Raid over Moscow
Encyclopedia
Raid Over Moscow is a computer game for the Atari 8-bit family
, Commodore 64
, Amstrad CPC
, BBC Micro
, ZX Spectrum
, Enterprise 128
and Apple II
family by Access Software published in Europe by U.S. Gold
. It was also released under the title Raid.
Released during the Cold War
era, Raid Over Moscow is an action game
in which the player (an American space pilot
) has to stop three Soviet attacks on North America
, then fight his way into and destroy Moscow
's nuclear
facility.
Curiously, the game is famous in Finland
for the political effect its content had. A Communist
-affiliated member of the Finnish parliament went as far as to make a parliamentary question about whether it is acceptable to sell the game. The resulting debate and publicity made the game a top seller in the country after that.
, and the player guides the spacecraft
to the city launching the attack. Alternatively, the player may decide to maneuver more of the available spaceships out of the space station before attacking the launch site; the surplus ships are parked outside the space station. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking, and the time before impact is continually displayed.
From there, the pilot has to fly through the defense perimeter around the missile silo, dodging obstacles, heat-seeking missiles, and Soviet tanks and planes. If successful, the player proceeds to the next screen; otherwise, the player has to start the next "life" back at the hangar, with the clock still ticking. However, if the player still has spare spacecraft parked outside the space station, the game continues with a new "life" at the current screen, skipping the flight from space station to launch site. The decision to launch more than a single spaceship first may therefore save a few seconds if the player loses a life.
The final part of this stage involves destroying the missile silo while avoiding Soviet planes trying to shoot down the hero. Destroying the primary missile silo in the center before the missile lands will thwart the attack. Destroying the secondary silos either side of the primary earns extra lives.
The Soviets launch three missile attacks all of which must be stopped in the same manner as the first. After the third launch the player progresses to the second stage of the game.
The pilots become foot soldier
s and are placed outside the front facade of the Kremlin
. Using a mortar
they must blast open the correct door to the facility, randomly chosen from five available. Bonus points can be gained from this section by destroying parts of the building and defeating the troops stationed there. Once the door is open, the soldiers make their way to the nuclear reactor, and the final stage of the game.
For this stage, the soldier has to destroy the robot
that feeds the coolant into the reactor. He starts with several disc grenades that he throws at the robot, which is moving and firing at him the entire time. The robot is reinforced at the front, so the only way to do any damage is to bounce the discs off the wall and hit the robot in the back. As the number of discs is limited, the player should attempt to catch returning discs which missed the robot. The player must destroy two robots to successfully complete the game - the second robot must be defeated within a two minute time limit. If the robot is not destroyed within the limit the game is still considered complete, but with no survivors.
Atari 8-bit family
The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers manufactured from 1979 to 1992. All are based on the MOS Technology 6502 CPU and were the first home computers designed with custom coprocessor chips...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
, BBC Micro
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
, ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, Enterprise 128
Enterprise 128
The Enterprise is a Zilog Z80 based home computer first released in 1985. There are two variants, the Enterprise 64 with 64 kB of RAM, and the Enterprise 128 with 128 kB.- Hardware :- CPU, memory and ASIC chips :...
and Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
family by Access Software published in Europe by U.S. Gold
U.S. Gold
U.S. Gold was a British video game publisher and developer from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s, producing numerous titles on a variety of 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit platforms.-History:...
. It was also released under the title Raid.
Released during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
era, Raid Over Moscow is an action game
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
in which the player (an American space pilot
Astronaut ranks and positions
Astronauts hold a variety of ranks and positions, and each of these roles carries unique responsibilities that are integral to the successful operation of a spacecraft. A spacecraft's cockpit, filled with sophisticated equipment, requires skills differing from those used to manage the scientific...
) has to stop three Soviet attacks on North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, then fight his way into and destroy Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
's nuclear
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
facility.
Curiously, the game is famous in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
for the political effect its content had. A Communist
Communist Party of Finland
The Communist Party of Finland was a communist political party in Finland. The SKP was a section of Comintern and illegal in Finland until 1944.SKP did not participate in any elections with its own name. Instead, front organisations were used...
-affiliated member of the Finnish parliament went as far as to make a parliamentary question about whether it is acceptable to sell the game. The resulting debate and publicity made the game a top seller in the country after that.
Description of the game
The game opens with an alert that a nuclear missile has been launched from a Soviet city toward a North American city. The player begins in the hangar where the American spacecraft are stored and must safely fly the craft out of the hangar. The view switches to the earth as seen from low Earth orbitLow Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
, and the player guides the spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
to the city launching the attack. Alternatively, the player may decide to maneuver more of the available spaceships out of the space station before attacking the launch site; the surplus ships are parked outside the space station. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking, and the time before impact is continually displayed.
From there, the pilot has to fly through the defense perimeter around the missile silo, dodging obstacles, heat-seeking missiles, and Soviet tanks and planes. If successful, the player proceeds to the next screen; otherwise, the player has to start the next "life" back at the hangar, with the clock still ticking. However, if the player still has spare spacecraft parked outside the space station, the game continues with a new "life" at the current screen, skipping the flight from space station to launch site. The decision to launch more than a single spaceship first may therefore save a few seconds if the player loses a life.
The final part of this stage involves destroying the missile silo while avoiding Soviet planes trying to shoot down the hero. Destroying the primary missile silo in the center before the missile lands will thwart the attack. Destroying the secondary silos either side of the primary earns extra lives.
The Soviets launch three missile attacks all of which must be stopped in the same manner as the first. After the third launch the player progresses to the second stage of the game.
The pilots become foot soldier
Foot Soldier
The term foot soldier may refer to:* A generic term for members of the infantry* Characters in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles television series belonging to the Foot Clan* The Foot Soldiers, a comic book originally published by Dark Horse Comics...
s and are placed outside the front facade of the Kremlin
Kremlin
A kremlin , same root as in kremen is a major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities. This word is often used to refer to the best-known one, the Moscow Kremlin, or metonymically to the government that is based there...
. Using a mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
they must blast open the correct door to the facility, randomly chosen from five available. Bonus points can be gained from this section by destroying parts of the building and defeating the troops stationed there. Once the door is open, the soldiers make their way to the nuclear reactor, and the final stage of the game.
For this stage, the soldier has to destroy the robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
that feeds the coolant into the reactor. He starts with several disc grenades that he throws at the robot, which is moving and firing at him the entire time. The robot is reinforced at the front, so the only way to do any damage is to bounce the discs off the wall and hit the robot in the back. As the number of discs is limited, the player should attempt to catch returning discs which missed the robot. The player must destroy two robots to successfully complete the game - the second robot must be defeated within a two minute time limit. If the robot is not destroyed within the limit the game is still considered complete, but with no survivors.