Championship Lode Runner

Overview

Championship Lode Runner is an expansion of sorts to the original Lode Runner. Intended for players who had already mastered the original, Championship Lode Runner starts off punishingly difficult and only gets more challenging from there.

The Famicom version of the game was exclusive to Japan, as were the NEC PC and Sega SG-1000 versions. This is due to the series' popularity in Japan where, like Spelunker, it accrued a significantly larger fanbase than in its native country.

The game is best known to modern Western audiences for its appearance in the GameCenter CX television show. It was part of a special segment where Arino called up various Japanese citizens for advice and guidance through the exceptionally tough stages.