Time Bandit

I first played Time Bandit when I was seven years old back in 1987. Time Bandit is a first person shooter with up and down, side to side, scrolling action. The main character is molded after Luke Skywalker from The Empire Strikes Back. He is dressed in an ugly yellow colored suit with a mop of blonde hair that Fabio would envy. He is a solitary loner with his trusty blaster that even makes Han Solo jealous.
Time Bandit contains 16 stages which all can be played 16 times each.

They become progressively harder after each completion. The demo version I had contained The Bomb Factory, The Space Stage, (Molded after Star Trek) The Pac Man Stage and another stage that I cannot remember. You start on the overhead map. The overhead map contains small portraits of structures. Old West Style Saloon, The Star Trek Enterprise ship, Pac Man's head, Golden Lions from Ceasar's Palace etc.... Just run over a portrait to enter the Time Warp and let the journey begin.
Upon entering the Bomb Factory you will come face to face with snakes and bombs with lit fuses. Your goal is to search the factory and find keys that will unlock golden locks allowing you to defeat the stage. The final exit is labeled Way Out and will be blocked by one of the previously mentioned golden locks. You collect sacks of cash, golden trophies and other goodies along your way. You build up your score and your cubits. After reaching enough cubits you are rewarded with an extra life. You start with 14 lives and they are represented by hang man like figures.
The Bomb Factory contains pot holes that are a maze within a maze. Upon entering one you will be transported to other parts of the level where the much needed keys may lie. This is dangerous as you can be transported right next to a bomb. If it touches you then you die. If you blast it, it will explode and kill you. Some bombs are duds but it is hard to tell whether you will escape or be blown to bits and pieces.
The Pac Man Stage starts off quite easy and is a great place to build up some free lives. It plays just like Pac Man with you needing to gobble all the dots to exit instead of the usual find the key and Way Out.
Time Bandit plays similar to Gauntlet and Contra and actually predates Gauntlet. Could such a famous game have stolen its idea from Time Bandit. It is very colorful for a game from its time and allows you that wonderful classic gaming experience without you feeling like you are playing something from the year 1553.