Reviews

A budget 8-way scrolling shoot-em-up converted from a Namco coin-op dating back to 1981 (!) - hence the " '87" in the title. The aim is to control a spaceship seeking and destroying enemy bases in space, by shooting six pods that constitute them or straight in the middle, which is harder due to the missiles shot by the enemy. You must also fight against other spacecraft and keep an eye on your fuel levels; teleporters will make you travel around the play area instantly, and a special power-up will let you shoot also from the back of the ship. A fast-and-furious, no-nonsense space shooter which relies mostly on a frantic pace rather than gameplay depth. Great AY tune when loaded on 128K Spectrums. 4/5

Multi-directional shoot'em up, a late conversion of an early coin op from 1981 - you must destroy the space stations inside a delimited area, while avoiding asteroids and other obstacles, and being chased by formations of enemy spacecrafts - there are power up's and other stuff around. It's ok.
3,5/5

I'm not too familiar with the arcade version but I have to say this was pretty nice to play. It's smooth and pretty enjoyable to play plus it has some nice music in this as well which I am sure is taken from the arcade version. So in all I say it's thumbs up from me because this is pretty good stuff.

My first expirience with this game was on MSX, and i remember that it was slightly better there. But ZX version is very playable and addictive too.

The scrolling could be more smooth, sound effects could be slightly better, but hey, who cares? It's time to SHOOT THOSE ALIEN BASES DOWN!

Very addictive game, with the famous "oh, just one more try!" effect.

Speccy version of the classic top-down eight way scrolling coin-op space shooter.
A lot is missing from the original, and you could argue that a lot could have been done better. But the most important thing; fun, remains. Graphics are clear, and audio (on the 128k version) is pretty good. It was a £1.99 budget release, so a bargain, and still good for a quick blast these days.

Obviously stripped down to meet the limitations but thankfully the thrill and enjoyment remains in tact. And for its price this was an absolute bargain buy!