Page "Defender (video game)" Paragraph 24

Several home console and computer games like Defense Command, Repton, Dropzone, and Protector II copied Defenders design, while other built upon it.

For example, Bob Whitehead's Chopper Command for the Atari 2600 and Dan Gorlin's Choplifter for the Apple II mimics Defenders gameplay and features.

Video game designer Jeff Minter based several of his games on Defenders design.

Magazines Edge and Retro Gamer commented that most official and unofficial ports failed to accurately emulate the arcade's gameplay, citing Planetoid, an unofficial version for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron published by Acornsoft, as the only home version to succeed.

Grannell commented that even fairly accurate home conversion like the Commodore 64 port lacked the arcade's polish.

Versions like the Atari 2600 port distinctly changed the gameplay and graphics to comply with the system's specifications.

Barton and Loguidice commented that the Atari 2600 version, along with Space Invaders and Asteroids, helped the system gain a dominant market share.