Marathon 1 brings classic Mac gaming to the iPad

Marathon 1 is now available free in the App Store. Originally released for the Mac in 1994, Marathon is a classic first person shooter game by Bungie (who were later acquired by Microsoft and responsible for the Halo series). It started its iPad journey as a personal project by a developer called Daniel Blezek. Bungie got wind of the project and it has now been officially sanctioned. Marathon 1 is the first part of a trilogy.

STORY - defend the UESC Marathon colony ship against the aggressive Pfhor - play the role of the cyborg security officer - witness the rampancy of Durandal, the ship-board A.I. - uncover the surprising secrets of the Pfhor and the UESC Marathon

FEATURES

• 27 levels divided into six chapters
• missions include exploration, puzzles and extermination
• smooth game play experience
• "Carnage is as easy as point and shoot." from the Marathon Manual
• 7 unique weapons

The iPad version of Marathon 1 is free for the original version. If you want to upgrade the graphics to something more modern and eye pleasing, you can do that via an in app purchase for $3.99. You can also skip straight to Master Chief Mode for an additional $0.99 which brings unlimited ammo, level skipping and all the usual things you find in a god type mode.

While it's not really my cup of tea (I have never even heard of this game until today -- don't judge me!) -- it does remind me a little of Doom or the first release of Quake, and classic Mac gamers and Halo fans will no doubt .

[Free - iTunes link]