Pegasus II

About

Pegasus II is a side-scrolling shooter that drops you into a relentless run across rugged terrain. You control a small ship, zipping through valleys while dodging enemy fire. Your main tools are a ship-mounted laser for shooting rockets and bombs to destroy ground targets. As you advance, the skies fill with birds, UFOs, and dragons. Each hit or collision with the ground costs a life, and you start with five to spare. Released in late 1981, this On-Line Systems title arrived just as the Apple II was shaping early arcade trends. It tightens the Scramble formula with added ground combat, making every run feel high stakes. The simplicity of controls contrasts with the precision needed to survive later levels. Some of the enemy designs and terrain scaling show early attempts at creating varied environments on limited hardware.