Light Guns Ahead – Trojan Phazer Light gun For The Amiga

This Ain’t No Duckhunt…

Not many people who had an Amiga in the late ’80s and early ’90s knew it supported light guns and accessories, and I’m not sure if they even know that today. I never bought one myself until a good friend abroad “sold” me his about a decade ago.

The Trojan PHAZER isn’t exactly an amazing piece of hardware, and its design looks like something from the ’60s. However, it does the job and still works well, even though it’s dated back to 1988.

The DUAL GUN Interface…

I actually bought two of them, and the two-player mode works fine, but I never found the splitter hardware shown in the picture above. I borrowed one for a while and, when I had to return it, I gave my friend my second gun. I regret that now, considering how rare they are and how much people are willing to pay for one in mint condition.

The Problem We All Forgot About…

The Amiga 1000 had its issues, and the joystick/mouse port issue was always a problem. However, it wasn’t too bad since most people knew that sometimes you just had to remove the mouse and connect the joystick or gun.

DEAR GUN, I LOVE YOU…

The developer included a “love letter” to technology and light guns in the P.O.W. manual. It’s both incorrect and overly dramatic, but it’s a good read from an era of opportunity.

Part Alien / Part Sixties…

Ugly and uncomfortable to hold, the Trojan PHAZER wasn’t exactly a pleasure to use, but it wasn’t as bad as the steering wheel from the same period (anyone remember that? I threw mine in a dumpster, which I now regret).

Advertising Might Save us?…

Many game boxes listed the games that supported the light gun, which was a good idea. Even I, one of the most elite Amiga gamers/collectors, struggled to find games to play with the gun.

However, I made a list some years back and shared it with Hall of Light and other sites like Lemon. Here’s a small list for convenience:

I dug up these light gun games last night. I have many more, but you guys know how big my collection is, so bear with me for now.

Games that I know support light guns:

• P.O.W.
• The Enforcer
• Skeet Shoot (IIRC, boxed with the gun)
• Orbital Destroyer
• Take ‘Em Out
• Capone
• Creature
• Sideshow
• Aliex
• Firestar
• Cyber Assault

Sadly, I don’t remember if games like Line of Fire, Space Gun, Beast Busters, etc., work with the light gun, but I guess I should try them again and check.