Antarctic Adventure

In 1983, Konami released *Antarctic Adventure* for the MSX, later bringing it to consoles like the Family Computer. (A ColecoVision port was prototyped but never officially released.) Players control an Antarctic penguin—eventually named Penta—racing between research stations from various countries, including a Soviet (USSR) station marked by the Soviet flag. The gameplay borrows from Sega's *Turbo* but is noticeably slower and includes platforming elements. The penguin must reach each station before time runs out, dodging sea lions and gaps in the ice. Fish leap from holes in the ice and can be caught for bonus points. Like many early games, it has no ending: after the final station, the game loops back to the first level with increased difficulty.

The game's music is "The Skaters' Waltz" by Émile Waldteufel. A sequel, *Penguin Adventure*, followed for the MSX in 1986. Penta and his son Pentarou became Konami mascots in the 1980s, appearing in over ten games, notably the *Parodius* shoot-'em-up series. They also featured in medal games like *Tsurikko Penta*, *Balloon Penta*, and *Imo Hori Penta*. In 2003, three mobile games titled *Kekkyoku Nankyoku Choi Bōken* were released on May 6, along with *Kekkyoku Nankyoku Daibōken Taisen-ban* as part of *Konami Taisen Colosseum*, and the fishing game *Penta no Tsuri Boken* for i-Revo. A screenshot of *Antarctic Adventure* appears briefly in the introduction of *Gradius ReBirth* (2008 for Wii Virtual Console, 2014 for Wii U Virtual Console). The MSX version was re-released on the Windows Store through the EGG Project in November 2014 in Japan. In 1984, Konami released a handheld LCD electronic game of *Antarctic Adventure* in Japan, often listed as *South Pole*. In 2014, a special version of the ColecoVision Flashback by AtGames, sold only at Dollar General stores, included the game. Pentarou also appears as a fisherman in other games.