Shooting Arcade [Model CX26169]

Shooting Arcade © 1990 Atari Corporation.

Shooting Arcade is made up of six different scenes that are put together in different orders depending on the level you've selected. Each scene has its own unique theme, rules, and objective, making Shooting Arcade essentially six games in one. Depending on which skill level you choose, the scene's attributes change to make it more or less difficult and the timer at the bottom of the screen counts down more or less quickly. The status bar at the top of the screen shows the number of shots you have left, your current difficulty level, and the number of targets left. You start each level out with a limited amount of ammunition depending on the difficulty level (40, 10, 5, 2, or 1). You can continue from the last screen you completed an infinite amount of times by simply pressing the reset button. This is a handy feature as the game gets very hard at the later levels...

Colored Squares - Here you must shoot out all the colored squares before the timer runs out. Starting on level 1 if you shoot and empty area where a square would be, a new square appear and you'll have to shoot it again! On level 4 the squares will all disappear after you take your first shot, and you must memorize where all the squares were before you start. The squares can briefly be seen when you take a shot which helps a bit, but they will reappear if you shoot the same area twice (as in level 1). Every square you successfully hit will give you two extra shots.

Shooting Gallery - This scene is reminiscent of Imagic's Shooting Gallery cartridge. Here you must shoot various carnival targets such as glass pipes, ducks, milk jugs, colored squares, and dinosaurs? The targets in the center area move at a fair clip (depending on the difficulty level) and the pipes at the top can be very difficult to hit making this scene one of the toughest in the game. Speaking of squares, you can shoot the colored squares at the bottom of the screen to gain extra ammo if you're in need. To clear this scene you must successfully shoot all the targets.

The Birds - This scene is only accessible from level 2 onward. In this scene you must shoot all the black and white birds before the timer runs out. The birds move with a up and down motion, but follow a specific path around the screen so you can predict where they will move. The background will change from black to white during the course of the scene effectively camouflaging the birds making them even more difficult to hit.

Target Practice - This scene is one of the hardest to complete, since you begin with almost no ammo and the timer counts down lightning fast. The concept of this scene is quite simple, you must shoot the various birds which fly around the screen. Unlike the previous scene, these birds only appear one at a time and they move very very fast. The birds will wrap around from one side of the screen to the other, so you can try and anticipate where it will appear next. This scene is only accessible from level 3 onward.

The Demon - You must shoot a demon who randomly teleports around the screen. Since this scene is only accessible on skill level 4 you start low on ammo and have almost no time. If you shoot the demon enough times you will move onto the final scene.

The Unicycle - This is the final scene in the game. Here you must shoot the unicycle out from underneath a poor clown and watch him fall down. Every time you shoot the unicycle, the clown will lower a bit until he's just sitting on the wheel. Since the unicycle is very thin and moves at a surprisingly fast clip, this scene is nearly impossible to beat. The clown will go back and forth three times, and then it's game over. Likewise, if you shoot the clown it is an instant game over (but oh so satisfying). Shooting the wheel will only make the clown change directions, speeding up his eventual departure. Like the demon scene, this scene is only accessible on level 4.