Amidar

by Konami · published by Parker Brothers, Stern Electronics, Superior Software

1981 · Arcade, Atari2600, bbcmicro, NEC PC-6000 Series

Puzzle Arcade Action Single-player Third person Isometric

Amidar is an arcade game programmed by Konami and published in 1981 by Stern. Its basic format is similar to that of Pac-Man: the player moves around a fixed rectilinear lattice, attempting to visit each location on the board while avoiding the enemies. When each spot has been visited, the player moves to the next level. The game and its name have their roots in the Japanese lot drawing game Amidakuji. The bonus level in Amidar is a nearly exact replication of an Amidakuji game and the way the enemies move conform to the Amidakuji rules - this is referred to in the attract sequence as 'Amidar movement'. A version for the BBC Micro was created but never released.