Pitfall Franchise (Dixie Forever)

The Pitfall! franchise is a series of video games and spin-offs involving Pitfall Harry (Harry Croft) and his daughter Lara, an adventurer family who go searching for treasures around the world.

The game was first created by David Crane for the Atari 2600, and was followed up with a sequel when the Atari 2600 was declining in popularity, introducing his daughter Lara as a little girl whom he had to rescue.

The series went dormant until 1989, when Crane released Pitfall! 3 on the Nintendo Entertainment System. As a result of the lawsuit that year over exclusive licensing by Nintendo, both the Atari 7800 and Sega Master System also got a port of the game. The games were relatively similar graphically speaking, though many would say the Atari 7800 version was the best version of this game.

Three years later, the fourth game, Pitfall: The Aztec Adventure, would be released on the SNES, and Sega Genesis. Both games played well and the game sold very well. Soon, with the Atari Panther coming out, a sequel was planned. With the SNES-CD, released as the SNES Playstation, Sega CD and 32X, and the Atari Panther systems out, Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure was released to all 4 systems to rave reviews. The CD-based versions had much improved audio and expansive level designs and secret areas, while the Panther and 32X versions were graphically impressive. Sega allowed a 32XCD version to be released which combined the best of both, and is viewed as the definitive version of the Mayan Adventure.

The next version of the series was Pitfall: Beyond the Jungle, released on SNES Playstation, N64, Sega Saturn, Atari Jaguar CD, and 32XCD. The N64 and the Saturn are viewed as the best versions of this game, and based on the popularity of the game, a spin-off was created, Tomb Raider, using Pitfall Harry's daughter, Lara, as the lead character.

More recent entries into the series, such as Pitfall!: Babylon and Pitfall!: Forbidden City took place in the Middle East and in China, respectively.