The MSX version of Rod Bowkett‘s classic Spectrum platformer, Dynamite Dan, was programmed by Mr. Micro and published by Mirrorsoft in 1986. It is an excellent port and looks and plays very similarly to the original.

The aim is to explore a large collection of screens, looking for eight sticks of dynamite to blow up a safe and then get the secret plans inside.

The difficult bit is survival, because you only have nine lives and you lose one every time you touch something hostile, or fall too far. You can earn extra lives by collecting test tubes, but you’ll still find that your lives tumble to nothing very easily in this game…

And as if the game wasn’t difficult enough, you also have to eat food to keep your energy up. If it reaches zero, Dan starves. Also: if you fall into water it’s an instant game over.

Dynamite Dan is both a work of pixel artistry and colour, and has some nice touches, like teleporters, levitators, a central elevator, laser beams, and trampolines that can boost your jumps.

Completing Dynamite Dan is a tough challenge, but it is possible and I’ve seen it done.

More: Dynamite Dan on Wikipedia