Q*bert

Q*bert is Gottlieb's 1982 isometric icon: an orange snout creature hops down a pyramid of cubes, and every cube he lands on changes color. Change them all and the level is done - except the cubes need a second pass in later levels, enemies ride floating discs, and a wrong hop off the edge is death.

The genius is in the joystick: the isometric board means forward is actually up-diagonal, and the original cabinet mounted the stick at 45 degrees so your hand told the truth. Coily the snake chases you down the same cubes, purple balls bounce past unpredictably, Ugg and Wrong-Way jump along the sides of the blocks in the later rounds, and when cornered you jump off the edge onto a flying disc for a ride to the top - sacrificing position, not life, if timed right. The @!#?@! speech-synth curse when you die was a genuine arcade moment in 1982. It is simple to explain, brutally honest to play, and one of the most recognized characters of the golden age.

• ▸Isometric cube-flipping goal - one pass early, two passes later
• ▸Enemies with distinct movement rules: chasers, bouncers and side-jumpers
• ▸Flying-disc escape rides as a renewable resource
• ▸A 45-degree mounted joystick made for the isometric view