An original arcade release from Sega in 1982, Super Locomotive is a side-scrolling action game where you must guide a train from one station to the next, while at the same time avoiding obstacles and other trains trying to shunt you off the track.

The game is fondly-remembered for its jolly soundtrack (a cover of “Rydeen” by Japanese band Yellow Magic Orchestra), and its memorable split-screen gameplay.

In the bottom half of the screen is a close-up side view of the train, and in the top half of the screen is a wider plan view of the track. By watching both you can react to blockages on the track and avoid them.

Pushing the joystick up or down will make the train change tracks when at Points*, and pushing it left and right will make the train speed up or slow down. The train also has two offensive capabilities: bullets that shoot out the front, and steam clouds that shoot upwards, meaning that you have to keep an eye on both the track in front of you, and the skies above you, as you hurtle along.

Super Locomotive, I think, is a very under-rated early arcade game from Sega. It’s clever and fun to play and takes some skill to master. It also inspired a slew of clones on home computers in the mid Eighties, including Tony Crowther‘s Loco (among others).

*= I’m assuming you know that places where trains change from one track to another are called “Points”.

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