rampart

Also (shudder) the radio call sign for (and name of) the admitting hospital in the wonderfully bad vintage TV show Emergency!

Rampart, produced by Atari Games, is one of the most fondly remembered arcade puzzle games. The player must use a crosshair to aim cannons at enemy ships gathering offshore around his island. This much is similar to Missile Command. But after a short period of time a cease-fire is called, and then the player must use mutant Tetris pieces to rebuild the wall around castles before the ships start firing again. Failure means the game ends. Success means the player gets more cannons with which to deplete the opposing navy.

Rampart is easy to learn, but has very intricate gameplay, in which every action and choice has a tradeoff of some kind. I consider it to be the best-designed computer or video game ever made.

Ram"part (?), n. [F. rempart, OF. rempar, fr. remparer to fortify, se remparer to fence or intrench one's self; re- re- pref. + pref. en- (L. in) + parer to defend, parry, prepare, L. parare to prepape. See Pare.]

1.

That which fortifies and defends from assault; that which secures safety; a defense or bulwark.

2. Fort.

A broad embankment of earth round a place, upon which the parapet is raised. It forms the substratum of every permanent fortification.

Mahan.

Syn. -- Bulwark; fence; security; guard. -- Rampart, Bulwark. These words were formerly interchanged; but in modern usage a distinction has sprung up between them. The rampart of a fortified place is the enceinte or main embankment or wall which surrounds it. The term bulwark is now applied to peculiarly strong outworks which project for the defense of the rampart, or main work. A single bastion is a bulwark. In using these words figuratively, rampart is properly applied to that which protects by walling out; bulwark to that which stands in the forefront of danger, to meet and repel it. Hence, we speak of a distinguished individual as the bulwark, not the rampart, of the state. This distinction, however, is often disregarded.

 

© Webster 1913.

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Ram"part, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ramparted; p. pr. & vb. n. Ramparting.]

To surround or protect with, or as with, a rampart or ramparts.

Those grassy hills, those glittering dells, Proudly ramparted with rocks. Coleridge.

Rampart gun Fort., a cannon or large gun for use on a rampart and not as a fieldpiece.

 

© Webster 1913.