I was introduced to computers in 1984, when my father bought an Apple IIe. With the help of this wondrous new machine, I got to grips with programming, word processing, and unsurprisingly, games. One of these was Karateka, a simple, yet highly impressive action side scroller; you fought your way through many henchmen, avoiding traps along the way, hoping to rescue the lovely princess. What set this game apart was not only its animation, great fight sequences, satisfying musical score, and a simple, yet compulsive storyline, but the fact that you couldn't rely on extra lives to complete your quest. Just like in real life, if you died, that was it. Unlike real life of course, you could go back to the very beginning and try again. Many hours were spent attempting to rescue the girl.
