Climber 5 - Atari 2600

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Climber 5 is a port by Dennis Debro of an Atari 8-bit computer game that originally appeared in COMPUTE! magazine back in 1987. In Climber 5 you play the role of a baseball player. The baseball has been hit to the upper rafters of a building under construction. Your job is to climb the ladders and retrieve the ball. Of course, there are obstacles along the way that you need to avoid or you lose a life and must start over at the bottom right corner. Once you successfully retrieve the ball, the level changes and becomes more difficult. You can view a screenshot from the original Atari 8-bit version (which you can see here) and can read the original COMPUTE! article here.

Climber 5 features three game modes, Original, Normal and Advanced. In the Original game mode, play closely mimics the original Atari 8-bit version. In Normal mode, the ladder positions and girder movements are random. You also have a timer that counts down and you must reach the baseball before time runs out. The Advanced option is similar to Normal, but adds falling obstacles. Some obstacles are harmful, whereas the player is rewarded for retrieving others. How far can you get?

Climber 5 features a professionally printed label and full-color, 16-page manual. The Climber 5 label artwork by Jason Dvorak was a result of the Climber 5 Label Contest held last year on AtariAge. The manual by Dale Crum includes a four page comic also created by Jason Dvorak.

Includes cartridge and full-color manual. Available in NTSC and PAL television formats, please specify above when ordering.

Author Dennis Debro
Number of Players 1
Controller Joystick
Cartridge Size 4K
Label Design Jason Dvorak
Manual Design Dale Crum
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moycon on 08/17/2017 10:53pm
I bought this game years ago when it first hit the AA store and always thought it was solid Atari 2600 title. The game play is simple enough. Retrieve your baseball from the top floor of an unfinished skyscraper, climbing ladders and avoiding girders that move throughout the levels. Each level see's the gameplay get a bit faster and the girders get positioned closer to each other.

There are variations of this theme with random placement of ladders and girders, timers, and falling objects that give this game a lot of replayability. Best of all NO FLICKER!!! A really top notch homebrew.
Nathan Strum on 10/15/2007 06:33am
Climber 5 is an adaptation of a game (also called Climber 5) originally created for the Atari 8-bit computers. I downloaded and tried out the original version prior to writing this review. The object of the game is to climb up a building that's under construction, and retrieve a baseball that's been hit up there. You have to climb ladders, and avoid girder beams moving back and forth. That's about as far as the original game went, and an adaptation of that version is included on the 2600 cart.

But Dennis Debro also added two improved versions to the cart. The "Normal" version adds a timer, randomized girders and ladder positions, and the ability for the player to change the girders' directions (which takes extra time away from you). For those looking for an added challenge, the "Advanced" version also adds falling objects that you need to either avoid, or catch to earn more time. This third version is where Climber 5 really begins to shine. The falling objects transform it into a really well-rounded and challenging game, where strategy and good timing become indispensable.

The player's speed on the first level feels really sluggish, but that picks up starting in the second level. The graphics are decent, and in keeping with the original game. The sounds are about average for a 2600 game. Ultimately though, it's the gameplay that will keep you returning to Climber 5 - especially the "Advanced" version.
Ron Lloyd on 01/18/2006 05:11pm
The care & effort that Dennis put into Climber 5 is obvious. If only we'd had a game like this on our beloved 2600's back in the early 80's! The 3 game variations really go a long way to keeping Climber 5 a fresh & fun experience every time! Watch for the bonus falling coffee cup! :)
Raul Torres on 01/03/2006 09:28am
Great Graphics, great playability. Not much else to say. The game is simple, & very challenging. And yet keeps you coming back for more... a must have for everyone...
Stan Dean on 04/09/2004 07:32pm
Amazing Game. Climber 5 is a great game. With three levels of play and challenges at every level, this game is a must buy for ANY Atari fan. Climber 5 features simple, yet exceptionally well designed graphics and plenty of pick-up and play action. But don't let that stop you from checking out the awesome full color manual, complete with expository comic strip in the back!

Best of all there is enough challenge and replay value in Climber 5 to keep you playing it for hours!

Climber 5 is a can't miss hit that belongs in EVERY Atari collection.

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