International Karate

Best game of its type on release but it was bettered by IK+. Still, a superbly fast and responsive fighting game in its own right.

Basically an upgrade of Way of the Exploding Fist. Both games are equally brilliant however.

Pretty much a rip-off of Way of the Exploding Fist, just way better; graphics and animations are more refined, music is great, but above all controls are more responsive - albeit a tad confusing at first - and everything plays faster and smoother. Definitely one of the best beat 'em ups on the C64 and a landmark game on the system.

Good controls, fast, lovely graphics and sounds, just brilliant. Archer Maclean took his place in the hall of fame of the C64 with this one.

This game has the most responsive and accurate controls of all C64 games.

Great game. Really good fun to play and the animation is spot on. Still not sure if I prefer WOTEF, but I've been playing this relentlessly over the past few days and have fallen in love with it. Awesome.

Archer MacLean smashed it out of the park with this one. A masterclass in game physics, fun, challenging and thoroughly enjoyable. Wonderful Rob Hubbard soundtrack too. 10/10

This is for sure one of the best C=64 games ever.

A fantastic beat em up following Melbourne House's The Way Of The Exploding Fist's model only much, much better. The backdrops for the different locations were instantly recognisable international landmarks. This style of beat 'em up was eclipsed only by it's successor. A must play.

This is a funny one for me, not in the lol sense, but in the 'ello ello, what's going on here then?' sense. IK is a decent enough game and I bought it at the time but I think I was still too enamoured by Way Of The Exploding Fist and its whole aura and atmospheric charm, which IK totally lacked in comparison.

The whole 'forget WOTEF' thing that was present in the reviews of it also didn't help, and these aspects really had an impact on how I took to the game. I couldn't really see that it was better than WOTEF and my (13yr old) view was that IK was in fact a bit of a rip off (yes, I know about Karate Champ.. ).

However, IK+ fixed a good portion of that I have to say, and truly stands as a classic in the genre, so it all worked out OK in the end. Phew, eh?

Really beautiful game. Gorgeous graphics, magical music and terrific sound effects. Game play was also excellent. Different to "Way of the Exploding Fist", probably a little faster and less strategic, but very much a companion game.

I spent around 10 years playing this game on and off when it came out. Say no more, its gotta be pretty good to have that kinda lasting appeal.

In my opinion the best Karate game ever! . The playability its great! , cool soundtrack and SFX. And offcourse a Classic C=64 game.

One of the first games I played when I got my 1541. Good times. IK+ looked and sounded better, but I preferred this one.

Yes, amazing game. But it is a copy of Exploding fist, isn't it?

Just discovered that I got a legal copy of IK in my System 3 Premier collection that I bought in 1991! But I never loaded that disk much because of the good working cracks I have. Forgot about it that way..

This is a good game: I got serveral >>cracked<< versions on disk and tape for the Commodore 64! (Who needs a Nintendo Wii (what??) when there is a working C=64 in da house!)

I much preferred this to IK+. Don't really have anything else to say.

This is a good game, ive downloaded this and ink + for the nintendo Wii.

The ruling stated that one company couldn't monopolise an entire games genre. Mind you, this was back before EA started making sports games

It was such an awesome game back then, and I paid the €5. 00 again just to get this on the Wii Virtual Console. It's that tremendous, emulators just don't really do it justice, just a shame my C64 doesn't actually work any more

How on earth did these folks avoid getting sued by Data East? It's a complete ripoff of Karate Champ, down to the judge saying "Half point. " Now all they need is a move called the "Jamping back kick. "

Compelling, addictive game! I of course, completely agree with the review. I also prefer this to IK+, you feel like you get put into the deep end fighting against 2 other men. Nice soothing music to go with it, as you trawl through the sights of Egypt, Sydney and London. The controls most of the time are flexible and responsive but I really jump all over the place, especially as your opponent gets gradually harder. Highly recommended!

Not in exploding fist catergory but good all the same

The best C64 music ever and 2nd best C64 karate game ever (best is Way Of The Exploding Fist) means 10/10

Great GFX, music and gameplay especially in 1986! There was a real fun element to punching your opponent with those crunching sfx! Great stuff.

Not one of my favourites but it's still fun.

7/10

An absolutly lovely game. The graphics are stunning and the sound effects are great. Rob Hubbard have made the music, but even if this isn't his best music track at all, it is really good.

This is a highly recommended game to all C64-users. 10/10

I preferred IK+, but this was a birllient game either way. Very entertaining. 9/10

Pretty straight forward copy of The Way of the Exploding Fist. Therefore I can't give it as much credit as for the orginal grandmother of all karate games. Nevertheless, brilliant, brilliant game!

Miles better than IK+. THE best one on one fighter on any platform. Fantastic music too.

You're right Andy, the music was originally composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto and remade for the Commodore 64 systems by Rob Hubbard.

Just a quick comment on what Cliff Papworth said. The pantie-dropping was in IK+, not "International Karate". I'm hoping to do a more thorough review of this game and others once I get into them again.

