Phaser Patrol
1982 video game
title: "Phaser Patrol" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1982-video-games", "atari-2600-games", "atari-2600-only-games", "north-america-exclusive-video-games", "pack-in-video-games", "space-combat-simulators", "starpath-games", "video-games-developed-in-the-united-states", "video-game-clones", "single-player-video-games"] description: "1982 video game" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phaser_Patrol" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary 1982 video game ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox video game"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| title | Phaser Patrol |
| image | PhaserPatrolBoxShotAtari2600.jpg |
| developer | Starpath |
| publisher | Starpath |
| designer | Dennis Caswell |
| released | |
| genre | Space combat simulator |
| modes | Single-player |
| platforms | Atari 2600 |
| :: |
|title = Phaser Patrol |image = PhaserPatrolBoxShotAtari2600.jpg |developer = Starpath |publisher = Starpath |designer = Dennis Caswell |released = |genre = Space combat simulator |modes = Single-player |platforms = Atari 2600
Phaser Patrol, written by Dennis Caswell, is the first numbered release by Arcadia for the Atari 2600 and the pack-in game for the Atari 2600 Supercharger accessory in 1982. The company changed its name to Starpath after launch, and the hardware was rebranded the Starpath Supercharger.
The game simulates space combat in which the player pilots a ship to destroy Dracon invaders. It is largely a clone of Star Raiders for the Atari 8-bit computers.
Gameplay
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/Phaser_Patrol_Screenshot.png" caption="The sector map of locations the player can travel to"] ::
Reception
BYTE called Phaser Patrol an "addictive" game that has a combination of skill and strategy. Danny Goodman of Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games praised the high resolution of the game's instrument panel as an example of the Supercharger's excellent graphics.
The game was a runner-up in the category of "Best Video Game Audiovisual Effects" at the 4th annual Arkie Awards.
References
References
- "The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers".
- (December 1982). "The Coinless Arcade - Rediscovered". BYTE.
- Goodman, Danny. (Spring 1983). "Home Video Games: Video Games Update".
- (February 1983). "Arcade Alley: The Fourth Annual Arcade Awards". Reese Communications.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::