David Crane‘s Pitfall! is a pioneering old game, from way back in 1982.

You control Pitfall Harry and must find 32 treasures in 20 minutes. You run and jump from screen to screen, swinging on ropes, jumping on crocodile heads, and avoiding quicksand. Not to mention: creatures that will kill you if you touch them.

Pitfall! was one of the first games to feature a running man sprite that actually looked half decent. Being able to swing on ropes was not only a revelation, but it felt good too. Somehow, programmer David Crane had managed to push the Atari VCS to unheard of limits and make a playable game out of it too. Which ultimately developed into a famous series.

More: Pitfall! on Wikipedia