''Rambo'' (stylized on-screen as ''Rambo: First Blood Part II'') is a 1985 video game based on the film '' Rambo: First Blood Part II'' (1985). The game was designed by David Collier and Tony Pomfret with the ZX Spectrum version converted by Platinum Productions. The Commodore 64 version's music is by

Martin Galway Martin Galway (born 3 January 1966, Belfast, Northern Ireland) is one of the best known composers of chiptune video game music for the Commodore 64 and the ZX Spectrum. His works include '' Rambo: First Blood Part II'', '' Comic Bakery'' and ...

from Northern Ireland, incorporating melodies from the film's score. The Amstrad CPC version's music was played and recorded live by Choice Software's in-house programmer/designer/musician James Edward Cosby also from Northern Ireland, using a

Yamaha DX7 The Yamaha DX7 is a synthesizer manufactured by Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1989. It was the first successful digital synthesizer and is one of the best-selling synthesizers in history, selling more than 200,000 units. In the early 1980s, th ...

synthesiser via the then new

MIDI Musical Instrument Digital Interface (; MIDI) is an American-Japanese technical standard that describes a communication protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, ...

serial comms protocol. Several other games based on the film were also released, including ''

Rambo Rambo may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *John Rambo, the main character from the ''Rambo'' franchise * Mary Rambo, female character in '' Invisible Man'' Films * ''Rambo'' (franchise), starring Sylvester St ...

'' for the

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...

, and '' Rambo: First Blood Part II'' for the

Master System The is an 8-bit Third generation of video game consoles, third-generation home video game console manufactured and developed by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series ...

Gameplay

The game follows the movie's story. The player, who is controlling Rambo, has to find his lost equipment, locate the POW camp, rescue the hostages, and make it back to the extraction point while being pursued by constantly respawning enemies. Rambo starts off with just a Bowie knife and grenades (both of which have an unlimited supply, as with all the weapons), and gains points for killing the enemy, and for collecting the following equipment: Rocket Launcher, M16 Rifle, and Bow & Arrows (Explosive & Non Explosive). The gameplay is based on

Capcom is a Japanese video game company. It has created a number of critically acclaimed and List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil'', ''Monster ...

's arcade game ''

Commando A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...

'' (1985).

Reception and related releases

''Rambo'' was well received. Your Sinclair described it as "a thinking man's ''Commando''. That game starts fast and gets faster until you end up like a one-man whirlwind. Rambo develops into a solid shoot'em up". ''Rambo'' replaced ''Commando'' as the number one game in the Gallup ZX Spectrum chart and did the same on the Commodore 64 and All Formats charts the following week. The Amstrad CPC version also went to number one eight weeks later, replacing ''

Yie Ar Kung Fu () is an arcade fighting game developed and published by Konami. It first had a limited Japanese release in October 1984, before having a wide release nationwide in January 1985 and then internationally in March. Along with '' Karate Champ'' (1 ...

''. The Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum versions of the game were included on the 1986 compilation ''They Sold a Million 3'', along with ''Fighter Pilot'', ''

Ghostbusters ''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, three eccentric ...

'', and '' Kung-Fu Master''. In 1989, Ocean released the game alongside ''

Daley Thompson's Decathlon ''Daley Thompson's Decathlon'' is an Olympic-themed sports video game developed and released by Ocean Software in 1984. It was released in the wake of Daley Thompson's popularity following his gold medals in the decathlon at the 1980 and 1984 ...

'' and ''

Enduro Racer is an arcade racing game from Sega. It was released in 1986 with two arcade cabinet versions, a stand-up cabinet with handlebars and a full-sized dirt bike cabinet. It is often seen as a dirt racing version of ''Hang-On'', as it uses a similar ...

'' as one of the launch titles for their new budget range, The Hit Squad. It reached number 4 in the All Formats Budget Games chart.

References

External links

*
''Rambo: First Blood Part II''
at

MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controlle ...

{{Rambo 1985 video games Ocean Software games Amstrad CPC games Commodore 64 games ZX Spectrum games Rambo (franchise) video games Video games based on films Video games based on adaptations Run and gun games Stealth video games Video games scored by Martin Galway Video games set in Vietnam Vietnam War video games Video games developed in the United Kingdom