Lunar Lander

Overview

Released by Atari in 1979, this arcade game simulated the challenge of landing an Apollo Lunar Module on the Moon. It featured monochrome vector graphics and a unique analog throttle control. Two buttons controlled the tilt of the lander and a third button was used to abort a landing, expending precious fuel to do so. 
 
Lunar Lander is a game of precision, patience, and fuel maintenance. Points are awarded for each successful landing and multipliers from 2x-5x are applied for more difficult landings. Once fuel was out, the game was over. A unique feature of Lunar Lander allowed players to purchase additional fuel for each quarter, almost like an early form of more common continue option seen in later arcade games.  
 
Lunar Lander was copied by a knock-off called Jupiter Lander for home computers and in 2010 was featured in the initial offering of Microsoft's Xbox 360 and PC retro game hub, Game Room. It featured the original cabinet design and emulated from the original ROM.