C64 Game Memories - Revisited 30+ Years later : Cliff Hanger

Cliff Hanger by New Generation Software in 1984 is one of the earliest 'cinematic' graphic style games I can remember. Whether the graphics pull it off is open to interpretation but by 1984 standards on an 8-bit computer this was a fine effort.

Cliff Hanger so obviously rips off Road Runner where the sole aim of the gameplay is to kill your opponent using all sorts of devious ways from the top of a cliff. These include boulders, bombs, weights & overhanging ledges that collapses. The publishers didn't risk putting in an ACME mention sadly!

It is extremely simplistic gameplay and not much to it, but you could say the same about the later Dragons Lair and even those early CD-i interactive adventures. The action takes place on several similar screens where the opponent, a bandit runs along a path underneath a cliff and you have to time your 'action' correctly to kill him. Simplistic, but surprisingly addictive.

Not much re-playability here once you beat it as its virtually all about memorizing when to do that action. In the 2 players game you took turns to see who could succeed and the second player played as his brother 'Coat' (yes, ha ha very funny, not.)

All in all, fun for 5 minutes then you're done.