By the early Eighties, Atari’s marketplace presence was great enough to allow it to get exclusive conversions of the biggest arcade hits for its 2600 console, such as Space Invaders and Pac-Man. Intellivision owners weren’t completely bereft of arcade conversions, but more often than not would receive games that were inspired by the arcade hits rather than being direct conversions. Were they missing out? Not if Demon Attack is anything to go by.

From the beginning, one of the striking things about Demon Attack is how good it looks, particularly compared to the Atari 2600 version. The game features an attractive space background and sprites which move quickly and smoothly. As an early example of a game that includes boss battles, Demon Attack also has a gigantic demon enemy that looks fantastic.

Easily the best thing about Demon Attack is the action. Similar in design to the arcade release Phoenix, it is quite possibly the fastest and most frantic shoot-’em-up on the Intellivision. Enemies attack relentlessly and arrive in waves of up to five, splitting when defeated. Once you’ve cleared the enemies from the surface, your rockets kick in to take you to the demon, whose weak spot needs to be blasted for victory. A quick fanfare and it’s back down you go to start all over again, until you’re out of lives and (hopefully) have a new high score.