King Kong

King Kong is the first video game made by Chris Roberts when he was 13.

Gameplay
The player flies a helicopter around rescuing damsels in distress and then shoots King Kong.

The game has a short bit of music in 80’s arcade style which plays each time the player starts a new life.

The player has to avoid King Kong's attacks while air lifting out the two women stuck on the side of the Empire State building.

Once the women are safe, the player has to gun down King Kong repeatedly.

Development
Chris Roberts was attending an extra-curricular computer class at Manchester University. He was at the back of the class, ignoring the class and trying to program games instead. The next year, the teacher of that class became the editor of The Micro User magazine. He remembered that Chris Roberts and his friend were in the back of the class trying to make games, so he called up and asked if he would like to write a 'game of the month' for the magazine.

King Kong was written for Issue 2 of Micro User, April 1983, in BBC Basic.

At the time readers were expected to type the program in for themselves from a listing. They could however order a tape a extra cost and download the tape image and run it in a BBC emulator.

Trivia

 * There is a Donkey Kong reference at the end of the level before the colour changes and level 2 starts.