The Alien

The Alien is a game strategy developed by Microcomputer Games, Inc. and published by Avalon Hill Game Company, The. Originally released in United States in 1982. Currently you can download and play the game for Apple II.

The U. F. P. research vessel Thrasybulus has finished exploring an unexplored planet and is preparing to return home across interstellar distances when the alarm sounds: an alien life form found on the planet and brought aboard for study has escaped from its confinement. In the confusion, several laboratory animals have also fled their cages, so the ship's life-signs scanners cannot be used to locate the creature The Alien. The commander orders the crew to sweep all rooms and corridors of the ship so that The Alien can be recaptured as soon as possible. What the crew of the Thrasybulus doesn't know: the creature is a highly advanced predator, capable of metamorphosing into new forms quickly, and ready to kill without warning. A nightmarish struggle for survival begins.

The Alien is a turn-based strategy game, whose plot and setting are largely inspired by the classic 1979 sci-fi horror film of almost the same name. The objective is to capture or kill The Alien, or, in the worst case scenario, to trigger the ship's self-destruct sequence and escape in the shuttles. The crew consists of seven members, each belonging to one of three character types with different skills: Officers, Scientists and Engineers. Officers can access the ship's armory and activate the self-destruct, scientists can operate the lab equipment and access the computer system, and engineers can manipulate the equipment to build improvised weapons.

On each game turn, the game switches between the rooms in which crew members are present. After choosing which person should act next, one can select from a list of predefined actions. These include collecting and combining items, using weapons and equipment, catching escaped animals, and using ship systems such as the airlock, computer, or activating the self-destruct. Once the actions have been performed, crew members can move around the ship. To help plot movements, the game displays a map of the ship's 30 rooms that also shows crew and equipment status, as well as life scanner readings.

It is possible that we have multiple downloads for few games when there are different versions available.