Lock'n'Chase

48/128K ZX Spectrum - 2025

This game is a port of the 1981 Data East Corporation (DECO) arcade game Lock'n'Chase.

Gameplay:

Guide the thief Lupin around the bank vault collecting all the coins before making for the exit, whilst all the while keeping watch for the four pursueing cops (Super D) as they try to block your escape.  Use the tunnels on either side to evade capture, and close doors as you go to temporarily stall them.  Increase your loot by collecting treasure and money bags en-route should they appear.

Availability:

The game is currently available as a physical cassette, along with 4 other Spectrum games, as part of The Midnight Brew Collection 2025, which can be purchased from their shop:

https://ko-fi.com/midnightbrew/shop

Note that is collection is only available in a limited quantity (only 36 copies remain at time of writing) 

Notes:

The game was developed by Data East in 1981, and along with the arcade machine also made its way onto various home computer & consoles of the time, such as the Mattel Intellivision, but it never had an official conversion to the ZX Spectrum.

The game has both AY music & SFX on 128K machines (and also 48K with appropriate hardward), and support for the beeper on stock 48K machines.  Keys are redefinable, and Kempston, Cursor, and Interface 2 control methods can also be selected.

I was asked if I was interested in doing an accurate conversion, and having already done a similar game in the form of Farmer Jack - Treasure Trove thought it wouldn't take too long, but making an accurate conversion of a game is a difficult & lengthy undertaking.  Luckily Lee Bee offered his services for the AY music & SFX, and as luck would have it he's also a dab hand at graphics, and so the player & enemy sprites are also by him.  Allan Turvey, publisher of the Midnight Brew label, felt it would be a good fit alongside his other recent arcade conversions, and so has made it available as a real cassette from them.  He also sorted out the 48K beeper music and SFX to compliment Lee's AY tunes.