Play Virus online

Virus is a fast, strange little arcade game that feels as though someone took a futuristic flying machine, dropped it into a hostile landscape, and then removed any concern for sensible aerodynamics. Released for DOS in 1988, the game puts you in control of a small craft that skims and twists around a three-dimensional environment while enemies and obstacles try to make your life considerably shorter. The controls take some getting used to, particularly because movement can feel wonderfully loose one moment and slightly treacherous the next. Much of the appeal comes from the sensation of speed and the unusual perspective, which gives the game a distinctive personality compared with more conventional shooters of the period. It is not the sort of experience that politely waits for you to learn the ropes. Instead, it throws you into the action and lets your reflexes negotiate the paperwork.