Arabian (Atari)

Arabian is a 1983 arcade platformer developed and originally published by Sun Electronics. It saw a North American release in May 1983 through Atari, Inc., and a Japanese release the following month. The game is set in a Middle Eastern fantasy world and is a straightforward side-scrolling affair, typical of early single-screen platformers that were popular in arcades at the time. A separate Famicom port called Super Arabian and a home computer adaptation titled Tales of the Arabian Nights followed, but this is the original coin-op version.

You control a prince who must rescue a princess by running and jumping through horizontally scrolling stages. The core loop involves moving from left to right, avoiding or jumping on enemies like snakes and birds, and collecting items such as rings and gems for points. Some platforms appear and disappear, requiring careful timing. The prince can also shoot a limited supply of projectiles to dispatch threats. Each level ends when you reach a certain point or collect enough treasures, then a new stage with different hazards begins.

Arabian is a decent, if simple, example of early arcade platforming. It isn't as well remembered as some contemporaries, but its Arabian Nights theme and tight controls make it a pleasant curiosity for retro enthusiasts. The home ports and follow-ups are more varied, but the arcade original offers a pure, one-or-two-credit challenge that captures the feel of 1983 coin-ops. If you enjoy no-frills platformers from the early eighties, it's worth a few plays.