Lode Runner is one of those classic games that has survived long after the machines it was played on have bit the dust. (Dude, like what is a Commodore 64? Is that, like, one of those Newton things or what?) Somewhere in this country, someone just bought a dusty old Apple IIc (with that fabulous green and black monitor – hey, FlannelVision!) for about a hundred bucks just so they could play Lode Runner. (Okay, maybe they have a copy of Snake Byte, too.)

	The premise of Lode Runner is simple enough. You run through levels made up of platforms, ladders and ropes, with the goal of nabbing all the treasure and escaping before the stupid but persistent guards caught up to you. To reach buried loot, you would dig. To set traps for the guards, you would dig. A simple idea, sure, but then some twisted freak decided to make each level intellectually challenging. It's time for the cliché of the month. Ready? Easy to learn, difficult to master.

	Since great games don't die with their systems, a new version had to be made. (Apple II code just doesn't translate well onto a Pentium for some reason.) Frankly, I'm surprised it hasn't happened before now. In a world full of first-person shooters and hack-and-slash adventures, Dynamix is reviving a thinking man's game. No six-dimensional first-person virtual interface, no context-sensitive hypertext help system, not even an automap. Will this work? Will this sell?

	Yeah, I think it will. Dynamix is definitely taking advantage of what today's computers can do, but they've kept the play mechanic the same, and that's the strongest selling point this game could ask for. Just play the game. Once. That's all it'll take. It's time for me to throw another cliché at you: instantly addictive gameplay. It's overused, but it's appropriate. You start playing Lode Runner, and some indeterminate amount of time later you vaguely realize that your body is trying to tell you that you haven't eaten for 17 hours. That's when you tell yourself lie number one: "I'll get something to eat after I finish this level." No you won't. Because when this level is finished the next one will come up, and you'll say it all over again. 

	Although they have remained faithful to the game's original incarnation, the developers have given their rendition of Lode Runner enough bells and whistles to compete with the rest of the games on today's high-glitz market. For starters, they have added colors that are not green. In its Windows version, Lode Runner looks beautiful in its 640x480x256 resolution. The characters are quite small, so their animation is extremely smooth. The game's levels now have backgrounds to make them more visually striking; these backgrounds offer a variety of looks, lava, ice, machinery, and fungus among them. Your character now blasts holes in the floor, rather than digging them, and the red-cloaked antagonists now resemble Darth Vader's Imperial guards instead of Gumby. The sound effects are also impressive, and the music is actually worth listening to!

	You've also got a slew of new toys to play with. Some levels contain bombs which you can plant; these do a good job on any guards in the area, and can also be quite effective at removing unwanted terrain. (Some levels even have bombs hidden in the terrain which cause a chain-reaction when triggered.) You'll also find a gas canister. When fired, any guard in range of its cloud gets doped up enough to let you pass unnoticed. Teleporters, jackhammers, and pickaxes will also be at your disposal. Instead of making the game easier, these objects are incorporated into the puzzles with meticulous - even devious - care, enhancing the game's strategic value instead of eroding it.

	Fans of the original Lode Runner soon evolved into a cult race of maniacal puzzle builders, thanks to the game's level editor. Twisted, mutated fiends who saw everything as if looking through night vision goggles, they lived for one purpose: to design levels so craftily their buddies would pull their hair out for days trying to solve them. They should be happy with Dynamix. The new Lode Runner will also include a level editor. Simple yet powerful (one more cliché and I get a gold watch!), the editor lets you create a complete and intricate levels in a matter of minutes. It's design is similar to that of a paint program, except you draw with tiles instead of colors. If the Internet is swamped with new Lode Runner levels this fall, don't say we didn't warn you!

	It's all but impossible to review a game like this in a building full of game players without word catching on. Sure enough, by the end of the first day almost everybody in the place was hooked. Dynamix is doing a good thing by bringing Lode Runner back to the game playing public. The new version should please old fans and attract a legion of new followers as well. With its classic gameplay, revamped graphics and sound, and plethora of new features, I expect Lode Runner to hold a place of honor among the year's best games.