Platform: ZX Spectrum (dk’tronics software in 1983)
Creator: Don Priestly
A classic Spectrum game released in 1983 on tape. As with most tape games it took a long time to load (especially as it included a loading picture) but it was well worth the wait.
The game takes the format of a top down maze with the overall aim to guide your character from the start of the maze to find the treasure and escape with it. It is not quite that simple however. Firstly you have to eat food along the way to keep up your energy levels, secondly the maze is (quite remarkably for the spectrum) randomly generated each time you play. Finally there is the terror of the Maziacs; viscous creatures who patrol the maze searching for you and each time you encounter one you do battle with it. You can increase your odds of beating a Maziac by picking up a sword (You stand a good chance of losing if you take it on with your bare hands) but once you have fought the Maziac then you lose your sword and must find a new one. Also you cannot carry both a sword and the treasure but you an interchange the two. As well as the swords there are a couple of other things which will help you. There are prisoners tied up along your way which (you fairly cruelly do not release) will show you the way to (or back from) the treasure for a short time. You can also zoom out slightly to view a larger section of the maze but you are unable to move whilst you are doing this.
As you can see the idea is simple yet effective and it makes it one of the most playable games for the Spectrum.