hit the ground. Out of the objects, the most dangerous are the guided missiles; I ended up missing a shot, and the only way you can avoid them is by moving to the extreme left or right edges of the screen. Even if I did lose a life, I enjoyed watching the little ship explode.

I also like the way the game starts easy and then gradually gets difficult as you progress so that you get used to it. When the difficulty gets ramped up, the screen changes color. Asteroids come to the ground faster than normal, and it is hard to avoid the guided missile unless you act immediately. AstroSmash is quite an addictive game. I am excellent at it, meaning that I can play for hours without losing a life; and even when I do lose all of them, I ended up having just one more go, just to beat my previous score.

The Bad
There isn’t anything. There are no bugs, and it plays like any other shooter should.

The Bottom Line
AstroSmash is an addictive game where you have to shoot asteroids before they hit the moon surface, and also deal with spinners and guided missiles that see you lose a life if you are not paying attention to your surroundings. When you do lose a life, the resulting explosion looks good, and the way you are rewarded an extra life every 1000 points encourages you to keep playing. Excellent game, overall.