{{Short description|1982 video game}} {{Infobox video game |title = Lunar Leeper |image =Lunar Leeper box cover.jpg |caption = |developer = Syndein Systems{{citation needed|date=July 2016}} |publisher = Sierra On-Line |programmer = Chuck Bueche<ref name="giantlist"/> |released = '''1982:''' Apple II, VIC<br>'''1983:''' Atari 8-bit, C64 |genre = Scrolling shooter |modes = Single-player |platforms = Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, VIC-20 }}
'''''Lunar Leeper''''', also released as '''''Lunar Leepers''''', is a horizontally scrolling shooter written by Chuck Bueche for the Apple II.<ref name="giantlist"/> It was published under Sierra On-Line's SierraVision label in 1982, then ported to the VIC-20, Atari 8-bit computers, and Commodore 64. The Apple II version is copy-protected using Sierra's Spiradisc system.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Etarip |first1=Rich |title=Softkey for ''Lunar Leepers'' |journal=Computist |issue=83 |pages=10–11 |publisher=SoftKey Publishing |url=https://archive.org/details/computist-scan-83 |year=1990}}</ref>
The Lunar Leeper character later starred in the 1983 educational game ''Learning with Leeper''.
==Gameplay==
The game takes place on the planet Opthamalia, in the Valley of the Leepers, which the manual describes as omnivorous creatures having "two long rubbery legs, a single eye and a massive green beak". In the first phase of the game, the player pilots a spaceship to rescue crew members stranded in the valley among the Leepers. The Leepers must be avoided or shot, lest they leap up and consume the spaceship or the crew member it carries. Once all the crew members are either rescued or killed, the second phase begins. In this phase the player navigates the ship through a cave in search of a giant eyeball which must be destroyed. The cave is trapped with automatic lasers and guarded by creatures known as "trabants."
==Reception== ''Lunar Leeper'' was favourably reviewed in the inaugural issue of ''Personal Computer Games''.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Personal Computer Games |issue=1 |year=1983 |url=https://archive.org/details/personalcomputergames-magazine-01 |pages=97 |title=Screen Scroll: Lunar Leeper |last1=Cross |first1=Nigel }}</ref> ''Softline'' in 1983 called the game "very addictive, and you'll probably lose hours of sleep over it".<ref name="mankovitz198301">{{cite news | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1983&pub=6&id=9 | title=Lunar Leeper | work=Softline | date=January 1983 | accessdate=27 July 2014 | author=Mankovitz, Alan | pages=41}}</ref> ''Ahoy!'' in 1984 stated that the VIC-20 version was "original, 'cute', and hard as hell",<ref name="salm198403">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/Ahoy_Issue_03_1984-03_Ion_International_US#page/n47/mode/2up | title=VIC Game Buyer's Guide | work=Ahoy! | date=March 1984 | accessdate=27 June 2014 | author=Salm, Walter | pages=49}}</ref> and that the Commodore 64 version had a great "personality", but "with no graphic or gameplay breakthroughs and a lack of variation of long-range playability ... there is less here than meets the eye".<ref name="moriarty198404">{{cite news | url=https://archive.org/stream/Ahoy_Issue_04_1984-04_Ion_International_US#page/n57/mode/2up | title=Lunar Leeper | work=Ahoy! | date=April 1984 | accessdate=27 June 2014 | author=Moriarty, Tim | pages=59}}</ref>
==References== <references>
<ref name="giantlist">{{cite web|title=The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers|url=https://dadgum.com/giantlist/ |last1=Hague |first1=James}}</ref>
</references>
Category:Atari 8-bit computer games Category:Commodore 64 games Category:1982 video games Category:VIC-20 games Category:Apple II games Category:Sierra Entertainment games Category:Horizontally scrolling shooters Category:Video games developed in the United States Category:Single-player video games