Chopper Command is a video game by Activision released for the Atari 2600 in June 1982. It was designed and programmed by Bob Whitehead. One reviewer referred to it as “Defender in the desert”.
In Chopper Command the player controls a military helicopter in a desert scenario protecting a convoy of trucks. The goal is to destroy all enemy fighter jets and helicopters that attack the player’s helicopter and the friendly trucks traveling below, ending the current wave. The game ends when the player loses all of his or her lives or reaches 999,999 points. A radar, called a Long Range Scanner in the instruction manual, shows all enemies, including those not visible on the main screen.
A player who achieved 10,000 points could send in a photo of the TV screen and receive a “Chopper Commandos” patch.