Joshua & the Battle of Jericho

In 1992, Wisdom Tree published the game in the United States for the Nintendo Entertainment System, and later ported it to Game Boy (1993), MS-DOS (1994), and Sega Genesis (1994).

• Developer — Wisdom Tree • Publisher — Wisdom Tree • Platforms — MS-DOS, Game Boy, NES, Genesis • Released — NES'Game Boy'DOS, Genesis • Genre — Puzzle, Christian • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer • Programmer — * Vance Kozik • Jim Treadway

The game is a sequel to 1991's Exodus, which was a redesign of Crystal Mines (1989), a title developed by Ken Beckett for Wisdom Tree's predecessor, Color Dreams. In addition to changes in theme, graphics, and game mechanics, Joshua introduces a password feature for revisiting a game level. The game has 100 levels, 100 quizzes, and 10 bonus stages. Unlike Exodus, the game has no background music. Whereas in Crystal Mines the player character is a gun-wielding robot who mines a newly discovered exoplanet, Joshua is a tribal leader of Israel who infiltrates and pillages the city of Jericho. He attacks enemies and destroys obstacles with blasts from a shofar (a Jewish ceremonial horn). Enemies include Amorites, Hittites, and other Canaanites; Balaam features as a slightly more powerful enemy. Joshua's trumpet blasts (called "toots" in-game) also destroy blocks of Jericho's wall; "Israelite discontent", "Achan's sin", and "foreign idols" (cult images) are likewise represented by destructible tiles. The trumpet blasts are symbolized by white quavers. Occasionally, destroying a block with a trumpet blast reveals an item or power-up. All the levels have a time limit. To advance in the game, Joshua must pillage enough gold, silver, brass, and iron to meet the quota for the level. He must also collect five "Joshua questions". With all these attained, he navigates to the exit. The obstacles to these goals are movable boulders, immovable barriers, destructible objects, enemy soldiers, citizens, goats, et al. After each game level (including the final one) is a Bible quiz. By correctly answering trivia questions about the Book of Joshua (and other books such as Numbers and Deuteronomy), the player earns Bibles. The game advances even if the player answers questions incorrectly.