Monty on the Run

• Title — Monty on the Run • Developer — Peter Harrap • Composer — Rob Hubbard Kazuo Sawa (Famicom Disk System) • Released — Amstrad CPC / Commodore 64 / ZX Spectrum25 October 1985 Commodore 16'Famicom Disk SystemJuly 31, 1987 • Genre — Platform • Modes — Single-player • Platforms — Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 16, ZX Spectrum, Famicom Disk System

• Illustration — Commodore 64 version screenshot On the run from the authorities after his intervention in the Miners' strike, Monty the mole must escape from his house and head for the English Channel and freedom in Continental Europe. In traditional platform game fashion, along the way he needs to collect various objects and solve puzzles to complete his escape. Before the game, five objects must be chosen to form Monty's Freedom Kit. Choosing the wrong items will leave the player unable to pass certain screens. The final screen sees Monty boarding a ferry to France. This was then the starting point for the follow-up Auf Wiedersehen Monty. The game has a sense of British surrealness similar to Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy - in gameplay it is more similar to the latter. Enemies patrol every screen, water is deadly to the touch and Monty runs the risk of being squashed by the many Mole Crushers.

The Commodore 64 version was produced by Micro Projects Ltd, joint owned by Anthony Clarke and Jason Perkins, with graphical input by Mark Rodgers and music by Rob Hubbard. The music for the Commodore 64 version is regarded as one of the best computer game scores for that platform. The main game theme was, according to Hubbard, inspired by "Devil's Galop", the theme tune to the radio serial Dick Barton. It was rated #2 in Hardcore Gaming 101's Top 100 Western Video Game Music of all time. A remake, titled Monty's Great Heart-pounding Escape was created for the Famicom Disk System in 1987 by Jaleco. The game bears very little resemblance to the original version. For instance, Monty Mole has been replaced with a human on the run from prison and now has to escape through various Aztec-like temples. The only real association the game does have with the original is Gremlin's copyright and the familiar "in-game" theme playing on the title screen. Like many Famicom Disk System titles, Monty's Great Heart-pounding Escape is little known outside Japan as the game was never ported to cartridge for a Western NES release.