Annihilator

The Atari ST is blessed with a gigantic and assorted Shareware/Public Domain library. That includes a fantastic gaming section and here is one such example, Annihilator by Robert HC Leong. This is a classy shoot 'em up that was released back in 1991 through the esteemed Budgie UK label (a company I really do miss).

Gameplay will feel instantly familiar with lots of baddies swarming around the screen. They're called Insectoids and not Galaxians, no matter what you hear! Moving left/right will help to dodge their attacks whilst whacking the fire button like a crazy fool will fire your cannon and kill 'em. Look out for power-ups to replenish your ship's shield and increase firepower. Heck, there's even end-of-level bosses, which is just a cool idea.

Robert coded in a level skip cheat. It's easy to activate this, just pause the game using the spacebar. Now hold down shift and press keys F1-F10 for the required level. Sweet!!

I love old-skool arcade shoot 'em ups and I've found this to be one of the best. In fact, Annihilator performs like a commercial release with smooth-as-silk gameplay. What this game lacks in originality is more than compensated with its addictive action. One of the best from Bungie's library and definitely worthy of a Crash Smash!!

Download from the GamerBlitz website.