The Heist

The Heist

Game No.	211
Voting	6.64 points, 14 votes
Developer	Mike Mooney, Mike Livesay
Company	Micro Fun
Publisher	Livesay Computer Games, Inc.
Release	1984
Platform	C64
Genre	Arcade, Platformer (Multi Screen)
Gamemode	Single player
Operation
Media
Language

Description[edit | edit source]

The Story

Although the name of the game suggests that it's about theft (the term "Heist" is American slang, and is generally used for theft or robbery. Common targets of such a robbery are banks, museums, jewelry stores etc), the introduction text of the Coleco Vision version comes with a surprising and very different story:

"Help Graham Crackers, the greatest superhero in the world, who has entered the museum for an espionage mission. His job is to find a micro-camera which contains the most secret information. This is hidden in one of the artworks in one of the 90 rooms. Graham Crackers' mission is complete when he has collected all art work."

The contract would run under the motto "License to Steal." ...

Design[edit | edit source]

A typical game of the platform genre without scrolling (you switch rooms when you leave the screen). There are three levels, each with 10 screens and two levels of difficulty. The graphics are colorful and the animation of the sprites and objects is smooth. The background sound is limited to a few whistles, clicks, beeps and noises. A high score does not exist.

Hints[edit | edit source]

The Museum Tour[edit | edit source]

Shortly after the title screen appears, a little demo (the museum tour) starts. Here are the rooms of the first level shown, with a few objects that are present in higher levels. This demo is repeated until a key or the fire button is pressed.

The Game[edit | edit source]

To solve a level, Graham has to pick up all art works within the time limit. This is not quite simple as the alarm system is turned on. In addition each floor is patrolled by robots (drones, sweeper or monitors) and alarm trigger buttons are active. In addition, there are gaps between floors and a fall is fatal. Graham also needs keys to open locked doors. Keys can be collected, the same way you collect art works. Various rooms have escalators or lifts available with which Graham can get to other floors.

After Graham has collected all the art works in Level 1, Level 2 starts, etc. There are three levels, each with two levels of difficulty to solve in the game. Level 1 is red, Level 2 is blue and Level 3 is green. Each level contains 10 rooms. After the completion of level 3, you start over with level 1, but the game play is faster.

Controls[edit | edit source]

Random key (or fire button) - start new game
F5 pause the game (press again to resume)
K commit suicide
Run/Stop quit the game (return to start screen)
/ walk left/right
/ jump to the left/right
jump
/// use an escalator
1 , 2 , 3 when in front of a lift, go to level 1, 2 or 3

Points[edit | edit source]

Pick up a key = 50 Points + remaining time
Pick up an art work = 150 Points + remaining time
Open a door = 250 Points
Turn off a monitor = 100 Points

Solution[edit | edit source]

Tips

Some alarm triggers are almost next to each other and are easy to miss, so stay still for a moment when entering a new room.
Escalators may be used only in one direction. You can use them by holding the joystick in the direction of the escalator (diagonally Up / Down), depending on the way you want to go.
A fall in a gap is only dangerous when you fall down a gap in the ground floor.
Monitor robots can be disabled with a key. But note: this key might be needed to open a door. . .

Cheats[edit | edit source]

Voting[edit | edit source]

Voting of the C64-Wiki-User (10=the best vote):
6.64 points at 14 votes (rank 581). You need to be logged in to cast a vote.
C64Games	7	30 January 2009 - "very good" - 295 downs
Lemon64	6,4	04 January 2011 - 15 votes

Reviews[edit | edit source]

H.T.W: "I still don't believe the story from the Coleco Vision Manual, and I insist that "Graham" is as guilty as "Roger the Dodger" and his son "Slippery Sid". But I must admit that I've been playing the game for two hours now and I really wanted to fill this article a bit more. So the game isn't that bad really... Although there's no background music, no pompous graphics, etc, the playability is good, the idea of the escalator and the elevator is implemented well and with much practice, you can complete the first level ... ".