2010-06-30 (updated 2013-09-10)
About a year after the original Famicom Disk System version in Japan, FCI brought a cartridge version to the US. Zanac is an early shooter from developer Compile, the team that would eventually program some of the best classic shmups ever. And already they show their skills with this game. It is highly playable with a "modern" extra weapon system and very fast, fluent graphics that don't flicker at all. Only the background graphics are the typical nondescript shapes that many old shooters have. The music is also well done. Even after a year of its initial release Zanac stays to be a very good shoot'em up game.