Two of the most marvelous words in the English language: demolition and derby. Put them together and you get a rip-roaring arcade game that would satisfy even the most bloodthirsty driver with a car-crushing fetish.

Chicago Coin's Demolition Derby appeared in arcades in 1977, available in single- or two-player cabinets, that featured steering wheels, gas pedal and a forward/reverse shifter. The players had a bird's eye view of the 'arena' below, where all the mayhem happened.

Two cars under the computer's control joined the players' cars in the melee and it was the duty of every red-blooded kid to pulverize those drone cars. If one got destroyed, another took its place, so there were always two drones in the arena. Those cars also had the ability to sense and respond to the player-controlled cars and did their best to evade and escape. As the game went on, the broken, twisted parts of drone cars would litter the arena floor, creating obstacles that had to be surmounted if a player wanted to smash more drones than his opponent before time ran out.

A much-awaited follow-up to Demolition Derby never materialized but the simple concept was too good not to exploit. Other arcade game companies stepped up, producing better and faster demolition games in the 80s.