Battle Lode Runner (1993)

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.