Moonwar

Pilots take to the skies in Moonwar, a vertical shooter released by Stern Electronics in 1981 for two players. As spacecraft pilots, you maneuver through lunar airspace, engaging enemy fighters, bombers, and other craft with fire bursts. A warp drive ability provides temporary escape or strategic positioning while shields offer brief protection from incoming attacks. Scoring is based on the type of enemy destroyed; satellites are worth a modest 100 points, while a tracer yields 500. The game’s graphics display at a resolution of 224x256 pixels with a palette of 99 colors and a refresh rate of approximately 60.61 Hz. Players control their ships using dials for movement and three buttons that activate fire, warp drive, and shields respectively. The Zilog Z80 processor powers both the game’s logic and its sound, which is generated by two General Instrument AY8910 chips. Tracy Miller holds the high score of 83,830 points on Moonwar, demonstrating the skill required to master this space combat challenge.