The game that launched a thousand others. Known simply as Fist to its millions of fans, this laid the foundations for all that were to follow, and without doubt remains the most famous beat-'em-up of all time.
    Classic moves brought to us in Fist for the first time were the unsporting but very rewarding punch-in-the-stomach, the boot-in-the-back-of-the-head and the useful kick-in-the-shins. This last move, unfortunately, proves to be the game's downfall (in one-player mode at least), as its repeated use leads to attainment of 10th Dan level within minutes.
    Sonically Fist remains perfect. Music is restricted to a marvellously irritating tune at the start of each level, and the sound effects still bring tears to the eyes. The graphics, too, are exemplary.
    Unfortunately, rather than bow out and watch all the others scrambling onto the bandwagon, Melbourne House decided to hang in there. Fist's follow-up was the forgettable Fighting Warrior, then the distinctly average Fist II. The final humiliation was Exploding Fist +, almost a direct copy of International Karate +. Nonetheless, Melbourne House was there first, and can be held entirely responsible for the situation today.
    

83° 94 73 68 82

    

While being a shameful copy of Fist in most ways, International Karate managed to introduce a few novel features. The main one was the 'International' bit, which means that the game is played against a series of backdrops representing various parts of the world. Then there was speech, which is about as successful as always on the Speccy. And finally the bonus screens. Hmm.
    Other than that, International Karate is about as standard a beat-'em-up as you're likely to see. It doesn't quite have the slickness of Fist, and is definitely lacking when it comes to excruciating crunches and things, but it makes a reasonable attempt at animation which is something.
    International Karate +, the sequel, startled us all with the introduction of a third character.
    

74° 75 66 68 79

    

Bruce Lee comes from roughly the same era as Fist, but shows its age rather more severely. Apart from just beating people up. Bruce has to dash about collecting lamps and avoiding being killed by various hazards. The game takes place in a multi-screen fortress, the object being to destroy a wizard on the last screen.
    Unfortunately the available moves are restricted to punching and kicking, so it's hardly a proper beat-'em-up at all. The graphics are rubbish, with minuscule characters and clumsy scenery. There's virtually no feeling of pain at all, which is surely essential in a beat-'em-up. And worst of all it's far to easy.
    Despite these complaints, Bruce Lee is a bit on the historical side (what with being the first collect- and beat-'em-up combined), so one shouldn't be too hard on it.
    

44° 87 32 36 48

    

It was inevitable that, given the piles of money everyone else was making out of them, the cheapie labels would have a crack at the beat-'em-ups too. And, of course, the results were quite horrendous. With the bare minimum of moves, appalling graphics, dreadful music and complete lack of any fresh ideas. Advanced Ninja Simulator is about as typical a budget game as you're likely to get.
    And it doesn't matter that they only managed to sell three copies of it. It was also released as Kung Fu Simulator, BMX Ninja Hero, All-Terrain Dragon Ninja Combat Simulator and countless other things. They made piles out of it.
    Up the revolution!
    

05° 9 100 2 1

    

I'm probably wrong, but I'd say Kung Fu Master was the first scrolling beat-'em-up to arrive on the scene, and possibly even the first conversion of an arcade beat-'em-up. It's also absolutely terrible (and no question there).
    Although the arcade version was very popular, despite its rather restricted gameplay, US Gold really fouled up with the conversion. The graphics are absolutely chronic, with colour-clash everywhere, and the whole thing plays as if it's underwater. There's also the diabolical music to worry about.
    However, Kung Fu Master does contain a number of milestones. Apart from the scrolling it also introduced the idea of multiple opponents, some of whom are armed with nasty weapons, and the end-of-level guardians can still cause some hassle.
    

30° 53 45 58 22

    

Now we're talking. Although there isn't a single kimono or droopy moustache in sight, and swords rather than hands are used for carving people up, Barbarian is easily the most agonisingly painful game ever released. There's blood literally everywhere, with continuous slaughter the order of the day.
    Some of the most memorable moves in beat-'em-up history are featured in Barbarian. Not to be missed is the now-legendary spin-round-and-chop-his-head-off manoeuvre, but the head-butt shouldn't be overlooked, and nor should the stylish poke-in-the-eye.
    There are plenty of gimmicks too. Like the little bloke who comes on after each game to remove corpses and severed body parts. And the little shrug your warrior gives you when you ignore him for too long.
    Yes, Barbarian is one of my faves. All it lacks is that essential oriental atmosphere. You could always go for a take-away afterwards of course.
    

91° 7 96 91 93

    

Like Barbarian, the Renegade series avoided the stereotypical martial arts confrontation, and instead went for a modern-day 'street' setting. It still comes out on top.
    Target Renegade, like its predecessor Renegade and its successor Renegade III, was one of the new generation of flip-screen beat-'em-ups with add-on weapons and a wide array of opponents to take on. Some of the best are the motorbike riders and the whip-equipped 'ladies of the night'. The range of moves available is mind-boggling, for example the grab-him-by-the-shoulders-and-knee-him-in-the-groin, and even the toss-him-over-your-shoulder-and-hopefully-off-a-cliff-too.
    The playability has been finely tuned, and everything runs at a perfect speed. The difficulty level is also spot on, easing you into it gently and then planting one right where it hurts most.
    

90° 38 90 93 89

    

It's not as hard as it looks actually. Here are a few essential ingredients...
    Pain, and lots of it! Agonised grimaces should be accompanied bye eye-watering squelching noises when appropriate.
    Music, of the tinkly, eastern variety. And why use multi-channels and special effects when you could have authentic oriental beeping?
    Pyjamas are standard attire, along with obligatory headband.
    Artwork should be of the poorest quality. Anatomical accuracy is not desirable.
    Japanese-sounding names often impress. Make one up if you're not fluent, Uchi Mata being a classic example of improvisation of this sort.
    It shouldn't look like a beat-'em-up, so put it in a nice big black cardboard box.
    Sequels always look good (be original - try a '+' rather than a 'II'), but no-one ever buys them of course.
    Animation should be avoided where at all possible. Two frames per sequence is the absolute maximum.
    Joystick positions should be assigned at random. If they can guess that up, left and fire delivers a low punch, there's no challenge to it.
    It should be just like all the rest, so don't get any funny ides about using your imagination.
    

YS Cross-references
		Barbarian/Palace	YS19	7
		Barbarian/Melbourne House	YS35	7
		Barbarian (in The In Crowd)	YS40	UNR
		Bruce Lee/US Gold Ltd	YR14	5
		Bruce Lee (in Karate Ace)	YS34	4
		Bruce Lee (in History In The Making)	YS38	UNR
		International Karate/System 3	YS2	7
		International Karate (in Six-Pak Vol 2)	YS23	6
		Kung Fu Master/US Gold	YS9	8
		Kung Fu Master (in Karate Ace)	YS34	4
		Kung Fu Master (in History In The Making)	YS38	UNR
		Target Renegade/Ocean	YS31	9
		Target Renegade (in The In Crowd)	YS40	UNR
		Target Renegade/Hit Squad	YS61	92
		Way Of The Exploding Fist/Melbourne House	YR19	UNR
		Way Of The Exploding Fist (in Karate Ace)	YS34	7
		Way Of The Exploding Fist (in The YS Official Top 100 Part 2)	YS71	No.67