Editing Defender (1981 video game) (section)

===Reviews===
''[[Softline (magazine)|Softline]]'' in 1983 wrote that it "remains one of the hardest arcade games ever developed. Initial attempts lasting less than ten seconds are not uncommon for novices".{{r|bang19830506}} In his 1981 video game guide ''[[How to Master the Video Games]]'' Tom Hirschfeld reported "Mastering DEFENDER requires some perserverance, but most players find the effort worthwhile".<ref name="hirschfeld_book">{{cite book
 |last=Hirschfeld
 |first=Tom
 |date=1981
 |title=How to Master the Video Games
 |location=Toronto, New York, London, Sydney
 |publisher=Bantam Books
 |pages=73–78
 |isbn=0553201646
 |quote= "Mastering DEFENDER requires some perserverance, but most players find the effort worthwhile."
 |quote-page=78
}}</ref>

Ed Driscoll reviewed the [[Atari 2600]] version of ''Defender'' (where, due to its graphical limitations, was reformatted to a city setting, rather than the planet setting of the original arcade version) in ''[[The Space Gamer]]'' No. 57.<ref name="SG">{{cite journal|last=Driscoll |first=Ed |date=November 1982 |title=Capsule Reviews|journal=[[The Space Gamer]]|publisher=[[Steve Jackson Games]]|issue=57|pages=32}}</ref> Driscoll commented that "all in all, if you want a good game for your Atari, this qualifies. ''Defender'' lovers have a few gripes, but I would recommend this one to any VCS owner".<ref name="SG"/> The port won the "Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Videogame" category in the 1983 Arcade Awards.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Katz |first1=Arnie |last2=Kunkel |first2=Bill |title=1983 Arcade Awards |journal=Electronic Games |date=January 1983 |volume=1 |issue=11 |page=22}}</ref> ''[[Computer and Video Games]]'' later reviewed the game, giving it a 90% rating.<ref name="CVG">{{cite journal |title=Complete Games Guide |journal=[[Computer and Video Games]] |date=16 October 1989 |issue=Complete Guide to Consoles |pages=46–77 |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/9/98/CompleteGuideToConsoles_UK_01.pdf#page=46 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105072332/https://retrocdn.net/images/9/98/CompleteGuideToConsoles_UK_01.pdf |archive-date=5 January 2021 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1983 ''Softline'' readers named the port for the [[Atari 8-bit computers]] fifth on the magazine's Top Thirty list of Atari programs by popularity.<ref name="softline198303">{{cite news | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1983&pub=6&id=10 | title=The Most Popular Atari Program Ever | work=Softline | date=March 1983 | access-date=28 July 2014 |page=44}}</ref> The magazine was more critical, stating that "the game's appeal does not justify its unreasonable cost" of being shipped on [[ROM cartridge]]s.<ref name="bang19830506">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1983&pub=6&id=11 | title=Beating the Classics | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=May–Jun 1983 | access-date=28 July 2014 | author=Bang, Derrick |page=43}}</ref> [[David H. Ahl]] of ''[[Creative Computing (magazine)|Creative Computing]] Video & Arcade Games'' said in 1983 that the [[Atari 5200]] version was "a substantial challenge to the most seasoned space gamers".<ref name=ahl1983spring>{{Cite magazine |last=Ahl |first=David H. |author-link=David H. Ahl |date=Spring 1983 |title=Atari 5200 Advanced Game System |url=http://www.atarimagazines.com/cva/v1n1/atari5200.php |magazine=Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games |page=46}}</ref> ''Computer Games'' magazine reviewed the IBM PC conversion, giving it a mixed review. They said the "action is very fast" but "it becomes boring after a short time."<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Conversion Capsules: Hit Games in New Formats |magazine=Computer Games |date=December 1984 |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=62–3 |url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Games_Vol_3_No_4_1984-12_Carnegie_Publications_US/page/n61/mode/2up}}</ref>