Night Stalker
Night Stalker (released as "Dark Cavern" on the Atari 2600) is a top-down maze shooter developed by Steve Montero and released for the Intellivision console in 1982. Night Stalker was ported to the Atari 2600 as "Dark Cavern" and released under Mattel's M Network label. Versions for Apple II and IBM PC were released in 1983. In Night Stalker, robots, bats and spiders chase you through a maze. The gameplay is similar to that of the arcade smash Berzerk, but a bit slower. Players must pick up a weapon that is randomly placed in the maze. With the weapon, the player can fire a certain number of shots. When it is used up, the weapon is placed again in a random location in the maze.
Story
The player controls a man trapped in a hedge maze with no exits and many threats. Some are natural, such as bats and spiders, others are artificial and deadly, such as robots. The player starts in a bunker in the center of the map, completely defenseless. At one of five random locations, a weapon symbol flashes up, which he must pick up to arm himself. Each gun has six bullets. When the ammunition is used up, the weapon symbol appears again and the player must move through the maze without protection to pick up the new weapon. There are five different robots, which the man encounters according to his score. The terrain is full of corners and ambushes that the players must make the most of. In the north-western corner there is also a spider web in which the spider enemy spawns. Player movement is hindered here and firepower is heavily suppressed, making this a strategic location. Also important is the player's bunker, where the player begins each life. The bunker is a safe zone where the player cannot take damage, although the more advanced robot opponents have the firepower to destroy this safe place.