Internet Arcade: Canyon Bomber

Canyon Bomber is a black-and-white 1978 arcade game, developed and published by Atari. The game was ported to the Atari 2600, also in 1978. The player and an opponent fly over a canyon made up of layers of numbered, circular "bricks". Using the paddle controllers, the players drop bombs in the canyon, breaking bricks. Players earn points for the number and types of bricks destroyed. The player with the highest score wins. The colored bricks in the Atari 2600 version are very similar to another Atari game, Breakout. Canyon Bomber is unique in that the game is controlled entirely with one button. The player does not have the ability to control the flight of the blimps and biplanes; instead, the player must simply hit the button at the right time to drop the bombs. As the amount of bricks is reduced, it becomes harder and harder to hit the bricks without missing. If the player misses the bricks three times, the game is over. Canyon Bomber was ported to the Atari 2600 the same year. Staying true to the original gameplay formula, this version differs in that the graphics are now in color and the action is slightly faster.