WAR by Retro Software - Acorn Atom - Emulated, Atomulator - Game 1 - 46,410 items.

WAR is a vertically scrolling shooter arcade game for the Acorn Atom. It is a port of the BBC Micro version written by Michael Archer in 1986. The Atom port is by Kees van Oss and was released in July 2017. It needs an expanded Atom with 32K RAM and 6K video RAM.

In WAR, a fleet of alien spacecraft made up of giant cylinders is invading Earth. Each of the cylinders contains a section of their population and industry. Your small fleet of craft has been sent to destroy all of the facilities in each of the cylinders along with their defending Droidans. The game is similar in concept to classics such as Xevious and Star Force.

The original BBC version is generally well-regarded, as vertically scrolling shooters like this were not that common on the machine. Although monochrome, the game is smooth and quick and an enjoyable play. The game runs in a smaller insert window rather than full screen, which allows for demand on the hardware to be reduced. Making the game full screen would have slowed it to a crawl, so this is an acceptable compromise. The Acorn Atom version is pretty faithful to the Beeb original. It is notable that the sound is a little more basic in its richness. The game does feel like it runs at a slighty slower pace and is a touch less smooth - probably unavoidable as the BBC has better hardware with the 6502 processor running at 2 MHz as opposed to the Acorn Atom's 1 MHz. This does not stop the Atom version from being worth a look. It's a more enjoyable and smoother game than the similar F14 Tomcat. Being monochrome and with a small screen, it is also difficult to see what you should be shooting on the ground at times. There are also tall structures which cannot be destroyed, but must be avoided. Collision with these causes a life to be lost - look out for the shadows these objects cast on the terrain.

The game features two graphics sets - Game 1 and Game 2. Game 1 has more of a traditional Star Force style design to it, while Game 2 has a more organic R-Type feel with strange biological features. Game 2 also feels significantly harder than Game 1. The game required has to be chosen from the initial loading screens and cannot be changed once the game is fully loaded. To experience the other game style, you will need to reboot the game completely.

This run was made on the 9th November 2025. Game 1 is selected (you tell from the graphical style of the levels) and the final score was 46,410 points.

Time Stamps:
00:30 Instructions and choice of Game 1 or Game 2. '4' is pressed to select Game 1.
00:50 Main loading screen and title screen.
01:05 Game start.
02:09 End of level. No bonus awarded. I'm not sure on the bonus system mechanics, but it looks like you need to create a certain level of destruction to be awarded a score.
02:58 First life lost.
04:07 Level complete and bonus awarded.
05:16 Level complete and bonus awarded.
05:41 Second life lost.
06:18 Third life lost.
07:16 Level complete and bonus awarded.
07:25 Fourth life lost.
08:30 Level complete, but no bonus awarded. Game Over! Final score 46,410 points. Not sure why the game ended here.
08:39 Initials entry and high score table.



Intro Music:
Music by: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio
Title: Legend
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