Spy Hunter

Spy Hunter

Game No.	312
Voting	7.60 points, 25 votes
Company	Bally Midway / Sega
HVSC-File	Spy_Hunter.sid
Release	1983
Platform	C64
Genre	Racing, Overhead
Gamemode	Single player
Operation
Media
Language

Description[edit | edit source]

As super agent you drive for your life in a turbo-charged car that is equipped with the most current weapon technology. The street is full of hostile agents, that have nothing else in mind than to atomise you and your engineering marvel.

Manoeuvre your car at highest speed and with all your abilites, but watch out for the "Road Lord", the "Switch Blade", the "Enforcer" and the other hostile agents that will try to hold you back on land and water. You have to destroy them before they eliminate you.

Design[edit | edit source]

... the engineering marvel is unloaded ...

... even "The Copter", the Mad Bomber is not indestructible ...

A very detailed, almost exact 1:1 conversion of the popular arcade original. This comprises the level build-up, the graphics and also the FX. It is very interesting how the controls were implemented, you can use the second joystick in port 2 to fire the rearward weapon.

Hints[edit | edit source]

Controls[edit | edit source]

For this game one should use a "Dual Control Modul" (a holding in which two joysticks are held together), as the fire buttons of both joysticks are needed to play.

The movement of the car is controlled by the joystick in port#1, the joystick in port#2 only provides for the second firebutton. Both buttons are used to trigger weapons.

Fire button in port#1 = fire the front weapon
Fire button in port#2 = fire the rear weapon

I = raise speed
K = lower speed
J = left
L = right
A = fire the front weapon
Z = fire the rear weapon

Additional keys during the game and in the demo

F7 = pause game
F1 = restart
F3 = reset
RESTORE = back to the title screen

in the demo

K = keyboard
J = joystick
E = expert (more difficult)
N = novice (easier)

Course of the game[edit | edit source]

The game starts with a transporter appearing at the lower border of the screen. It will drive to the roadside and unload your agent car which is equipped with a machine gun. From now on you can steer the car.

The terrain changes in the course of the game, both the colour and the ground. In a later section you will reach a river. Here you drive your car into a boathouse, there it will automatically change to a water compliant amphibian vehicle. You will also meet bridges and icy tracks.

Weapons[edit | edit source]

Each time a new section of the track starts, i.e. when the terrain changes, the transporter appears at the roadside. To get access to new weapons you need to connect to the transporter. For this you need to let the transporter pass and when you are behind it drive into it from the rear. After the installation of a new weapon your car will roll out again. Available weapons are shown at the lower right of the screen. With the fire button of the joystick in port#1 you can fire machine guns or missiles and with the fire button of the joystick in port#2 smoke or oil. But you can also use your car to ram enemies and thus push them off the street.

Hostile agents[edit | edit source]

You will meet different types. Each one, except for the Road-Lord has its unique weapon.

Road Lord (bullet-proof)
Has to be rammed from the street

Switch Blade
Saws cars to corrugated metal

Barrel Dumper
Dumps barrels in front of the amphibian vehicle

The Enforcer
Fires with a shot gun

The Copter (Mad Bomber)
Throws bombs onto your vehicle

Doctor Torpedo
Fires torpedoes on your amphibian vehicle

If you go off the road or drive into an obstacle, this will cost you one agent vehicle.

Points[edit | edit source]

The current score is shown at the lower rim of the screen. The current highscore is shown in the menu screen.

For driving in the water - 15 points per quarter of the screen
For driving on land - 25 points per quarter of the screen

For destruction of:

Road Lord - 150 points
Switch Blade - 150 points
The Enforcer - 500 points
The Copter (Mad Bomber) - 700 points
Barrel Dumper - 150 points
Doctor Torpedo - 500 points

Each time you get into the boat house (no matter if from water or land) you get 1500 points.

Solution[edit | edit source]

The machine gun that belongs to the standard equipment can only be used against enemies in front of you, therefore you should additionally get oil or smoke bombs as fast as possible. Also missiles are important, as these can be used very well against the helicopter.

Cheats[edit | edit source]

Voting[edit | edit source]

Voting of the C64-Wiki users (10=the best vote):
7.60 points at 25 votes (rank 219). You need to be logged in to cast a vote.
C64Games	7	5th September 2010 - "very good" - 5327 downs
Lemon64	8	10th August 2008 - 94 votes
Kultboy.com	8,25	15th October 2010 - 4 votes
ZZap64	87%	Issue 85/05

Reviews[edit | edit source]

H.T.W: "I have seldom seen such an exact and well playable conversion of an arcade classic. In those days I even screwed the joysticks together. Unbelievable, what things one gets up to...".