Vanguard

Also known as: N/A

Developer: TOSE

Scramble and Super Cobra helped establish scrolling shooters as the next big craze at the arcades, but Vanguard may have been the first excellent game in the genre. Vanguard is a departure from Scramble and Super Cobra in some ways, too. While the "fuel" system carries over here, it replenishes by destroying enemies. So, if you're avoiding enemies to stay alive, that tactic will only work for so long. Likewise, if you stay aggressive, you don't need to change your focus to any fuel tanks that you may be flying by. Vanguard also allows players to shoot lasers from their ship in four different directions, meaning that they can defend themselves no matter what direction enemies may be coming from, which is helpful because the game switches between horizontal, vertical, and diagonal scrolling as you advance through each level. There are also energy pods that the player can fly their ship into. These pods are essentially like the stars in Super Mario Bros., making your ship invincible as it flashes multiple colors. In this state, you can ram your ship into the enemy ships on-screen to destroy them rather than shoot them down, all while a little jingle plays. As the energy is about to run out, you'll hear a mild alarm along with a mechanical voice saying, "Be careful," which is your warning that you're about to be vulnerable again. Vanguard has a nice assortment of environments and enemies to battle, preventing the game from feeling too repetitive as you advance. The gameplay is also a little different from the gameplay of games in the same genre of the time, which helps it stand out a bit. So, while Scramble may be the game that everyone credits as being the first scrolling shooter, one could argue that Vanguard took that formula and created a better overall game, helping guarantee that the scrolling shooter genre would enjoy a long life in arcades around the world.

Review added: 09/04/2026

Venture

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Mylstar

I've noticed that some of the younger folks don't see a whole lot in Venture…it's not getting very good user scores when I surf the web…but make no mistake about it, Venture was a very good game back when it was released in 1981. While some games of the time spanned more than a single screen, most didn't. Venture takes it a step further and introduces a "main room" on each level, along with several side rooms…then, as you advance on, all of those rooms continue to change, so you're not always seeing the exact same scenery and battling against the exact same monsters. The player controls a smiley face named Winky, and he's armed with a bow and arrow. The goal is to enter each room on each level and obtain the treasure in the room…and most rooms are filled with enemies there to stop you. These enemies all have their own intelligence and their own likelihood of dodging your arrows: for example, in the first area, skeletons and snakes seem to be easy targets…but goblins seem to do a better job at dodging your fire. It keeps things interesting, since each enemy is a little different and they don't just look differently, but they act differently. In most rooms, it's possible to get the treasure without having to defeat any enemies, though it's difficult, and you'll likely find yourself firing some arrows in hopes that you'll clear a way to nab that treasure. However, if you take too long, big ol' monsters known as Hallmonsters will break through the walls and come after you…when that happens, you need to take the treasure and run before they get ahold of you. These Hallmonsters also chase you around between your visits to each room, so getting each treasure as quickly as possible is the key to survival in Venture. While Venture is a solid arcade game, I kind of feel like it's better suited for consoles…but that doesn't stop me from popping in a few quarters to play when I'm lucky enough to find a Venture arcade cabinet in front of me.

Review added: 11/19/2025

Video Hustler

Also known as: Lil' Hustler (North America - Dynamo)

Developer: Konami

"Calm excitement will seize you!" may be my favorite line from an arcade flyer in an attempt to get you to buy their arcade cabinet. That line is prominently featured on the Video Hustler flyer. Video game billiards weren't a new concept in 1981, when Konami put out Video Hustler, but one could argue that when Video Hustler came out, it may have been the best of the bunch. While it's not an accurate simulation of the game, or of any version of billiards that I'm aware of, Video Hustler manages to take the basic premise of billiards and create its own game that works pretty well. Unlike other variants of billiards, which use fifteen, ten, or nine balls, plus the cue ball, Video Hustler has six balls on the table, plus the cue ball that the player uses to attempt to knock each of the six balls into the pockets. Basically, you control a white dot on the edge of the table, that you can move. This dot is the destination for the cue ball; if nothing gets in your way, that dot is where the cue ball will hit the bumper on the pool table. Using that knowledge, it's your job to try to hit the numbered balls on the table at just the right angle, so that you can dump them into the pockets. If you manage to pocket all six balls in six total shots, you'll get a whopping 5,000-point bonus. Getting scores outside of the "perfect" round, though, is slightly more complicated. The number on each ball is actually a multiplier for when you score. You'll also notice that each pocket has a number next to it, and after each shot, those numbers rotate clockwise around the table. Basically, the score for each ball pocketed is determined by the number on the ball multiplied by the number next to the pocket, and that total is multiplied by ten. So, if you sink the five ball into a pocket labeled as x10, then you'll get 500 points for sinking that shot. This adds a little bit of strategy to the game: do you sink that easy shot, knowing that the pocket currently only has a multiplier of x1? Or do you take another shot and hope that everything still lines up afterward so you can get a multiplier of x10? You can't take too many shots, though. Three shots in a row without sinking a ball and you'll lose a cue ball. Same thing if you let that calm excitement seize you: if you take too much time to line up your shot, you'll also lose a cue ball. Likewise, if your cue ball winds up in a pocket, that's another one lost. Anyway, Video Hustler may not be the billiards simulation that purists would want, but it's still a decent little arcade game that successfully manages to tweak the concept of billiards in a way that works well in a video game context. If you think it sounds interesting, then give it a shot; playing this by yourself will get you in less trouble than playing pocket pool.

Review added: 09/09/2026