DEFENDER

• A prototype version exists. You can tell which set it is by the white labels on the chips. It’s a 10-chip version which did not have a ROM test, and the RAM test was incomplete. When the game is turned on, the top high score is “DRJ 20000”.

• 3 different release versions exist. They are denoted by the color of the labels on the chips – blue, green, and red. The blue and green versions do not detect all RAM “bank 2” errors. The blue version has 10 chips while the green version has 11. The red version has 11 ROM chips, but ROM #5 isn’t used. It also works with both upright and cocktail games, and credits are kept after the game is turned off. There are also more difficulty adjustments.

• The first 4 or 5 prototype cabinets produced had full-color artwork (depicting several Star Wars ships, as well as Fantastic Four comic book villain- Klaw), which is drastically different from the released artwork (pictures #1 and #2)! For the full story, check out Andy Welburn’s SITE.

• Freeze trick - Get all 10 humanoids, coast to a stop, and set them down (all at once). Make sure no other ships are on the screen when doing this. If the “500s” are not changing color, then the trick worked. Hit THRUST to cancel.

• ”Reverse” lines are hidden in the landscape for Mutants (picture #3) and Swarmers (picture #4).

• BUG: Extra ship glitch - On a game with extra ships at every 10,000, when your score is between 990,000 and 1 million, extra ships are awarded every time something is shot or if your ship is destroyed. On a game with bonus ships every 12,000, the glitch stops working short of 1 million.

• RUMOR: If you pick up a lot of humanoids and land them all at a very low point on the ground (pull straight down from the top of the screen), sometimes some of them will "fall through" the bottom of the screen and appear at the top. They will then start "walking down" the screen. {James R. Twine}