From the inlay (Superior Software "Play It Again Sam 17" compilation re-release):
You have to blast the invading aliens as they form in wave attacks and clear them in the allotted time before they turn into superbreeds and become faster and more dangerous. Successive waves attack faster in more ferocious and menacing formations.
There are some special features to help you. If you have enough energy units, Smart Bombs will blast all aliens from the screen. If you have enough energy units, Inviso-flight gives you temporary invisibility and makes you indestructable. If you blast the alien energy balloon 23 times and catch the alien energy pack, then your firepower multiplies threefold.
User Summary
Video's Revenge was originally released on Alligata's budget label, Budgie, and is highly reminiscent of the arcade classic 'Defender'. The main differences are that the game plays vertically rather than horizontally, and that there are no humans to 'defend'. Instead, a time limit is applied to each level. As when all humans are lost in 'Defender', when the time runs out, the enemies mutate into stronger and more powerful versions.
The concept of being able to fly backwards or forwards, seeing a small portion of a much larger wrap-around play area (with a radar showing the location of all enemies) is familiar to players of 'Defender'. Also familiar are the smart-bomb capability and several of the aliens, for example one which when hit splits into three small pyramid shaped ships.