Choplifter
1982 · Horizontal Shooter · Apple II
Overview
Choplifter (1982) is Dan Gorlin's Apple II rescue game, in which a helicopter pilot carries 64 hostages out of enemy territory sixteen at a time.
Deep Dive
The player flies a rescue helicopter into hostile territory, where 64 hostages are held in four buildings of sixteen each. The helicopter carries sixteen passengers at a time, so a full rescue takes several trips under fire from tanks. The helicopter can turn to face left, right or toward the screen, the last used mainly to shoot tanks. Care is needed on the ground: landing on hostages, or blocking their path, kills them.
Developer Story
Broderbund published Choplifter for the Apple II on 21 May 1982, and it sold 9,000 copies within weeks. Versions for the Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, VIC-20, Atari 5200, ColecoVision and MSX followed.
Did You Know?
- Sega released an arcade version in 1985, which Game Machine listed as the most successful table arcade unit of October 1985.
- It won a Certificate of Merit for Best Computer Audiovisual Effects at the 4th Arkie Awards.
Sources & further reading
- Choplifter — Wikipedia
