Jetpac

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Jetpac
Developer(s)	Ultimate Play the Game
Publisher	Ultimate Play the Game
Release date(s)	1983 (ZX Spectrum) Late 1983 (VIC-20) Late 1984 (BBC Micro) Unreleased (Commodore 64)
Genre(s)	Shooter
Console(s)	ZX Spectrum, Commodore VIC-20, BBC Micro, Xbox One (Rare Replay)

Jetpac is a shooter game developed by Ultimate Play the Game for the ZX Spectrum, released in 1983. It was also released on the Commodore VIC-20 in 1983 and the BBC Micro. It is the first game in the Jetman series and stars its titular character, Jetman, an astronaut wearing a jet pack.

A Commodore 64 conversion was also done by Ultimate Play the Game, and despite being completed, this version was never released. It was originally planned for a release in 1984.^{[citation needed]}

Gameplay

The gameplay of Jetpac is very simple: on each level the player, as Jetman, must collect pieces of his broken rocket ship and reassemble it. He must also collect fuel canisters in order to blast off and move on to the next level. Rocket ship pieces, fuel, and other items fall from above. While Jetman is rebuilding his rocket ship, he must avoid touching enemies, as they will kill Jetman in one shot. He can defend himself with his laser gun, which fires one long stream that will destroy enemies. As the game progresses, the number of enemies increase and thus the levels get harder. After the first eight levels, however, the levels repeat themselves.

Enemies

The enemies change every level (however, they eventually cycle) and each alien has a different pattern of movement which means they can be dealt with in a different manner. These two enemies are "darts" and "flying saucers". The darts move horizontally, while flying saucers will bounce around the screen.

Ports and sequels

Jetpac has been ported a number of times to other platforms. The first ports occurred when the game was released for the VIC-20 and BBC Micro computers. A Commodore 64 conversion of Jetpac was in the works from Ultimate Play the Game. Small news snippets in 'Commodore User' and 'Computer and Video Games' magazines detail that the game was being prepared – though of course pretty late compared to the ZX Spectrum/Commodore VIC-20 releases, with a release date set for 1984. A port of the game also appeared in the 1999 Nintendo 64 platformer Donkey Kong 64, in which players must get 5000 points in Jetpac in order to earn the Rareware Coin. An enhanced remake of the game was also released to the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade in 2007, titled Jetpac Refuelled. This version features a number of differences, including a graphical update. The original "Retro" version of the game is also available to play.

Jetpac has also spawned two sequels: Lunar Jetman, released for the Spectrum in late 1983, and Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship, released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990.

Jetpac was rereleased in the compilation title Rare Replay for the Xbox One.

Gallery

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  ZX Spectrum cover