I fired up Paratrooper on a rainy Sunday. You know what? I thought it would be a quick “one round and done.” It wasn’t. Ten minutes later, my palms were slick, and my coffee went cold. Blame the nostalgic write-up I’d skimmed earlier for luring me back into the cockpit.
By the way, this is the same 1982 fixed-shooter Paratrooper that first stormed IBM PCs long before my laptop ever existed.
How I played it
I ran it through DOSBox on my laptop first. I had to lower the speed a bit (I set cycles around the low thousands) so the turret didn’t spin like a blender. Later, I tried it on a friend’s old 486 at a retro night. Same game, same chaos, louder beeps. That week I was bouncing through a borrowed thumb-drive packed with classics—a mini-tour not unlike this writer’s week with a DOS games collection—and Paratrooper still stole the spotlight.
In my copy, I used left and right to swing the turret and space to shoot. Simple. No menu maze, no tutorial. Just “boom” — you’re in.
What actually happens on screen
You’re a little gun at the bottom. Helicopters glide across the top and drop paratroopers. If four land on one side, they scramble into a ladder and climb your gun. Game over. It sounds silly. It feels scary.
It’s not only choppers either. After a while, bombers rumble in and drop bombs that fall with a mean, steady flicker. And those balloons? They drift by like candy. They don’t hurt you, but they beg you to shoot them for points. They’re a trap for your attention.
Here’s the thing: the whole game is about timing. Lead your shots. Snap back to the other side. Pick the right target in the next half second. It’s whack-a-mole with physics and a little spite.
A round I can’t forget
I had three paratroopers on my left side already. One more, and that ladder would pop. A helicopter slid in from the right, dropped a man, then another. My turret was pointed right. Panic. I flicked left, fired too early, missed clean. The fourth paratrooper drifted down like a leaf. I held my breath, fired again, clipped the chute at the last tick. He fell. The crowd (okay, two friends) yelled.
Then a bomber dumped a bomb while I was chasing a balloon for “easy points.” Boom. Done. I laughed, then groaned. Classic me.
The look and the noise
It’s CGA-style color. Bold. Blocky. Pretty in that old-school way. The sky is dark. The ground is simple. Paratroopers are little stick figures that somehow feel alive when they swing in the wind.
The PC speaker chirps and pops. Shots have a sharp click. Hits feel crunchy. My dog actually tilted her head at the explosions. I can’t blame her. Moments like that remind me of another piece celebrating the best DOS games ever told right from the squeaky desk chairs that birthed them.
What I love
- It starts fast. No fuss.
- Shots feel crisp. You can learn the arc and tempo.
- It teaches you without a word. Miss once, and you get it.
- Score chasing feels fair. When I mess up, it’s me.
What bugs me
- Speed can get wild if DOSBox isn’t set right.
- Aim can feel chunky on some keyboards.
- When bombers show up, the difficulty spikes hard.
- No pause in my version, which is rough when the kettle whistles.
Tiny tips that helped me
- Don’t chase every balloon. Let them drift.
- Keep your turret near center between waves.
- Break your fire into short bursts. Don’t spray.
- If three paratroopers are down on one side, babysit that side. One more ends you.
- Bombers first, then choppers. Paratroopers are last-second saves.
Why it stuck with me
It’s honest. Nothing hides behind fancy effects. You see a threat, you react, you live or you don’t. I kept telling myself, “Just one more run.” Then I did five more. It scratched that quick-lunch-break itch. It also hit the nostalgia bone, but not in a cheesy way. It’s the kind of pick I’d expect to see on any roundup of the best DOS games of all time.
I’ll admit, I like modern shooters with big worlds and big plots. But this little DOS game got me tense in 30 seconds flat. That says something.
Should you play it?
If you like pure, tight action, yes. If you enjoy old games that still punch above their size, yes. There’s also a 1992 remake for MS-DOS called Night Raid if you’re curious about a slightly flashier spin on the same premise. Kids can grasp it fast. Grown-ups can’t stop trying to beat their score. It’s perfect for short sessions — or long ones, if you’re stubborn like me. You can even dive straight into a browser version over at DOS Games Online and see how long you last. If you’re hunting for ideas beyond Paratrooper, check out this roundup of old DOS games folks still think about for more lunch-break favorites.
Side quest for thrills that happen off-screen: Paratrooper’s instant-gratification loop reminds me that some people crave the same “jump in, no waiting” energy in their social life. If that sounds like you, the modern hookup scene offers its own pick-up-and-play experience over at Instabang — a dating platform where you can browse local singles, swap messages in real time, and cut straight to the fun without endless swiping.
Prefer your life-in-the-fast-lane connections minus the screen glare? If you’re passing through California’s Central Coast, carve out one evening for speed dating in Paso Robles where you’ll rotate through quick, five-minute conversations, jot down your favorites, and receive matched details before the night is over—perfect for anyone who values instant feedback as much as a high-score screen.
My take
Paratrooper is small, sharp, and a little mean. I loved it. I hated it. Then I loved it again. And honestly, that’s why I kept booting it up.