Gauntlet 2 (1986)

U.S. Gold released Gauntlet in 1986 for the ZX Spectrum 48K and 128K. The development team consisted of Tony R. Porter, Kevin Bulmer, Bill Allen, and Ben Daglish, based on the original arcade coin-op by Atari Games and Tengen.

This arcade maze game supports up to two players and features multi-directional scrolling. The technical implementation includes AY sound and a multi-loader for both 48K and 128K modes. Players control the action using a Kempston joystick, Interface 2, or cursor keys.

The cassette version retailed for 8.99 pounds, while the disk version cost 12.99 pounds. The game was also released on various platforms, including Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, MSX, NES, Sega Master System, PC, Macintosh, Amiga, Atari ST, and Sega Mega Drive.

Gauntlet achieved an average magazine score of 89.44%. It received several accolades, including the Crash Smash award, the Your Sinclair Megagame title, and the ZX Computing Monster Hit distinction.

The game was extremely popular in the Soviet and Russian scene, often played for hours on end. It saw numerous TR-DOS adaptations released by groups like Paul Nosikov, Victor, and Queen Software. Cracked cassette versions were also widely circulated.