''Crisis Mountain'' is a

platform game A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...

written by David H. Schroeder for the

Apple II Apple II ("apple Roman numerals, two", stylized as Apple ][) is a series of microcomputers manufactured by Apple Computer, Inc. from 1977 to 1993. The Apple II (original), original Apple II model, which gave the series its name, was designed ...

and published by Synergistic Software in 1982. A port to Atari 8-bit computers was released in 1983. Creative Software published cartridge versions for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20. Ports for the FM-7 and PC-8800 series were from Comptiq. In ''Crisis Mountain'', the player must defuse

bomb A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...

s left in a lair below a volcano which was abandoned by

terrorists Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

. One of the first games with regenerating health, the player is not always killed by an individual mishap. Health—labeled as ''strength''—is shown as a number from 0–3, and after taking damage it slowly increases over time. Schroeder later developed '' Dino Eggs'' for the Apple II.

Gameplay

The player runs, jumps, kneels, and crawls through a volcanic lair, attempting to reach bombs with timed detonators. Digging up a bomb disables it; digging is faster if the shovel has been found. The remaining time on a disabled bomb is added to a bonus clock. After all bombs have been dealt with, the player is given the accumulated time for a "bonus run" where the goal is to collect valuable items left by the terrorists. There are two separate lairs, and the bombs and collectible items are in random locations each play. The player starts with a

strength Strength may refer to: Personal trait *Physical strength, as in people or animals *Character strengths like those listed in the Values in Action Inventory *The exercise of willpower Physics * Mechanical strength, the ability to withstand ...

of 3 and dies if it falls to 0. Being hit by rocks ejected from lava pits takes away 1 or 2 units, depending on the type of rock. Falling in the lava or being hit by Bertrum the radioactive bat results in immediate death. Strength slowly regenerates over time.

Development

David Schroeder was inspired to write video games after playing ''

Donkey Kong is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for Nintendo. It follows the adventures of Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong, a large, powerful gorilla, and other members of the List of Don ...

'', and ''Crisis Mountain'' started out as a minimalist version of that game in

Applesoft BASIC Applesoft BASIC is a dialect of Microsoft BASIC, developed by Marc McDonald and Ric Weiland, supplied with Apple II computers. It supersedes Integer BASIC and is the BASIC in Read-only memory, ROM in all Apple II series computers after the ori ...

. He chose the Apple II, because they were the only computers in the lab at Seattle Central Community College. He never owned a computer until he purchased an

Apple II Plus The Apple II Plus (stylized as Apple ] or apple plus) is the second model of the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Inc., Apple Computer. It was sold from June 1979 to December 1982. Approximately 380,000 II Pluses we ...

with royalties from ''Crisis Mountain''.

Reception

Writing for ''

Compute! ''Compute!'' (), often stylized as ''COMPUTE!'', is an American home computer magazine that was published from 1979 to 1994. Its origins can be traced to 1978 in Len Lindsay's ''PET Gazette'', one of the first magazines for the Commodore PET. ...

'', Patrick Parrish found the bat to be a key feature: He concluded by calling it "a superior programining achievement and a thoroughly entertaining game." ''Softline'' magazine wrote, "One of the nicest things about ''Crisis Mountain'' is that no two games seem alike," and "There are enough things going on all the time that it never becomes boring." In an ''

Electronic Games ''Electronic Games'' was the first dedicated video game magazine published in the United States and ran from October 15, 1981, to 1997 under different titles. It was co-founded by Bill Kunkel, Joyce Worley, and Arnie Katz. History The h ...

'' review, Rick Teverbaugh wrote: "Instead of looking like some uneven lines and ladders, this climbing game has a playfield that actually looks like the inside of a cave"; further, he called the overall visuals "superb". ''

InfoWorld ''InfoWorld'' (''IW'') is an American information technology media business. Founded in 1978, it began as a monthly magazine. In 2007, it transitioned to a Web-only publication. Its parent company is International Data Group, and its sister pu ...

's Essential Guide to Atari Computers'' cited it as a notable Atari 8-bit arcade game.

References

External links

* *{{lemon64 game, id=568
Review
in ''

Creative Computing ''Creative Computing'' was one of the earliest magazines covering the microcomputer revolution. Published from October 1974 until December 1985, the magazine covered the spectrum of hobbyist/home/personal computing in a more accessible format t ...

''
Review
in ''

InCider Wayne Sanger Green II (September 3, 1922 – September 13, 2013) was an American publisher, writer, and consultant. Green was editor of '' CQ'' magazine before he went on to found '' 73'', ''80 Micro'', ''Byte'', '' CD Review'', ''Cold Fusion'', ...

''
Review
in ''

Softalk ''Softalk'' () was an American magazine of the early 1980s that focused on the Apple II computer. Published from September 1980 through August 1984, it featured articles about hardware and software associated with the Apple II platform and the p ...

'' 1982 video games Apple II games Atari 8-bit computer games Commodore 64 games VIC-20 games FM-7 games Platformers Video games about bomb disposal Video games about terrorism Video games developed in the United States Single-player video games Creative Software games Synergistic Software games