The Dreadnaught Factor

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"Activision has always been synonymous with quality. Their line of Intellivision games is certainly no exception. Too bad they only released seven games before the crash. The Dreadnaught Factor is no exception. The graphics and sound effects are stellar, and the gameplay is excellent.
"The object is to destroy all the Zorban Dreadnaughts that are rapidly approaching Earth -- sorry, Terra -- and intend to blow it up. One Novaray Hyperfighter at a time, your fleet approaches each dreadnaught and with each pass, fires Laser Bolts at the turret guns, tracking missiles and launchers, towers, and bridges, and drops Strontium Bombs on the energy vents and silos.
"Whereas Beamrider emphasizes action, The Dreadnaught Factor puts an equal emphasis on action and strategy. With each pass, the player must decide which targets to pick off first. Destroying the engines reduces the dreadnaught's speed so it approaches Terra in smaller increments with each pass. Taking out the diverse turret guns, missile launchers, and towers eliminates the dreadnaught's offensive weaponry against the player's Hyperfighters. Finally, the player must bomb the energy vents on multiple passes because not all of them can be destroyed on a single pass.
"Destroy all the energy vents and the dreadnaught explodes. The number of dreadnaughts and the difficulty level depend on the option selected at the title screen. Of course the player also has a limited number of Hyperfighters in the fleet, and with each pass the dreadnaught flies closer to Terra. If it reaches the stargate it fires its supply of mega-missiles and destroys the planet.
"There are absolutely no shortcomings to this game. This is a masterpiece, complete with excellent graphics and sound effects, and gameplay, combined with a little strategy, available at a wide range of difficulty. The lowest skill level is very easy, moderate players will find Level 4 to be challenging enough, and the highest skill level rivals Vectron in difficulty. This game is a welcome addition to any Intellivision collection, and is fun for everybody, from the casual player to the hard-core gamer." Rating: 5/5 -- Mike Hayes