Gradius

Famous hit from Konami. You fly in the blackness of space and over enemy bases. Lots of enemies and lots of weapons to suppress them. All kinds of upgrades, for example: add another powerful shield to your ship to protect you from bullets. An interesting system of upgrades: as you take each bonus, the scale fills up by one point, and you can choose the item you want at any time to upgrade your ship and reset the scale. This system would later be used in Contra Force. A great side-scrolling shooter, a real hallmark of quality.