Sabotage
Name: Sabotage
Programmer(s): Mark Allen
Publisher: Online Systems
Year: 1981
Description:
Sabotage was a classic Apple 2 game where the player tried to shoot down helicopters and planes as they flew over. As the helicopters fly over parachutists jump out in an attempt to reach the ground and gather their forces to destroy your gun. Once four (4) are able to reach the ground they paratroopers will then blow up your gun turret.
On higher levels, planes fly over trying to hit your gun with their bombs. Usually at this point in the game when a bomb is dropped the game is pretty much over. Bombs are nearly impossible to hit.
Controlling the gun is done either with they keyboard (huge pain) or joystick/paddle. At the start of the game you are asked if you would like steerable bullets which makes shooting down enemies SO much easier. Each helicopter shot down is 5 points, each jumper 2 points, each plane 5 points and if you're lucky enough to hit a bomb, thats 25 points. However, for every shot fired and missed 1 point is deducted from your score. It's not a high scoring game.
There was a home brew squeal to Sabotage written by Hot Rod which had an interesting take on the game. Instead of the player down on the ground using the gun to shoot down helicopters, you now play as the plane bombing the guns on the ground.
You can play Sabotage online at Archive.org by going to https://archive.org/details/wozaday_Sabotage