(→‎Good)
[[Image:Vanguard - 2600 - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|2600 box art.]]
[[Image:Vanguard - ARC - USA - Cabinet.jpg|thumb|256x256px|Arcade cabinet.]]
'''''Vanguard''''' is a scrolling shooter developed by [[TOSE]] and published by [[SNK]] in [[Arcade|arcades]] in [[1981]]. It was later ported to the [[Atari 2600]] by [[David Payne]] and the [[Atari 5200]]. In the game's story you pilot a space ship through a chain of caves to defeat the Gond, a villain trying to wipe out space colonies. Each part of the cave system is named and include the Mountain Zone, Rainbow Zone, Styx Zone, Stripe Zone, Bleak Zone, and to the City of Mystery. Each zone is occupied with a different type of enemy ship and has natural hazards that must be avoided. Your ship steadily loses fuel which is replenished by successfully destroying enemy ships. In the arcade, Vanguard uses a joystick and an unusual 4-button firing configuration, one for each direction. It also was one of the first scrolling shooters to scroll in multiple directions over the course of the game. The tune that plays when you start the game is lifted from [[Jerry Goldsmith]]'s [[Star Trek: The Motion Picture]] soundtrack, and the tune that plays when you touch the energy block is [[Vultan's Theme (Attack of the Hawk Men)]] from the [[Flash Gordon]] film.
Vanguard - ARC - USA - Marquee.jpg|The North American arcade marquee.
Vanguard - ARC - USA - Marquee.jpg|The North American arcade marquee. A bit dull, but it uses a nice typeface, and an interesting use of a non-standard rainbow.
Vanguard - 2600 - Manual.pdf|2600 manual.
Vanguard - ARC - Japan - Ad.jpg|A Japanese ad for the arcade game. It features an old man shooting lasers from his eyes (or into them?).
Vanguard - ARC - USA - Ad - Centuri.jpg|The US Centuri ad is mostly a description of the game,
Vanguard - ARC - USA - Ad - Cinematronics.jpg|The US Cinematronics ad for a different cabinet style.
Vanguard - ARC - Germany - Ad.jpg|The German ad has the cabinet with a lot of screenshots.
The 5200 is more like the arcade flyers. It shows a simpler ship firing at enemies in a more TRON-like environment. While I don't care for the art as much, the custom lettering is much better.