Centipede

Game On 

In the virtual realm, your potential knows no bounds. - Anonymous

Can you think of anything better than Atari's Centipede game?

I LOVE, LOVE Centipede. 

I used to play it in the early 80's in our home Atari system. I thought its  color graphics was impressive and the premise, exciting. 

That morning, I remember sitting up straight on the floor. My mission: to shoot the segments of a centipede as it wound down the playing field through a field of mushrooms.

Sun Tzu once said that strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory, but that tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat. I rubbed my palms on my thighs to get ready. I was ready to battle.

My thought, I can score victory with clever moves from my joystick.

Centipede had started its onslaught. All its segments were attached. For now. It was beckoning irritatingly at me. 

Oh-oh, I shouldn't let it hit the bottom of the screen. It's developing new segments! Oops, it just reversed direction. 

I felt my hopes go down, but I tried to ignore the panic flaring inside me.

Whew! That was close. I grunted in relief. 

My heart picked up a beat. If only I could win over other enemies.

A bouncing spider!

Dodge that flea dropping from the top of the screen!

It streaked across the screen changing any mushrooms it hit into poisonous ones. I was so panicked that I felt like I needed to pull back.

Hah! I'd lost my lives, I conceded in a soft tone, shrugging my shoulders.

Anyway, it was time for a break. 

Tomorrow is another day. Just another chance to restart stronger, I mumbled somberly.