Defender 2000 is a space shooter that actually consists of three games on one cartridge. The first mode, Classic Defender, is a no-frills conversion of the original arcade game. Another game mode, Defender Plus, plays similarly but adds new graphics and game elements such as warp gates. The main game mode, Defender 2000, is noticeably different from the others. The biggest change is that the game area is two screens high. As a result, you may miss enemies that are above or below you unless you're constantly watching the radar instead of the main screen. Of the three modes, Defender Plus is easily my favorite.

The graphics in Defender 2000 aren't all that impressive. Some of the effects look good, but many of the backgrounds look dull and uninteresting. Also, shooting an enemy causes it to explode into a bunch of scattering pixels that clutter the screen for a few seconds. This can make it hard to see enemy shots. Some levels also have stars in the background, which adds to the mess. The techno music in the game sounds great. Unfortunately, it only plays in the Defender 2000 mode; Classic Defender and Defender Plus only have sound effects. The control is good, but your ship moves too fast in the Defender 2000 mode. The high speed gives you less time to react to enemy ships and gunfire. Overall, I was disappointed with Defender 2000. It's not a bad game by any means, but it certainly can't compare to the excellence of Tempest 2000.