Spent many cool hours on this game. I used to like the cheats that you could so on this game and make them drop their panties. Hehe.

Ah.. Spent hours on this game, absolutely fantastic game and is more better with 2 players , IK+ is a little better though

Actually, I like this game more than IK+, mainly because there is less bonus stages, and this game includes two different ones. 9/10

This game turned me on so much, I used to wank as a teenager with on one sock, while sitting on a cactus plant. Really liked it

Another good game for the 64. I played against friends with this one frequently and had a lot of fun. I think the disk wore out after a while.

Is that music by Hubbard a rendition of the soundtrack from the film 'Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence'??. I think probably not but it certainly sounds similar. This game is better than 'Exploding Fist' in every respect except for one in my opinion. I am one of the very few people who prefer the graphics (but ONLY the graphics) in Exploding Fist but I realise that I am in a small minority of people who think this.

One of the few games I instantly recalled when I wanted some games for my newly obtained emulator. Back in the day this was sophisticated stuff from the jaw dropping backgrounds to the nearly 3D rendering of the characters. I'd sometimes sit and just listen to the music--good enough to make it onto the Kohina 8-bit game music playlist. I made it a point to master the crouch stomach punch. > Big fun.

Nice Karate game, a bit like IK+ which I have on Amiga but different graphics and different sounds. The music kind the same but different too. Cool game!!!

This was my favourite game on the C64 except that the tape it was on was so dodgy I could initially only play it once in every 3 or 4 loads, then it stopped altogether. I was gutted

I preferred this on the C64 to the ST version of IK+

The best fighting game on C64! - The music is simply great. The graphics are large, chunky, well animated and move fast (even faster if you hold donw SHIFT+4). I always used to play this game with the speed set to maximum speed!

No doubt this would have to be the best fighting game for the C64. Yesterday I just found out that press S and E at the same time makes both players stop and look at you. What a cool hidden gem.

Many people say that IK+ is a whole lot of better but, if you have played both games for a longer time, you'll soon understand the simple greatnes within this one. IK has more complexety than its sequel because of the well made countermoves. If you knew all the tricks and reactions to the opponent's move the game became more challanging and two player mode a whole lot diffrent.

OK for the tune, though IK+ was improved in all other aspects.

Pretty cool game with great graphics and faboulus music.

First I found the controls rather difficult. I was used to the controls of The Way of the Exploding Fist...
But later on when I got used to the controls, I liked International Karate better...

0ne of the BEST games ever made for C=64... EVER!
=))

The best music in any game ever on the C64.

Hehe, Firefox, you sound like the IK+ compo was 10 years ago.

I remember International Karate as the most sportive game besides Decathlon, I was sweating like hell during playing Int. Karate, it was so great. Fist into the Solaplexus, grrrrch, Quickshot is completely broken. Shortly after I discovered the Competition Pro. YES!!!

I'll never forget the competition we with IK+ in November 2002. This was a great time and living up the old times... ;-))

Anyone got a GIF-Animation of International Karate? Some action?

Best fighting game ever. Faster than exploding fist, perfect and intuitive control, all the right (and no silly) moves. Even in one player mode this was a classic. One of the best games I ever played.

Int. Karate is one of the best karate games together with Ik+ for the c64
better than way o. T. Exp. Fist

Personally I think this is THE best fighting game of all time. None of those ridiculous combo moves to remember. One punch and you're out for the count. Magic. Top soundtrack too.

Never think why these guys travelled all around the world only for kick each other ass over and over again? It must be an scorched weather on this desert, also...

Drew upon the ideas of Exploding Fist, and improved them greatly. Still dated by todays standards, however. Great, great music.

I love this game so much so I bought a gameboy advance to play the new version, the version is the same as IK+ with a storyline, even the music is the same (almost! The C64 music is way better)
The music of this version is also in the new version.
All time favorite.
Good job system 3 ( now studio 3 )

Damn, I loved this game as a kid, and I still love it now. It's impressive how it stood the test of time, the action is still highly enjoyable. There are lots of moves, many different backgrounds, sub-levels, and it's quite fast and furious too (esp on advanced belts). Magic really !!!

I've played this game on the original C64, and it was the best. I don't play anythign else (except IK+).

Many people like IK+ better, but this is _my_ favourite. There's this wonderful track of Hubbard which starts getting uptempo _just_ when things are getting very tough in the game.
I like the digitised sounds too, like the very sophisticated 'rustle' of the karate suit when moving and kicking, to the 'ooommpphhh' when someone is hit.

Before IK+ this was my fave one-on-one puncher!

When you look at Exploding Fist and then look at this - you see the difference immediatly - this had better graphics and faster gameplay making it 50% better - IK+ may be better - but without this game there would be no IK+ - A Classic

Good, more like Exploding Fist that IK+, nice bonus level of smashing your head through boards of wood though

Good, but I like IK+ better!

My father owned this game for the Amiga computer an I love it! (I have found many games that I have missed, and I have found them on this page! Thank you Lemon64.com)