Chopper Command

This Activision title borrowed heavily from both Defender and Return of the Jedi in the area of gameplay. Your mission is to defend a line of trucks that are carrying supplies across the bottom of the screen. You enemies are all in the sky, and they attempt to destroy both you and the convoy of trucks below. The game is set over an attractive mountain background, and you are given three lives and unlimited ammunition to complete your endless mission!

Your movements are basically limited to the center area of the screen, which is where all your enemies are anyway. The trucks advance slowly below you, moving from left to right. You are equipped with a long range scanner at the bottom of the screen, which shows you what is going on in the rest of the gaming world. This scaner was of course blatantly stolen from Defender, but this was before one click patents, so no one seemed to mind. Your enemies come in waves of twelve at a time, and shoot missiles that split into two separate shots. You can't shoot down the missiles at all, so you must concentrate your fire on the enemies instead.

You score points based on the amount of planes and helicopters that you shoot down, with a hefty bonus for surviving trucks in your convoy. A score of 10,000 or more was good enough to get a free patch from the Activision Club. Not that I ever managed to do that.

How to Become a "Commando" at Chopper Command by Activision

Tips from Bob Whitehead, designer of Chopper Command

Bob Whitehead is a Senior Designer at Activision. Before creating
Chopper Command, Bob designed Boxing, Skiing and Stampede for
Activsion.

"As you'll soon discover, Chopper Command takes quick reflexes and keen
coordination. However, there is a strategic side to the game as well."

"For example, your truck convoys will always travel from the right to
the left. And so will the enemy formations. Knowing this, you can
position yourself at the left side of the screen and start firing as
soon as the enemy aircraft appear. This is important because your
helicopter's chances of being hit by a multi-warhead missile increase
the closer the enemy aircraft get. The enemy pilots are real
kamikazes, too, and they'll collide with you if they can't shoot you
down."

"Good luck! I hope you have as much fun playing Chopper Command as I
had designing it. God Bless."

Bob Whitehead
P.S. Drop my a line. I'd sure like to hear how our guys are doing at
the front.

I think it would be kind of nice if we all played Chopper Command and then sent Bob Whitehead a message telling him how much he liked it. (Just like he asked us to above).

This game is valued at around $2 USD. Games with boxes and manuals are worth more.