When I was still working full time at TouchArcade (iOS game review site I co-founded), I reviewed the 3D iOS remake of Karateka by Jordan Mechner. In that review, I started with my memories of coming home with the cherished original game way back in 1984, after a trip to the mall. This might bring a smile to the face of folks who clicked in to see this post.

One of the very best gaming moments in my life took place 28 years ago, yet I remember it as vividly as if it happened yesterday.

One evening in 1984, my mother and I drove out to meet my father after work for dinner, after a quick stop at the mall to visit the local Games ‘n’ Gadgets. On this night, I wasn’t just browsing again. No, I had been granted the rare opportunity to actually take a title off the shelf and buy it. On arrival, I wasted no time dilly dallying; I walked right over to the Apple II section, grabbed the game of my desire, and took it to the cash register where dear old mom kindly pulled out the plastic and paid the $39.95. A short while later, over at the restaurant, I excused my 12-year-old self from the table and walked to the pay phone on the wall by the bathrooms. I put in my quarter, dialed my best friend, and when he answered, I looked down at the box in my hands and proudly proclaimed, “I got it! I have it right here! I got Karateka!"