Targ, 1980 Exidy (20 From 1980 #18)
15The predecessor to the #20 game on this list, SPECTAR, is one of the most frustrating games I have come across in the early arcade era. The Targ Ramships in Spectar are MUCH easier to deal with than in this game. These suckers know you are trying to kill them and they will try to dodge your shots by moving around a square (in a 9X9 grid) to try to get the drop on you instead. They are called "Ramships" for a reason-- their express purpose of existence is to ram into you! And when you whittle their number down to a few, heaven help you-- they GREATLY increase speed (especially after you've passed a few rounds or so) and their hunting skills really kick in! Your car (called a "Wummel"; not sure what illicit drugs caused the designers to dream these names up) cannot control as well as you'd like-- you can't turn around; you can slow to a crawl and THEN turn around. The Ramships have no such limitations. Unfair, I say! But.. the simple idea but stiff challenge still may draw you in. I prefer Spectar, but I saw Targ a bit more often in arcades. The only hint I can give you is maybe fire from afar at an enemy and then quickly move; this often makes the enemy continue on into the shot. Also, don't waste shots if you can help it, you only have one at a time.