How to play Roc ‘N Rope online
- Walk: left and right arrow keys
- Shoot a rope to the ledge above: hold the up arrow and press Space
- Grab a rope: push up when you stand at a stake, then use left and right to climb along it
- Drop onto a rope from a ledge, or let go: down arrow
- Flashlight: press Space without holding up
- Choose a game (skill level, one or two players): F11 (the console’s Select switch)
- Start a new game: F12 (the console’s Reset switch)
- Save and load your progress: Ctrl + 0–9 saves to a slot, Alt + 0–9 loads it
The difficulty switches are not used in this game.
Gameplay
Each scene is a cliff made of rocky ledges. The rope gun is how you get up: fire it at the ledge above, then climb. The two enemies each attack your ropes in a different way. Dinosaurs chew through them at the stakes, and cavemen shake them to knock you off. A flash of your flashlight stuns an enemy for a moment. Cavemen can’t be stunned while they are jumping.
Magical eggs are the power-up. Touching one gives you points and energizes your explorer for a short time, so any enemy you run into is knocked out instead of you. A bonus timer rewards you for reaching the top quickly. You start with five explorers and earn one more at 20,000 points. The game ends when all of them are gone.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Stun an enemy with the flashlight | 20 |
| Touch an enemy while energized | 600 |
| Touch an egg | 800 |
| Bonus timer | up to 5,000 per scene |
There are eight games. Games 1–4 are for one player, at skill levels 1 (easiest) to 4 (hardest). Games 5–8 are the same four skill levels for two players taking turns.
Tips
- Clear the stake first. Dinosaurs and cavemen do their damage at the stakes, so stun anything nearby before you start climbing.
- Don’t flash a jumping caveman. It won’t work. Wait until he lands.
- Save the eggs for crowded ledges. The energized state is short, and each enemy you knock out is worth 600 points.
- Keep moving. The bonus timer is worth up to 5,000 points per scene, much more than stunning enemies.
History
Konami released the arcade game in Japan in March 1983, and it was one of the company’s early arcade hits. Its designer, Tokuro Fujiwara, later moved to Capcom. Roc’n Rope is considered the first “wire action” game, and Fujiwara planned Bionic Commando (1987) as a bigger successor to its grappling idea. In the arcade game the bird at the top is a phoenix; the 2600 manual calls it the Golden Roc.
Coleco licensed the game and released it for the Atari 2600 and its own ColecoVision in 1984. AtariAge credits the 2600 version to the developer Individeo, with Ed English as programmer. CBS Electronics sold it in Europe, and it was also released in Brazil. Hamster later re-released the arcade original in its Arcade Archives series for modern consoles.
Similar games to play next
- Donkey Kong – Coleco’s 2600 version of another arcade climbing game
- Crazy Climber – climb a skyscraper while things fall on you
- Super Cobra – another Konami arcade game adapted for the 2600
- Pitfall! – swing on vines as an explorer in the jungle
- Montezuma’s Revenge – climb ropes and ladders through a temple full of traps