Overview
Aliens have invaded Earth, and it your job as a Nightraider pilot to destroy the alien menace. You must pilot your vessel across enemy terrain at night, avoiding their powerful land-based defenses as you lay destruction upon the occupying forces. Players must move quickly, warping in and out of hyperdrive to surprise their foe, and then laying destruction upon alien infrastructure with your powerful dual ion cannons.
You maneuver their ship left and right over hostile alien terrain. If you are hit by enemy fire you lose a life, and you start with a total of 3 lives. As you play, your ship will continuously lose fuel, which can be replenished by shooting alien fuel storage containers. Points are awarded for destroying alien structures and vessels, including: tanks, bridges, radar towers, saucers, train cars, missiles, space planes, fuel depots, and missile silos. At the end of each stage, the player must destroy an alien base. After this, they will progress to a more difficult level, where fuel depletes more rapidly. After defeating the first 5 stages and gaining the rank of commander, the player will gain an extra life
