Lock 'n' Chase

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Lock 'n' Chase
Screenshot of Lock 'n' Chase
Developer(s)	Data East
Publisher(s)	Taito
Release date(s)	1981
Genre(s)	Maze
Mode(s)	Up to 2 players, alternating turns
Platform(s)	Arcade, Atari 2600, Intellivision, Apple II, Game Boy
Input	4-way joystick, 1 button
Arcade cabinet	Upright
Arcade system(s)	Burgertime hardware
Arcade display	Raster, 240 x 240 pixels (Vertical), 8 colors

Lock 'n' Chase is an arcade game released by Data East in 1981. The game is based on the Arséne Lupin character of the mystery novels written by French author Maurice Leblanc, which were popular in Japan. The game was known as Lupin III and released in Japan in 1980 but was renamed in the U.S. due to copyright reasons. [1] Lock 'n' Chase was licensed to Mattel who produced the Intellivision and Atari 2600 home console versions in 1982 [2] [3] and an Apple II version in January 1983 [4]. Data East released a Nintendo Game Boy version of the game in July 1990. [5]

[edit] Gameplay

The game's main character is a thief named Lupin. The object of the game is for Lupin to enter a maze and collect all the coins and, if possible, any other treasure that may appear; Lupin must then exit the maze (a vault) without being apprehended by the Super D (policemen). Lupin can open and close doorways within the maze in order to temporarily trap the Super D and allow him to keep his distance from them. Only two doors can be closed at a time. The Super D policemen are named Stiffy, Scaredy, Smarty, and Silly. [6]

Coins (depicted as dots) are worth 20 points each. In every level of Lock 'n' Chase, there exists money bags that appear in the center of the maze randomly. Money bags are worth 500, 1000, 2000, and up to 4000 points, respectively, for each time they appear. [7] Each level also has a specific treasure that also appears near the center of the maze (much like the food items in Pac-Man). These treasures include the following items (listed respectively by level): Top hat, Crown, Suitcase, and Telephone. The first three of these treasures are worth 200 points, 300 points and 500 points, respectively. Additional treasures and their point values are revealed as the player complete successive levels. [8]