Spider Fighter
Platform: Atari 2600
Region: USA
Media: Cartridge
Controller: Joystick
Gametype: Licensed
Release Year: 1983
Developer: Activision
Publisher: Activision / Digivision / CCE
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BECOMING A MASTER BUG BLASTER

Tips from Larry Miller, designer of Spider Fighter

As you can see, keeping a fruit orchard isn't exactly easy.  Those bugs can really become a nuisance.  You can never get rid of them entirely, but you can control them.

There are various strategies you can experiment with, but one of the most effective that I have found is to first gun down the lone Spy Pod.  If you can exterminate that Pod, you halt the flow of reinforcements.  Afterwards, you can pick off the rest of the attackers, leaving the Master Nest for last. 

Occasionally, the Master Nest will release a continuous stream of Spy Pods, and each one you hit seems to be replaced.  If this happens, you must immediately destroy the Master Nest and take your chances against a squadron full of angry Stingers.  Normally, though, it is best to destroy the slower Spy Pods and Green Widows that hover near the bottom of the screen before killing the Master Nest.  A low-flying Stinger is your worst enemy.

So maintain a stiff upper lip, and send me a line in between Spider fights. I'd sure like to know how this year's fruit harvest will fare.

~From the Manual

Spider Fighter is a colorful and fast-paced shooter in which you must protect your orchard from wave after wave of egg-laying, fruit stealing spiders. Each kind of spider you kill affects the game differently; shoot the spy pods and no more reinforcements come out, shoot the master nest and all the spiders start shooting you! Anyone scoring 40,000 points or more could send in a picture of their achievement and recieve the Spider Fighter patch! (Contributed by panda_racer)

http://www.atariage.com/software_page.html?SoftwareLabelID=478
