Night Stalker

• Title — Night Stalker • Developer — Mattel Electronics • Publisher — Mattel Electronics • Designer — Steve Montero • Programmer — Steve Montero • Platforms — Intellivision, Atari 2600, Apple II, Aquarius, IBM PC • Released — Intellivision 2600November 1982 Aquarius, Apple II, IBM PC • Genre — Maze, shooter • Modes — Single-player

• Illustration — The Dark Cavern port on the Atari 2600 The player controls a man trapped in a hedgerow maze with no exits and various threats. Some of these threats are natural such as bats and spiders, while others are artificial and more deadly like robots. The player starts in a bunker in the middle of the map completely defenseless. A gun icon flashes at one of five random locations which must be picked up in order to have firepower. Each gun has six bullets. Once the ammunition has been exhausted, the gun icon will appear again and the player must move defenselessly through the maze to retrieve it. There are five different robots that can be encountered in accordance with the point total. The terrain is filled with corners and ambush points that the player must fully exploit. There is also a spider web in the northwest corner where the spider enemy spawns. Player movement is hindered here, and all firepower is heavily suppressed within, making it a strategic location. Also of importance is the bunker, in which the player begins each life. The bunker is a safe zone and the player is impervious to damage while inside, though the more advanced robots have the firepower to destroy it. The game features only one unchanging level and no music, instead having a pulsing background beat playing at a set interval.