In celebration of the late Doug Smith‘s iconic platform game I’m going to be publishing a series of screenshots of twelve (count ’em) different versions of Lode Runner, in a single day. Today, in fact.

We could call today “International Lode Runner Day”. 🙂

There’s a lot of joy (and pleasurable pain) in Lode Runner, and all the many different versions around. Lode Runner‘s precise, simple gameplay – and characteristic levels – still resonate to this day. You run around. You dodge the baddies. You dig holes to fall through. You pick up the gold. You escape the level.

Whatever version of Lode Runner you’re playing, the core gameplay should always be the same: a frantic game of ‘outwit the bad guys’, set on a series of platforms and ladders.

There are certain Lode Runner features and rules that appear in every version, and some versions have unique features of their own. Ultimately, though, every version of Lode Runner ever made has something different to offer.

We raise a glass to Doug Smith‘s contribution to gaming!

Load Runner versions on The King of Grabs:
Apple II, VIC-20, Atari 800, Commodore 64, Arcade, Nintendo Entertainment System, ZX Spectrum, BBC Micro, MSX, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, Atari Lynx.

Sincerely,
The King of Grabs