Spectar

Spectar

Overview & History

Released in 1983 by Coleco for the ColecoVision console, Spectar is the sci-fi arcade sequel to Exidy's Pepper II. Tasking players with infiltrating a heavily guarded computer mainframe, this ambitious port translated the quarter-munching maze shooter into a formidable home console experience. While it slipped past the radar of casual gamers due to the looming video game crash, dedicated ColecoVision owners prized its intricate grid-based map layouts and synthesized audio. The storyline casts the player as a cybernetic infiltrator navigating the sprawling, neon-lit circuits of a rogue supercomputer known as Spectar, tasked with purging corrupted data grids while evading relentless security drones and automated defense sentinels.

Gameplay Features & Mechanics

Unlike standard top-down shooters, Spectar merges maze-chase mechanics with tactical grid navigation. Players pilot a sleek combat craft across multi-tiered maze levels, attempting to completely fill or "paint" grid lines while avoiding lethal hazard nodes. The game features three distinct types of stages—the perimeter maze, the interior circuit grid, and the central core battle—each ramping up the pressure with faster enemies like the elusive "It" creature and aggressive "Gizmos." Survival requires balancing offensive clearing with defensive territory control, as enemies actively hunt the player down and penalize hesitation with sudden death.

Keyboard Controls

• Arrow Keys / D-Pad: Move craft through grid corridors
• Action Keys: Fire weapon / Clear grid barriers
• Enter: Start / Pause