Raiders of the Lost Ark is a 1981 American adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on a story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman. It became the year's top-grossing film, and remains one of the highest-grossing films ever made. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture. This Raiders of the Lost Ark board game, based on the movie, was released in 1981 by Kenner, an American toy company that also held the rights to produce Star Wars action figures and play sets. In this game, designed for 2-6 players ages 8 and up, players move around a world map collecting cards and try to obtain the Ark, Staff of Ra, and the Map Room. As soon as one collects the Ark, Staff, and Map cards, they move to a designated country to win.
The joy of this game, though, is more than just its play value, and more than just its distinction as being one of the first pieces of Raiders merchandise to hit the shelves. The real joy is the awesome Jim Steranko box art, with an Indy so buff Harrison Ford wishes he ever looked that good - it's classic pulp styling to go along with the classic pulp feel of the movie! Steranko, an American graphic artist, is well known for his innovations in sequential art during the Silver Age of comic books, particularly his infusion of surrealism, op art, and graphic design into the medium. He went on to become a publisher, book cover illustrator, and even created conceptual art and character designs for films, including Raiders of the Lost Ark.
