SPY HUNTER ULTIMATE GUIDE
After almost 60 years since the release of the first James Bond film, the appeal and influence of the glamorous spy is as strong as ever. By 1983, the original star, Sean Connery, had left the franchise and the Roger Moore-starring Octopussy was resident in cinemas. Arriving around the same time in arcades, with a similar verve and swagger, came Spy Hunter, Bally Midway’s interpretation of one of the most popular aspects of the spy genre, and movies in general: the car chase.
In Spy Hunter, the player takes on the role of a super spy, chasing down bad guys on the highways and waterways of an undefined location. The star of the show is the player’s car, the fictional and Chevy Camaro-esque G-6155 Interceptor, and the mission is simple: take down the various armoured and lethal opponent cars, while protecting the innocent motorists on the road. To help the hero, there’s a whole Q branch – or the American equivalent – ready in trucks, each laden with offensive improvements for the player’s souped-up car. In addition to the standard front-facing machine guns, oil slicks and smoke deter any chasing vehicles, while missiles are essential to eradicate the enemy helicopter that swirls overhead, dropping bombs.
With there being no discernible end to the game, Spy Hunter is the perfect videogame for high score chasers. 15 points are awarded for every quarter of the screen travelled,
