<s>
Archon	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Light	I-Application
and	I-Application
the	I-Application
Dark	I-Application
is	O
a	O
1983	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Free	O
Fall	O
Associates	O
and	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
five	O
games	O
published	O
by	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
superficially	O
similar	O
to	O
chess	B-Application
,	O
in	O
that	O
it	O
takes	O
place	O
on	O
a	O
board	O
with	O
alternating	O
black	O
and	O
white	O
squares	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
instead	O
of	O
fixed	O
rules	O
when	O
landing	O
on	O
another	O
player	O
's	O
piece	O
,	O
an	O
arcade-style	O
fight	O
takes	O
place	O
to	O
determine	O
the	O
victor	O
,	O
and	O
each	O
piece	O
has	O
different	O
combat	O
abilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Archon	B-Application
was	O
originally	O
written	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
family	I-Device
and	O
then	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
,	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
,	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
,	O
Amiga	B-Device
,	O
IBM	B-Device
PC	I-Device
(	O
as	O
a	O
self-booting	O
disk	O
)	O
,	O
Mac	B-Device
,	O
PC-88	B-Device
,	O
and	O
NES	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1984	O
:	O
Archon	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Adept	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
the	O
two	O
pieces	O
are	O
placed	O
into	O
a	O
full-screen	O
'	O
combat	O
arena	O
 '	O
and	O
must	O
battle	O
(	O
action-style	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
players	O
operating	O
the	O
combatants	O
)	O
to	O
determine	O
who	O
takes	O
the	O
square	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
dragon	O
is	O
stronger	O
and	O
can	O
attack	O
from	O
a	O
distance	O
,	O
while	O
a	O
golem	B-Application
moves	O
slowly	O
and	O
fires	O
a	O
slow	O
but	O
powerful	O
boulder	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Archon	B-Application
was	O
very	O
well	O
received	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Softline	O
praised	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
originality	O
,	O
stating	O
,	O
"	O
If	O
there	O
is	O
any	O
computer	O
game	O
that	O
even	O
slightly	O
resembles	O
Archon	B-Application
,	O
we	O
have	O
n't	O
seen	O
it	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Video	O
magazine	O
reviewed	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
its	O
"	O
Arcade	O
Alley	O
"	O
column	O
where	O
reviewers	O
described	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
truly	O
a	O
landmark	O
in	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
computerized	O
strategy	B-Application
games	I-Application
"	O
and	O
suggested	O
that	O
"	O
no	O
review	O
could	O
possibly	O
do	O
more	O
than	O
hint	O
at	O
 [ Archon ] 	O
manifold	O
excellence	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
Gaming	O
Worlds	O
reviewer	O
called	O
Archon	B-Application
"	O
a	O
very	O
good	O
game	O
,	O
with	O
lots	O
of	O
care	O
put	O
into	O
its	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
said	O
of	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
version	O
,	O
"	O
if	O
you	O
are	O
interested	O
in	O
a	O
challenging	O
strategy	B-Application
game	I-Application
,	O
I	O
recommend	O
both	O
Archon	B-Application
and	O
Adept.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
gave	O
Archon	B-Application
and	O
two	O
other	O
EA	O
games	O
,	O
M.U.L.E.	B-Application
</s>
<s>
Leo	O
LaPorte	O
of	O
Hi-Res	O
—	O
a	O
tournament	O
chess	B-Application
player	O
—	O
unfavorably	O
compared	O
the	O
complexity	O
of	O
its	O
rules	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
chess	B-Application
and	O
Go	O
,	O
but	O
concluded	O
that	O
Archon	B-Application
was	O
"	O
a	O
very	O
good	O
game	O
"	O
that	O
"	O
struck	O
a	O
fine	O
balance	O
between	O
a	O
strategy	B-Application
game	I-Application
and	O
an	O
arcade	O
shoot-	O
'	O
em-up	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
BYTEs	B-Application
reviewer	O
called	O
Archon	B-Application
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
computer	O
games	O
he	O
has	O
ever	O
played	O
,	O
stating	O
it	O
was	O
"	O
rewarding	O
and	O
varied	O
enough	O
to	O
be	O
played	O
again	O
and	O
again.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1984	O
Softline	O
readers	O
named	O
Archon	B-Application
the	O
most	O
popular	O
Atari	O
program	O
of	O
1983	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
awarded	O
"	O
1984	O
Most	O
Innovative	O
Video	O
Game/Computer	O
Game	O
"	O
at	O
the	O
5th	O
annual	O
Arkie	O
Awards	O
,	O
where	O
judges	O
noted	O
that	O
"	O
few	O
games	O
make	O
better	O
use	O
of	O
a	O
computer	O
's	O
special	O
abilities	O
than	O
Archon	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
ranked	O
Archon	B-Application
as	O
the	O
20th	O
best	O
game	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
ranked	O
as	O
the	O
50th	O
top	O
game	O
by	O
IGN	O
in	O
2003	O
,	O
who	O
called	O
it	O
a	O
"	O
perfect	O
marriage	O
of	O
strategy	B-Application
and	O
action	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
reviewer	O
commented	O
,	O
"	O
Whether	O
on	O
the	O
computer	O
or	O
NES	O
,	O
Archon	B-Application
is	O
an	O
intense	O
,	O
engaging	O
match	O
of	O
wits	O
and	O
reflexes	O
,	O
and	O
boasts	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
coolest	O
battles	O
in	O
gaming	O
history.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2004	O
,	O
Archon	B-Application
was	O
inducted	O
into	O
GameSpot	O
's	O
list	O
of	O
the	O
greatest	O
games	O
of	O
all	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Free	O
Fall	O
developed	O
a	O
sequel	O
for	O
the	O
same	O
platforms	O
,	O
Archon	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
Adept	I-Application
,	O
released	O
by	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
in	O
1984	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ten	O
years	O
later	O
an	O
enhanced	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
was	O
published	O
by	O
Strategic	O
Simulations	O
as	O
Archon	B-Application
Ultra	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
game	O
was	O
rewritten	O
for	O
Palm	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
in	O
2000	O
by	O
Carsten	O
Magerkurth	O
,	O
who	O
contacted	O
members	O
Free	O
Fall	O
Associates	O
for	O
feedback	O
on	O
creating	O
an	O
improved	O
version	O
released	O
in	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Archon	B-Application
:	O
Evolution	O
used	O
code	O
from	O
the	O
original	O
8-bit	O
version	O
with	O
the	O
blessing	O
of	O
Jon	O
Freeman	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2008	O
,	O
React	O
Games	O
acquired	O
the	O
license	O
from	O
Free	O
Fall	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
Archon	B-Application
title	O
across	O
multiple	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
released	O
an	O
iPhone	B-Device
version	O
in	O
June	O
2009	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
follow-up	O
title	O
Archon	B-Application
:	O
Conquest	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
October	O
2009	O
for	O
the	O
iPhone	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Archon	B-Application
:	O
Classic	O
for	O
Windows	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
November	O
2010	O
with	O
gameplay	O
elements	O
not	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Archon	B-Application
influenced	O
Reiche	O
's	O
game	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
,	O
which	O
featured	O
a	O
similar	O
combination	O
of	O
turn	O
based	O
strategy	B-Application
and	O
real-time	O
combat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
updated	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
has	O
been	O
announced	O
for	O
release	O
exclusively	O
for	O
the	O
Intellivision	B-Application
Amico	I-Application
.	O
</s>
