What is this game from my childhood?
March 24, 2010 6:14 PM Subscribe
My sister and I have been trying to remember a computer game from our childhood. It was on a Macintosh, and involved a stick-figure man who tried to go up levels using ladders, but could also fall down through space from whatever level was on.
The levels he stood on were thin lines that could develop holes in them as you played the game - you could jump over a single hole but too many means you could be stuck. If you fell and there wasn't a level underneath to catch you, you could keep falling through screens to the bottom even.
My sister remembers the lines that made up the level and the stick man as being green.
I remember the game having something to do with math (potentially fractions) but my sister doesn't remember that part.
We don't remember any enemies necessarily in the game - the goal was just to figure out how to keep going up.
It isn't Lode Runner.
Any ideas?
The levels he stood on were thin lines that could develop holes in them as you played the game - you could jump over a single hole but too many means you could be stuck. If you fell and there wasn't a level underneath to catch you, you could keep falling through screens to the bottom even.
My sister remembers the lines that made up the level and the stick man as being green.
I remember the game having something to do with math (potentially fractions) but my sister doesn't remember that part.
We don't remember any enemies necessarily in the game - the goal was just to figure out how to keep going up.
It isn't Lode Runner.
Any ideas?
"Spacestation Pheta," says Mr. Stargazer, who was an awesome mac-using kid, as opposed to myself, who mostly stuck to Commander Keen.
posted by stargazer360 at 6:26 PM on March 24, 2010
posted by stargazer360 at 6:26 PM on March 24, 2010
Response by poster: Unfortunately, it wasn't Spacestation Pheta.
posted by warble at 6:34 PM on March 24, 2010
posted by warble at 6:34 PM on March 24, 2010
As a follow-up, Mr. Stargazer is heartbroken that he cannot play Spacestation Pheta on his new MacBook Pro. But he's enjoying the trip down memory lane nonetheless, warble. Thanks.
posted by stargazer360 at 6:34 PM on March 24, 2010
posted by stargazer360 at 6:34 PM on March 24, 2010
The game you're describing is so precisely like Lode Runner that it's astounding that it's not that one. In fact, I'm amazed that they seem to have perfectly copied Lode Runner for the MacIntosh under a completely different name.
posted by koeselitz at 6:38 PM on March 24, 2010
posted by koeselitz at 6:38 PM on March 24, 2010
Jumpman was for the Commodore 64. Or, at leastthats the version I played. It predated Lode Runner, I believe.
posted by dfriedman at 6:42 PM on March 24, 2010
posted by dfriedman at 6:42 PM on March 24, 2010
Looking at Lode Runner clones now – is it maybe Gold Digger?
posted by koeselitz at 6:44 PM on March 24, 2010
posted by koeselitz at 6:44 PM on March 24, 2010
Response by poster: Although my sister doesn't remember this part, I could swear the game was educational and involved adding up fractions or solving math equations to make the ladders appear so you could move up them. Does that ring a bell with anybody?
posted by warble at 7:02 PM on March 24, 2010
posted by warble at 7:02 PM on March 24, 2010
Treasure Mountain? Lemmings?
posted by gcolmes@gmail.com at 7:12 PM on March 24, 2010
posted by gcolmes@gmail.com at 7:12 PM on March 24, 2010
Android and Box Runners are two I remember from that era that involved ladders.
posted by iconomy at 7:46 PM on March 24, 2010
posted by iconomy at 7:46 PM on March 24, 2010
Treasure Mountain involved ladders and an educational climb up a mountain. But I don't remember it being stick men; in fact, I'm sure it wasn't.
Are you possibly combining features from two different games?
posted by kellygrape at 8:02 PM on March 24, 2010
Are you possibly combining features from two different games?
posted by kellygrape at 8:02 PM on March 24, 2010
I think there might have been a Math Blasters minigame that was similar to a Lode Runner-type game, but with math somehow forced into the game mechanics. But I don't remember stick figures being involved. (I do remember a stick-figure ladders game but no math in it; I tend to wonder also if you are combining two games.)
posted by Kadin2048 at 8:15 PM on March 24, 2010
posted by Kadin2048 at 8:15 PM on March 24, 2010
Response by poster: We both remember the same game, so we're sure that everything else is right - it could be that I'm misremembering the math part, though.
posted by warble at 8:29 PM on March 24, 2010
posted by warble at 8:29 PM on March 24, 2010
That sounds vaguely like Googol math games? Play online here (try Googol Climber).
Also reminded me of Jumpman. But neither is an exact fit.
posted by PercussivePaul at 11:08 PM on March 24, 2010
Also reminded me of Jumpman. But neither is an exact fit.
posted by PercussivePaul at 11:08 PM on March 24, 2010
Was it one from the Muncher series? Fraction Muncher or Math Muncher, maybe?
posted by iconomy at 6:35 AM on March 25, 2010
posted by iconomy at 6:35 AM on March 25, 2010
Without the math bit, this sounds a bit like the original Prince of Persia.
posted by atbash at 7:02 AM on March 25, 2010
posted by atbash at 7:02 AM on March 25, 2010
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posted by dfriedman at 6:24 PM on March 24, 2010