Thrust is a 1986 video game programmed by Jeremy C. Smith (who later co-authored Exile) for the BBC Micro and published by Superior Software.
Thrust was ported to the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Atari 8-bit computers, Atari ST, Commodore 16/Plus 4, and ZX Spectrum. Firebird released a sequel, Thrust II, in 1988.
Gameplay
The aim is to pilot a spacecraft which must pick up a pod using a tractor beam and fly it into space. The ship and pod are subject to gravity and inertia, and being connected by a stiff rod can end up spinning around each other, out of control. Hitting the walls of the cave with the ship or the pod results in death.
thumb|left|The [[Acorn Electron version of Thrust runs in monochrome.]]
Each planet has turrets that fire bullets at the ship, which can be destroyed with a single shot. There is also a reactor that powers the defence system of each planet. If the reactor is shot enough, the turrets will cease firing for a short amount of time. Hitting the reactor with enough bullets causes it to go critical and destroy the planet in 10 seconds. The ship must escape into space before this happens, with (more points are gained) or without the pod. Firebird's C64 version was released first, reaching the top of the Gallup All Formats and Commodore 64 charts. Nine weeks later, Superior Software's full price release entered the BBC Top Ten at number one.
Superior promoted their release with a competition. Prizes included a trophy, £250 in cash, and a book by astronomer Patrick Moore.
Legacy
Hobbyist-written clones were released for the Atari 2600 (2000) and Vectrex (2004) consoles using the same name as the original.
Thrust was credited by Bjørn Stabell as an influence on the game XPilot.
Jeremy C. Smith went on to develop the 1988 game Exile with school friend and Starship Command programmer Peter Irvin.