Gullwing Falcon

Gullwing Falcon is a 3D space shooter where you pilot a starship against invading space pirates. The game creates the illusion of flying directly into the television screen, with enemies and obstacles rapidly approaching from the distance. The objective is simple: shoot down the attacking pirate ships. On the first level there are 25 enemies, with the second level increasing to 35, and so on across ninety-nine total levels with a maximum of ninety-five aliens per level. To survive, you can fly between giant stone pillars which, according to the inlay, the pirate ships dare not travel between. However, these pillars zoom toward you at tremendous speed, requiring pixel-perfect precision to avoid collision. The game is famously difficult, described by contemporary reviewers as probably the hardest game ever played on the Commodore 16, certainly not a game for rookie pilots.

Commodore 16

Released in 1985 by Gremlin Graphics and developed by Jason Perkins of Micro Projects . The game retailed at £6.95 on cassette and was later included in the compilation C16 Star Games Classics III in 1986 . Commodore User magazine praised the programmers for achieving a 3D Buck Rogers style game on the C16's limited hardware, though noting the game's brutal difficulty . A common criticism was the joystick control orientation, where pulling back made the ship go down instead of up, opposite to many players' expectations . The game draws comparisons to Blade Alley and represents an above-average sci-fi shooter for its time . Despite its technical merits and addictive challenge that fuels determination to beat it, Gullwing Falcon remains a cult title for C16 owners seeking an extremely tough arcade challenge.