In Moon Patrol The player takes the role of a Luna City police officer assigned to Sector Nine, the home of the "toughest thugs in the galaxy".
Developer - Irem
Publisher - Williams Electronics
Release - 1982
Platform(s) - Atari 2600
Number of Players - 1-2 players alternating
Genre - Scrolling shooter
Source/Attribution
The player controls a Moon buggy that travels over the Moon's surface, viewed from the side as it moves toward the right. Craters, mines, and other obstacles on the ground must be shot or jumped over. Two types of flying UFOs attack from above and must be shot down. One of the flying enemies has a weapon which creates a crater when it hits the ground.
Gameplay is within a number of courses, and each is divided into 26 checkpoints, named after the letters of the English alphabet. Of these, the five major checkpoints—E, J, O, T and, Z—denote a new "stage" with a new background and theme; for example, the third stage starting at J introduces mines. The top portion of the screen shows a timeline-style map of the course, with the five major checkpoints clearly marked. Above the map is an indicator of the current checkpoint, the time spent in the stage, and three indicator lights: the top light indicates upcoming enemy aerial attacks, the middle one indicates an upcoming minefield, and the bottom one indicates enemies approaching from behind.