Lode Runner

The Good
Action was at the center of this game. While Big Top had a slow and dull pace, this one was more satisfying as you were able to fool the bad guys at will by trapping them in the holes you burned in the ground. Thus, instead of simply fleeing them, you were able to trap them. The action was fast enough considering the speed the good old 4.77 Mhz PC was able to offer.

Although a "ladder" game was nothing original back then, there was one special thing this game had: customizable levels. If you ever found that the 150 standard levels were not good enough, you were able to edit your own levels and save them on disk. This might not sound so hot today, but it was the first graphic game that I've personnaly been able to edit myself. This added a lot of pleasure and value.

The Bad
Alhough the game was not bad, it was yet another one based on ladders and small men running everywhere. As it has been the case with 3D shooters for many years now, this style of game have been used ad nauseam in the early 80s and it was harder and harder to be original. No wonder Pac-Man has been such a hit not long afterwards.

The Bottom Line
A traditionnal ladder-and-layer game where you must flee or trap bad guys coming to get you while collecting items that will let you enter the next level. What is particular with this one is the ability to "modify" the layers by burning holes through them (thus avoiding the ladders) and creating your own levels.

Sierra published a remake a few years ago which had full-blown graphics and music. I tried the demo and it was not bad, although I would have waited for the game to be in a bargain bin before buying it.

The Good
Lode Runner had simple graphics, good gameplay and sound effects. The MSX version is similar to the PC Booter one. It was one of the first games (maybe the first in MSX platform) to feature an edition mode, in which it was possible to create and edit levels.

The Bad
Lode Runner was a bit harder, like any version of this game.

The Bottom Line
Lode Runner for MSX is a nice game. Recommended for any player who likes action and/or puzzle. If possible, get and play it!

The Good
In one word? All. This game is very high in my top 10 list of all times; actually it's very high on my top 5 as well. The first game to really combine action (run, avoid monsters) and puzzle (look, think, do things in a correct order.) what this game did was what Dune II did to Strategy genre: add action, the decision makings have to be made in real time. The goal of this game is very simple, collect boxes, avoid enemies, go ladder (do I hear addictive gameplay?) Actually the game is extremely complex, where the wrong decision can send a horde of enemies at your tail, or you could find yourself 10 feet deep in cement. Oh yea, you can dig. This is your most important weapon, timing your digging right can help you trap the enemies in a way that will help you solve the level, wrong timing and you might not trap them properly, or at all, and you might found yourself locked in rooms as well, and let me just remind you, you have to take those decisions in real time. The levels are absolutely great, and suggest a variety of ideas and puzzles, from more action driven, to some that demand careful planning of the digging. Other levels are made of weird art (like the very cute ship level) or are based on one element of the game, like pure digging levels, levels made exclusively of ropes, or levels where you have to use the AI in order to trap the enemies.

The Bad
One of the biggest downs (I’d use the word few, but I wanna keep my "un-biased" mask) is the AI. Which is very simple; basically the enemies keep the same level with your character. I.e. if you go up, they go up, they don't try to go down and follow you, unless you go down and practically "pull" them, sometimes winning the level is more of a question of properly trapping the enemies. Although the game creators knew that, as some levels actually need you to use that AI to solve them, most of the times you feel like your fighting a mind game with a bunch of apes.

The Bottom Line
This one is a true classic from the old (and I do mean old) days of Apple II, a combined action/puzzle games, where you need to collect gold and avoid monsters. The game also features an option to dig, enabling you to capture the enemies, or to reach boxes beneath the floor. The graphics are worthy of these days, in other words, don't expect anything too fancy (except the boat level, naturally), but those who are pure gameplay fanatics, should check this game.