Lode Runner

Lode Runner broke the mold for platform/ladder computer games when it came out. Not only did it include 150 different levels for the player to tackle, it also included a complete level editor that allowed players to continue the fun long after the 150 levels were beaten. What started as a side project for Doug Smith while he attended college, became a phenomenal success after Brøderbund bought the rights to publish his game for the Apple II, on which it was developed, as well as just about every other system that could handle it.

Lode Runner captured many players' imaginations, as well as their dollars, so it went on to great commercial success. The first sequel to appear was Championship Lode Runner which contained 50 of the most difficult levels designed for the original by fans, and intended for play by experts only. Following Championship, many sequels and ports, including an arcade version, were developed to cater to new and old fans of the series alike. Even to this day, the license is still alive with developments like a version of Lode Runner for the Nintendo DS.

Irem developed many arcade versions of Lode Runner. Most of the levels consisted of the original 150 levels distributed among the various arcade versions, while some levels were entirely original. Although Hudson Soft brought Lode Runner to the NES first (and is still the current development license holder in Japan), Irem brought two of their arcade inspired ports to the Famicom Disk System under the names Super Lode Runner and Super Lode Runner II. The Famicom version of Lode Runner was the tenth best selling Famicom game released during 1983 and 1984, selling approximately 1,100,000 copies in it's lifetime.

The story
Lode Runner has been presented in such a variety of ways that the premise changes from version to version, but the object of the game is always the same. Simply put, you are a (police man, criminal, treasure hunter) who is attempting to (recover, steal, gather) all of the (loot, boxes, gold) from the (crooks, security guards, island natives). You're pretty much free to make up any story that you like.

How to play

 * You control the main character with a joystick.
 * 1 button: Press the button to dig a hole in the direction you are facing
 * 2 buttons: Press the left button to dig a hole to the left, press the right button to dig to the right.
 * You must collect every box, loot, or gold to make the escape ladder appear and advance to the next stage.
 * You must avoid contact with every other person in the stage.
 * Dig holes to trap enemies or fall through them to reach lower levels.
 * Holes fill themselves in after a period of time. Enemies that are trapped in the holes are briefly removed from the stage, but eventually return.