Earth Defence is Arctic's version of Missile Command. You must defend your cities and missile sites from destruction by invading nuclear missiles - a very unpleasant scenario.

The missiles are represented by lines moving down the screen. You must move your sights and fire in anticipation of the missile's position.

The game is very difficult to play, even on the easiest skill level, because there are so many missiles, and it is hard to judge when to fire. To add to the difficulty, you only have a limited number of missiles, so it seems best to limit yourself to defending one city.

The graphics are fairly uninspiring with the exception of the explosions. The sound is a good simulation of white noise. Should you survive the first attack wave, you are given bonus points for the number of remaining missiles and undestroyed cities, and a new attack commences.

There are three levels of play, with one or two player option. The game also works with the Sinclair and Kempston joystick interfaces.

I didn't enjoy Earth Defence, but it seems an adequate version of what is, in my opinion, a poor arcade game.

S.E.