A young man plays centipede in an arcade.

Dona Bailey is a "shero" in a world traditionally dominated by male achievement--the computer game world.

Bailey is the first female computer game designer. Her game, called Centipede, was released in 1981 on the Atari game system, and has since become an arcade classic.

The game's colorful graphics and clever playing-mode made Centipede the first game to attract more female fans than male.

The game goes like this: a multi-sectioned centipede winds its way through rows of mushrooms. The player moves a shooter along the bottom of the screen, firing at the centipede in an attempt to kill each section before the player is struck by a centipede piece.

Bailey represents a triumph for American women. She is an inspiration not only for female computer programmers, but also for all women striving to compete for equality of opportunity and success in America's patriarchal society.