Lock 'n' Chase

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

Lock 'n' Chase is an arcade game released by Data East in 1981. Lock 'n' Chase was licensed to Mattel who produced the Intellivision and Atari 2600 home console versions in 1982 [1] [2] and an Apple II version in January 1983 [3]. Data East released a Nintendo Game Boy version of the game in July 1990. [4] Lock 'n' Chase was Data East's response to Pac-Man.

[edit] Gameplay

The game's main character is a thief. The object of the game is to enter a maze and collect all the coins and, if possible, any other treasure that may appear; The thief must then exit the maze (a vault) without being apprehended by the Super D (policemen). The thief 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. [5]

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. [6] 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. [7]

This game was released in two different arcade game versions in the US. One was part of Data East's DECO Cassette system, a convertible system designed to change games out quickly by using a cassette and special key. It was also licensed to Taito for release. The Taito version used a dedicated motherboard and no cassette, and was made in very small quantities for a 1981 title (estimates by collectors place it at around 1200 units). This was the last Taito cabinet released in the "old style" cabinets; Taito's next arcade release, Qix, changed over to the familiar Taito cabinet style used until the mid-1980s.

A game's bug allows to get millions of points simply entering one of the exits, and moving quickly the thief up and down.