''Bruce Lee'' is a

platform game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...

written by Ron J. Fortier for the

Atari 8-bit family The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers introduced by Atari, Inc. in 1979 as the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The series was successively upgraded to Atari 1200XL , Atari 600XL, Atari 800XL, Atari 65XE, Atari 130XE, Atari 800XE, ...

and published in 1984 by

Datasoft Datasoft, Inc. (also written as DataSoft and Data Soft) was a software developer and publisher for home computers founded in 1980 by Pat Ketchum and based out of Chatsworth, California. Datasoft primarily published video games, including home port ...

. The graphics are by Kelly Day and music by John A. Fitzpatrick. The player takes the role of

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...

, while a second player controls either Yamo or alternates with player one for control of Bruce Lee.

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...

and

Apple II The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-m ...

versions were released the same year. The game was converted to the

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as t ...

and

Amstrad CPC The Amstrad CPC (short for ''Colour Personal Computer'') is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sin ...

and published by

U.S. Gold U.S. Gold Limited was a British video game publisher based in Witton, Birmingham, England. The company was founded in 1984 by Anne and Geoff Brown in parallel to their distributor firm, CentreSoft, both of which became part of Woodward Brown Ho ...

. It was the first U.S. Gold release featuring a famous individual. An MSX version was published in 1985 by Comptiq.

Gameplay

The plot involves the eponymous martial artist advancing from chamber to chamber in a wizard's tower, seeking to claim infinite wealth and the secret of immortality. There are twenty chambers, each represented by a single screen with platforms and ladders. To progress, the player must collect a number of lanterns suspended from various points in the chamber. Most chambers are guarded by two mobile enemies; The

Ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...

, who attacks with a "

bokken A ''bokken'' (, , "wood", and ''ken'', "sword") (or a ''bokutō'' ) is a Japanese wooden sword used for training in kenjutsu. It is usually the size and shape of a ''katana'', but is sometimes shaped like other swords, such as the ''wakizashi'' ...

stick" and The Green Yamo, a large unarmed warrior, visually styled as a

sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by thr ...

wrestler but attacking with punches and "crushing kicks". On platforms with sufficient graphics support, Yamo's skin is actually pictured as green, though in cover art he has a natural human skin tone. A multiplayer mode allows a second player to control Yamo, or to allow two players to alternately control Bruce. If the player playing Yamo is inactive for a certain time, the computer takes over. The Ninja and Yamo are also vulnerable to the screen's dangers, but have infinite lives so they always return; whereas Yamo is consistently identified as a single person, one version of the manual implies that each reappearance of the ninja is a new individual, replacing the previous one. Later chambers include more hazards such as mines and moving walls, as well as a "comb-like" surface that has an electric spark racing along it. Skilful walking, climbing, ducking and jumping are required to negotiate them. On the twentieth screen, Lee finally faces the evil Fire Wizard. Upon completing the game, it "loops" again. From the second loop on, the Ninja and Yamo are replaced as soon as they are killed, and the safe spots in the room with multiple electrified combs are removed.

Reception

The game was in the top ten of the UK software charts by May 1985, and topped the Atari chart by July 1985. The following month, it was number-eight on the all-formats chart and number-one on the Atari chart. The ZX Spectrum version of ''Bruce Lee'' received enthusiastic reviews. ''

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through ...

'' stated that the game "delivers all the foot kicking, kick jabbing, quick ducking action-packed adventure you'd expect from a good grade B, martial arts movie". ''

CRASH Crash or CRASH may refer to: Common meanings * Collision, an impact between two or more objects * Crash (computing), a condition where a program ceases to respond * Cardiac arrest, a medical condition in which the heart stops beating * Couch su ...

'' magazine awarded 91%, highlighting zesty graphics, enjoyable fighting action and addictivity. ''

Sinclair User ''Sinclair User'' was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum (while also occasionally covering arcade games). Initially published by ECC Publications, and later EMAP, it was publi ...

'' also found the game enjoyable, awarding 4 out of 5 stars, but felt that sound was underused and a larger variety of tasks could have been included. ''

Your Spectrum ''Your Sinclair'', or ''YS'' as it was commonly abbreviated, was a commercially published and printed British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum. It was in circulation between 1984 and 1993. History The ...

'' were more critical, pointing out that it only takes a few games to complete all 20 chambers. ''Home Computing Weekly'' praised the graphics and movement. In a 1990 retrospective, ''

Your Sinclair ''Your Sinclair'', or ''YS'' as it was commonly abbreviated, was a commercially published and printed British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum. It was in circulation between 1984 and 1993. History The ...

'' found that ''Bruce Lee'' was still too easy to complete and the graphics had not aged well. In addition, it was felt that the fighting moves available to the player lacked impact and were too limited for a beat 'em up. It was described as a historically important game, being the first to combine the platform/collection and beat 'em up genres.

Legacy

The game was included on the 1986 ZX Spectrum compilation ''They Sold a Million II'', along with ''

Match Point ''Match Point'' is a 2005 psychological thriller film written and directed by Woody Allen and starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox, and Penelope Wilton. In the film, Rhys Meyers' charact ...

'', '' Match Day'', and ''

Knight Lore ''Knight Lore'' is a 1984 action-adventure game developed and published by Ultimate Play the Game, and written by company founders Chris and Tim Stamper. The game is known for its use of isometric graphics, which it further popularized in vid ...

''.

References

External links

''Bruce Lee''
at Atari Mania
Video
{{Bruce Lee 1984 video games Amstrad CPC games Apple II games Atari 8-bit family games BBC Micro and Acorn Electron games Bruce Lee video games Commodore 64 games Datasoft games DOS games FM-7 games MSX games Multiplayer and single-player video games NEC PC-8801 games Platform games U.S. Gold games Video games about ninja Video games developed in the United States ZX Spectrum games

Gameplay

Reception

Legacy

See also

References

External links