Overview
Moon Patrol is an arcade game originally released in 1982 by Irem and later licensed for release in North America by Williams (Midway). It is a side-scrolling shooter that puts players at the controls of a six-wheeled moon rover that can jump and shoot. The goal is to move through the entire course as quickly as possible while shooting enemies for additional points. Cannons are mounted on the front and top of the vehicle, and both fire simultaneously when the fire button is pressed. Rocks, mines, and pits in the course prevent you from just holding to the right for maximum speed. Rocks and mines can be shot, but pits must be jumped. Some enemies fire shots that create new pits in the course, forcing players to react quickly.
The course is broken up into multiple checkpoints, each denoted by a letter. Some checkpoints ("E," for example) cause the game to stop, check your time, award bonus points for fast movement, and send you on your way. When the end is reached, a further bonus is awarded and the player returns to the first checkpoint.
As with many games of its era, Moon Patrol was ported around to several different home platforms.
Television Reference
On the popular T.V. show, Psych, the episode tuesday the 17th, you can hear a direct reference to Moon Patrol and actully see gameplay.
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