GAMEPLAY BASICS
Your country is being attacked by an endless hail of ICBM’s – ballistic missiles capable of travelling from one continent to another. As regional commander of the defense forces, your goal is to protect all six of your cities by destroying all incoming enemy objects.

The game is played by moving your crosshair across the sky background and pressing the fire button to launch counter-missiles from your ground defense battery.  The game ends when all six cities have inevitably been wiped out.

The game can be played in two modes: Classic and Mega. Both modes are based on the same gameplay concepts.  The Classic mode faithfully recreates the graphics and gameplay of the original arcade game. The Mega mode includes items from the original MISSILE COMMAND®, but offers an upgraded version of the game.

Points are scored by shooting the elements that appear on the game screen. Points are awarded for all elements destroyed. At the end of each level, bonus points are awarded for each unused missile, and for each remaining city. The player is awarded a bonus replacement city for every 12,000 points earned.

BASIC GAMEPLAY ELEMENTS
You control the crosshair, which is used to shoot missiles.  It shows the missile’s path, and where it will explode. 

The target receptacle appears after a missile has been fired to show the destination of a defensive missile.  Note: this is the same in both the classic and the mega modes.

Six cities are distributed evenly along the bottom of the screen.  There are three cities on each side of the missile base.

The missile base is at the bottom of the screen in the center.  You will launch your defensive missiles from here. An indicator appears below the base showing how many missiles are on the surface waiting to be used.

You have 30 missiles for defense in each level.  When you fire a missile, it will quickly shoot across the screen to the crosshairs and explode.  Anything within the blast radius of the explosion – except for the smart bomb – is immediately destroyed.

The Enemy Missile appears at the top of the screen and descends. Each destroyed enemy missile is worth 25 points. A trail will appear behind the enemy missile. The enemy missile is represented by a white pixel at the beginning of the trail.

An MIRV (Multiple Independent Reentry Vehicle) is a missile that can split into several missiles after it has traveled about half way down the playfield.

The smart bomb is the deadliest enemy weapon in the game. Smart bombs will not appear before the seventh level.  A smart bomb is capable of flying around the explosions created by your defensive missiles. Only a direct hit will destroy it. Each destroyed smart bomb is worth 125 points.

From the fourth level up the enemy satellite appears in the upper half of the screen. The satellite appears only once per level. The satellite can fire a single missile or one MIRV each time it appears.  Each destroyed satellite is worth 100 points.

The enemy bomber appears somewhere in the upper half of the screen. The bomber can fire a single missile or one MIRV each time it appears. Each destroyed bomber is worth 100 points.

ADDITIONAL GAMEPLAY ELEMENTS – MEGA MODE

UFO’s will not appear before the 10th level of the game.  They float across the screen similar to a bomber or satellite.  However, when they approach the center of the screen, they fire a laser ray that instantly destroys a city. It is crucial for the player to destroy a UFO before it approaches the center of the screen. Each destroyed UFO is worth 150 points.

SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative) is a satellite in orbit high above your planet. This satellite cannot be seen on the game screen, and consists of 5 laser batteries. If you initiate your SDI weapon, up to five of the enemy missiles that are closest to your cities will be immediately destroyed by high powered lasers. You may only use this weapon once per level, and you must hold down the launch button (3) for a full second to charge the weapon.  Once the weapon has been fully charged, it automatically launches.

CONTROLS
SELECT – Fires one defensive missile.
Up/Down/Left/Right Arrow buttons - Move the crosshair one cell up/down/to the left/to the right. Pressing and holding the desired button moves the crosshair faster.
“1” key – Displays the In-Game Menu.
“2” key - Pauses the game.
“3” key - Launches SDI weapon. This feature is available only in Mega mode.

SAVING THE GAME
When you save the game via the Exit Game dialog, the game state (including score and lives) at the beginning of the current level is saved.