Cosmic Tunnels

Cosmic Tunnels - the 1984 arcade action for Commodore 64 from Datamost.

Pilot from base through a warp gate, blast mines in the tunnel, land
under flak, then sprint on-foot to haul energy bars back to the ship.
Visit all four asteroids before your fuel and crew run out.

Core loop
- climb to a tunnel gate while dodging falling meteors
- shoot space mines during the timed warp flight
- bomb missile bases and land on the pad
- run an astronaut to grab energy bars and load the ship

Systems and items
- energy meter - movement and hits drain fuel; run out and it is over
- three astronauts - each lost is a life; lose all and the mission ends
- jetcopter and rocket springs - launch-pad boosts on certain asteroids
- scoring - points for mines, bases, and each bar returned

Level design and feel
Four-stage cycle per asteroid with clear, chunky sprites and tight inertia.
Tunnel sections play like a shooting gallery; landings demand gentle
throttle; on-foot runs mix enemy patterns with safe rock cover.

Why it is notable
- Datamost multi-stage shooter later reissued by Databyte in the UK (1986)
- often sold as a twin pack with “Cohen’s Towers”

Tips
- in the tunnel, align your ship with the mine’s path instead of chasing
- bomb bases before attempting a landing to avoid flak during final descent
- on-foot, use rocks for cover and the X pads to jetcopter or spring back fast

At a glance
Year - 1984
Developer - Datamost
Design and programming - Tim Ferris - Jay Ford (C64)
Publisher - Datamost
Genre - Arcade action
Players - 1
Controls - Joystick in port 2