Popular games for franchise Lode Runner

Once an ancient arcade game, and with a previous version on the PC Engine by Pack In Video, Hudson Soft have taken the addictive gameplay of Lode Runner and given the graphics a complete face lift. The puzzle-based action in Lode Runner is simple: You are presented with a side-view platforms-and-ladders based level and you have to collect all the gold and escape without getting caught by the baddies. To defend yourself, you can dig holes in the ground, either to the left or to the right, and enemies stumbling upon them will fall down and be trapped. If you time it right, the hole will re-fill before the enemy can climb out, forcing them to respawn elsewhere in the level. If you prefer evasive action, make sure the coast is clear so you can escape up a ladder or across a well-placed rope, but be warned - they will follow! Once you have collected all the gold, hotfoot it to the nearest long ladder and escape out the top of the screen. In magazine previews, this was originally titled Lode Runner II.

Assume the role again as Jake Peril as you journey in the Evil Empire taking treasure away from the evil Mad Monks. As with the original Lode Runner, gameplay involves moving around screens full of platforms and ladders collecting treasure. This new version adds multiplayer play, with 150 levels to play on. The single-player game has the original levels plus 30 new ones. Many hazards not found in the original are added. The ability to create your own levels is also included.

The game keeps the typical gameplay of the Lode Runner series. Players have to collect all the gold on the stage, while either avoiding or trapping the robotic guards who are constantly giving them chase. The game also features a level editor so players can create their own stages to play on.

The second compilation of levels from Irem's Lode Runner Arcade series. Developed for the Famicom Disk System, it was never released outside of Japan. Gameplay consists of collecting all the gold of a level and then exiting. Be sure to avoid enemies while doing so, and team up with a friend to experience the co-op levels