Krakout (1987)

Krakout is an action arcade game released in 1987 for the ZX Spectrum 48K. The title was published by Gremlin Graphics and developed by a team including Bob Toone, Greg A. Holmes, Andy Green, Terry Lloyd, Marco Duroe, and Ben Daglish.

As a single-player arcade experience, the game puts a fresh spin on the block-breaking genre. It offers support for Kempston joysticks, Interface 2, and cursor controls, delivering fast-paced action across numerous levels.

At the time of release, the cassette version cost £7.99. The game saw widespread availability across various platforms, with ports released for the Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, Commodore Plus/4, MSX, and Thomson MO/TO systems.

Critical reception was varied, with scores ranging from 37% to 93% across different magazines. Despite the polarized reviews, the game received prestigious accolades, including the Sinclair User Classic award and the ZX Computing Globert.

In the Soviet Union and Russia, the game became a local standard for the genre, appearing in dozens of TR-DOS versions and various Russian-language translations. Computer magazines frequently published POKE codes for it, while cracked tape versions were distributed by crackers such as Bill Gilbert and Mikropol. Enthusiasts also developed unofficial sequels, including Krakout 2 and 3.