Power Bots is a science-fiction themed strategy/RPG for the Apple II.
The player controls an android on a 5 x 5 grid with the goal of finding the singe power module on each level which allows the player to progress to the next. The player always starts in the top left corner, where a robot is able to equip the android with 2 of 4 guns: a flamethrower, rocket launcher, electrode gun, and a goo gun. The player can move in 1 of 4 directions. Each room will either contain a robot or will be empty. Robot rooms can contain 1 of 4 creatures, and each creature is immune to 1 or 2 weapons. Combat is turn-based, with the player and enemy exchanging gunfire concurrently. Dragons can only be effected by the goo gun, which will stun them, but won’t destroy the dragon. Some robots will be friendly to the player, but the player will not know this until they see the monster is not firing at them. These creatures will give the player a clue where to find the energy tank.
The energy tank will only be located in empty room, but must be searched for. The player has limited energy on each level, and any movement or action uses this up. Travelling to a different room, searching for the power module, or getting shot by an enemy all costs energy. If the energy runs to 0 before the level is complete, it’s game over. There are a total of 4 levels, and energy is restored between each level.
