Moon Patrol

Moon Patrol - the 1983 side-scrolling shooter for Commodore 64 from
Atarisoft.

Drive a lunar buggy across a rugged alien landscape, jumping craters and
mines while blasting UFOs and tanks that attack from all sides.

Core loop
- steer and jump to avoid terrain hazards and mines
- shoot forward and upward at enemies
- clear checkpoints to advance through five moon sectors
- survive waves of air and ground threats to complete the patrol

Systems and items
- dual fire - separate guns for ground and air targets
- terrain hazards - craters, boulders, and landmines require perfect
timing
- checkpoints - mark progress through each stage
- difficulty zones - A to E increase speed and enemy aggression

Level design and feel
Smooth parallax scrolling simulates motion across the lunar surface.
Bright pastel backdrops and rhythmic enemy waves give it a signature
arcade flow, balancing reflex and anticipation.

Why it is notable
- early C64 port of Irem’s 1982 arcade hit published by Williams
- among the first games to feature parallax scrolling
- praised for tight controls and faithful arcade pacing

Tips
- fire continuously—shots clear incoming shells before they land
- time jumps at crater edges, not in midair
- destroy flying saucers early; their bombs create new hazards

At a glance
Year - 1983
Developer - Atarisoft
Design and programming - port by Atari team (based on Irem’s arcade)
Graphics - Atarisoft team
Music - simple in-game sound cues
Publisher - Atarisoft
Genre - Side-scrolling shooter
Players - 1
Controls - Joystick in port 2