News broke on December 25th 2022 that computer programmer and designer Archer Maclean had passed away. He was 60 years old.
Archer had something of a Midas touch when it came to the Commodore 64. DropZone, a clone of the Defender coin-op, was an early technical showcase for what could be achieved with the machine, and Maclean would build on this success with International Karate and, even more famously, IK+.
As far as tributes go, International Karate + is a complete no-brainer simply because it's really the pinnacle of fighting games on the C64. The game retains the precision controls and fighting mechanics from its predecessor, but the secret sauce is the addition of the third combatant. This karateka threesome might seem like a really bizarre idea, but it adds a surprising level of dynamism, pace and enjoyment to a base design which was already rock solid. The fact it has a kick-ass Rob Hubbard musical score only adds to the enjoyment.
Something else which made Archer's games special was the irreverent and mischievous humour which crept into his games in the form of hidden Easter eggs. It didn't take long for the secret key combo to make the fighter's drop their pants to show up in the cheat sections of magazines.
RIP Archer Maclean - thanks for all the happy childhood memories.
Developer: Archer Maclean
Publisher: System 3
Year of Release: 1987
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