Zardon

Zardon is a video game in the action genre and published by Crystalware originally released in 1982. It is currently playable on Atari 8-bit.

For decades, the Chi Draconis star system has been enslaved by the Vorrakian fortress built on an orbiting asteroid. Capable of destroying entire planets, the fortress has virtually annihilated the Draconian Star Force and extracts a large amount of transuranic ore from the enslaved system. Recently, however, a glimmer of hope has been glimpsed: a fissure in the asteroid has been detected by long-range neutrino scans. It could lead to the core of the fortress, to the emerald energy crystal, to the freedom of Chi Draconis!

Five brave pilots in tiny fighters line up to try to navigate the rift and destroy the power emerald. First they must face the patrolling Vorrakian squadron, then the minefield, then unknown dangers and defenses. One by one they will lead them; if the first fails, the second will initiate the approach. The one who succeeds, in the fine Sisyphean tradition of 1980s video games, gets to start over.

The game screen offers a cross-sectional view across the asteroid. If your fighter hits the cavern wall, a mine, or any of the myriad hazards that populate the rift, the end is instantaneous; no flashes of light, no debris, just oblivion. Suddenly, you're back on approach towards the asteroid, guiding the next brave pilot, or on the score screen looking at your score, which starts with 'Ground Gripper'. The advance is relentless. Thrusters will temporarily accelerate the ship, but there is no stopping to study the best route. Although the ships are equipped with a laser each, their range barely exceeds the length of the ship. All their attack is point-blank, all their defense consists of dodging.

Two caves of increasing difficulty await those who conquer the first level, and the adept who clears all three encounters the first cave again, but with slow controls. That is if you have the easy access to data from the disk version of the game. The cassette version can only work with what is loaded into memory, so beating level one takes you back to level one.

It is possible that we have multiple downloads available when different versions exist.