Cue Tommy Gunn theme…got it in your head? Now, the first video game that should come into you head is SpyHunter. One of the most challenging, frustratingly hard, and sometimes double-token mongering machines invented.

The sound came all around you and crashing actually hurt you.

The port home for SpyHunter though was a long one. Home computers got it, but you had to pay $900 for an Apple IIe way back when. So why not invest in a system like ColecoVision?

SpyHunter was nearly arcade perfect (with some graphic detail loss). Sound and music suffer in the home port. The tunes are there, but it’s slightly off and a little less depth, if not just a little less than arcade good. How do I know? We actually tracked a machine down and played it this week. The sit down one, and it smelled of beer and cigarettes, which had a strangely aphrodisiac like effect on some of us.

To be arcade perfect, you would’ve had to wait a few more years for NES to come around Stateside, only then was it spot on, but ColecoVision does the job really well considering the hardware.

Gameplay wise, this is easier to play than the arcade version. You’ll get farther as the sense of speed isn’t there. But the challenge is still there. It’s easier, yes, but scrolling is fast enough for you to react fast or die. No hi-lo gear, just push forward for speed and back for brakes.

All the components of Spy Hunter, music, weapons-van, enemies, and even no points for shooting the innocent, are here. I like this version compared to the arcade. It’s easier for me to play and when things got going, I really didn’t notice the loss in detail.

I’m not feeding quarter after quarter into the home version, so that’s a great thing.

Share on Facebook