• U.S.

GAMES: This Contra Wants 25 cents

1 minute read
TIME

Inspired by Oliver North’s testimony on Capitol Hill last month, more teenagers than usual are showing up at Marine recruitment offices. The less venturesome can rush down to their neighborhood video arcade — to play Contra. For 25 cents players can pretend to shoot their way through treacherous jungles without risking their lives or getting caught up in a covert operation. Since Contra’s introduction in the spring, it has climbed to No. 6 on the chart compiled by Replay, a prominent video magazine, of the most popular arcade games.

Contra’s manufacturer, Illinois-based Konami, insists that the name was chosen last October, long before the Iran-contra affair hit the headlines, and that the game’s success is based mainly on its exciting electronic action. But it certainly does not hurt sales to have the name of the game mentioned on TV dozens of times a day.

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