Kung-Fu Master

Kung-Fu Master for Atari 2600 is a 1987 action game published by Activision, adapting Irem's 1984 arcade martial-arts hit for Atari's cartridge system. Programmed by Dan Kitchen, this version recasts the rescue story: Princess Victoria is imprisoned in an evil wizard's temple, and the unnamed Kung-Fu Master must fight through its five hostile levels to reach her. The result is a side-view, single-plane brawler built around quick reactions, careful positioning, and the limits of the Atari 2600's one-button joystick.

Each stage sends the player down a scrolling temple corridor filled with opponents and hazards before a powerful guardian blocks the way forward. Ordinary henchmen rush in from either side and can grab the hero to drain his energy, while knife throwers demand a well-timed duck or jump before they can be struck. Tumbling small attackers, flying moths, falling dragon balls, and snake baskets add different threats to watch for. The game asks players to recognize these patterns quickly, choosing when to attack and when avoiding danger is the safer move.

The Atari 2600 controls translate the arcade game's combat into joystick directions plus the single fire button. Moving left or right walks, pushing forward jumps, and pulling back makes the fighter squat. Directional inputs with the button produce high and low punches or kicks, giving the player different answers to incoming enemies even with the console's simple controller. Rapid side-to-side joystick movement can break a henchman's hold, so escape is an active part of surviving a crowded screen rather than a passive penalty.

A timer and three lives make every floor a race. Damage empties the player's energy bar, while the timer reaching zero also costs a life. At the end of each level, the enemy energy meter identifies the boss that must be defeated before the climb can continue: the Fist Fighter, Boomerang Thrower, Giant Kicker, Lightning Magician, and finally the Gang Master. Remaining time and energy become bonus points after a clear, and an extra life arrives at 75,000 points. Two players can take alternating turns, with the next player stepping in whenever the other loses a life.

After Princess Victoria is rescued, Kung-Fu Master returns the player to the first floor for a faster, tougher round, turning a successful ascent into the start of a higher-pressure challenge. The Atari 2600 edition retains the source game's upward progression through enemy-packed floors and boss encounters while changing its story and streamlining its moves for the hardware. As an Activision-published late-era Atari 2600 conversion, it offers a distinctive version of a landmark side-scrolling martial-arts game rather than a direct copy of the arcade release.