Alien Swarm

Alien Swarm is a space-themed arcade game for the Atari 400/800.

The player controls a small vessel on the bottom of the screen which can move horizontally and fire vertically. On the bottom of the screen are a limited number of power packs. A player must grab a power pack to have the energy to fire, and every shot will reduce their energy supply.

A red snake-like figure moves about the screen in a Qix-like fashion. It has eyes that can be shot for points, and at higher levels a spinning tail that will break off and fly about the screen like a boomerang. As it moves, it drops green bugs that descend and attempt to steal your limited power packs. If it grabs one of these, they can be shot, but the player must be careful not to be hit by the falling pack. If the player shoots the red snake, a bouncing bomb will drop at the player and threaten them. When a player has lost all power packs, it's game over.