A little more than 25 years ago aliens invaded Earth and a gaming revolution was born. Taito’s Space Invaders swept Japanese arcades in 1978 and at the height of its success caused the country to run out of the 100-yen coins that were needed to operate the machines. Taito then licensed the game to Midway in 1980, so from Japan the invasion headed east, engulfing arcades in North America, Europe and beyond. The Invaders also made the transition from arcades to homes in versions for the early Atari 2600 and Nintendo Entertainment System consoles. All of which makes the release of Empire’s Space Invaders Anniversary a slice of gaming nostalgia at its very best — and at an unbeatable price.

The basic format is simple — six rows of aliens inch towards Earth and must be zapped before they land. Each stage has 48 aliens and the better you do the faster they attack next time around.

The Space Invaders phenomenon was milked for all it was worth until the mid-Eighties. As well as the mono- chrome version there was the gloriously low-tech “colour” version, in which coloured cellophane strips were stuck over the monochrome screen to give the illusion of a colour game. A full colour version eventually came along and is included in this collection, along with 3-D and two–player versions.

At the start of the game only three Space Invader cabinets are playable, but when you excel you earn credits that allow you to play the other retro reincarnations in the package. There are nine in all, and in every one the wholly infectious gameplay of this classic idea is still wonderfully satisfying. If you think that a 25-year-old game must deliver a sedate experience, think again. Even after all these years it can still keep you on the edge of your seat as you tap away furiously.

The first time around, Space Invaders is said to have made Taito $500 million, and the royalties have been steadily pouring in since, so it is safe to say that this is still one of the most successful games yet released.

Tim Wapshott