“MISSILE  DEFENSE. IT’S NOT A GAME” proclaims the front page of the “Careers” section of the Missile Defense Agency’s website. However, right below this pronouncement, you will indeed find a box inviting you  to:  MDA GAMES: CLICK HERE TO PLAY.

MDA’s Careers page.

Following the link takes you to the MDA’s game “The Interceptor,” which offers you the opportunity to “lead one of the greatest technological acheivements of our time.” ( I assume this refers to the missile defense system, not the game).  According to the company that produced the game, it was based on the old Atari “Missile Command” arcade game  and was aimed at “college students and recent graduates.”

The Interceptor

In order to win, you must get through four levels of play without letting a total of 40 missiles get through to the city you are defending.  Fortunately, the missiles are not nuclear-armed, as the city remains standing even after being hit by multiple missiles (although there are three large buildings in the foreground that do eventually fade away after enough hits).

My favorite feature of the game is that you can advance to the second level without destroying a single attacking missile.  (In fact, you don’t even have to fire a single interceptor to advance.)   If  you  remember Patriot in the 1991 Gulf War, you will appreciate this highly realistic feature.

A missile attack underway.