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Adventures
| 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | Coktel Vision | [top] | |
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The game is based on the famous story of Jules Verne. In July of 1867, the government has decided on the departure of the famous ship the "Abraham Lincoln", which will leave on the trail of a sea monster. The great French professor Mr. Arronax will also take part in the expedition. The weeks passed without any sign of the monster's presence in the area when one day, 300 miles from the shores of Queen Charlotte's Island... three members of the expedition will set on board the Nautilus, a submarine navigated by Captain Nemo. Not like prisoners but as guests, you all have to explore Nautilus and to discover an underwater world unknown to Man. The puzzles are quite easy but the graphics are decent for the time. | ||
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| A 320 [Fr] | Loriciels | [top] | |
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You've parked your car near the entrance of airport terminal. The day looks good. Your flight is in a few hours, so you have time to get ready to take-off... In the game you are a regular pilot of "A 320" airbus, who will be involved suddenly in terrorist action organized by air pirates. The plot is divided in three parts: two point-and-click adventure phases set in airport and on terrorist's island and simplified flight simulator phase between them. During the real-time adventure phase in airport, you should move between locations, interact with people and objects to gain information on radio channels, frequency, number of route, time of take-off, which vary in each seance of gameplay. After sitting in cockpit the game is turned in the flight sim. You should perform take-off, activate the radio, and receive a first radio transmission from pirates, who will inform you on actions you should perform or airbus will be blown up. Finally they direct your airbus with passengers to the pirate's island, where you should land it. During the real-time adventure phase on the island you should find the pirate's house, get inside it, and defeat pirate's mastermind with a gun. The overall gameplay is flown in first-person view, when player should move the cursor on the screen to move to certain location, collect, use or interact with items as well as talk with persons. The persons are real actors originally, but digitized slightly as well as overall environment. The game is flown in real-time and special part of screen shows the current position (parallel in time to yours) of some terrorist, who you can't see until reaching a certain point of the game. The game is played by one person and originally made in French. | ||
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| Batman: The Caped Crusader | Ocean / Data East Corporation | [top] | |
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This is a combination of an arcade and adventure game. The game is played with a side scrolling view, with each new location opening in a new panel similar to the appearance of a comic book. The game has two parts to it. In the first, The Penguin is back, and planning on taking over the world with an army of robotic penguins. In the second half, The Joker has kidnapped Robin, and it's up to Batman to save him. Gameplay involves going around Gotham City, fighting the endless throng of henchmen while solving simple puzzles (e.g. find a way to light the room) that often have clues in the caption. | ||
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| Beyond the Tesseract | David Lo | [top] | |
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Beyond the Tesseract is a text based adventure game developed in 1983 by David Lo intially for the TRS-80. The game was notable for its unique take on the genre and approach to mathematical entities and abstract concepts. In one section the player must navigate a text adventure game, inside the text adventure game. In another the player, while asleep, derives a proof using physical representations of various symbolic logic components.The game is intentionally vague using a VERB NOUN gameplay mechanic with a vocabulary of just 200.In 1988 the game was ported to Atari ST, MS-DOS and Solaris environments and, in 2003, to interactive fiction standard of machine-independent Z-code. | ||
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| Captain Blood | ERE Informatique / Mindscape | [top] | |
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In this unique and varied game, you play a computer game programmer (Captain Blood) who finds himself trapped in one of his own computer games. Worse yet, you've been cloned. Each of your five clones has made off with a quantity of your bodily fluids and is hiding out on a planet somewhere in the galaxy. Because of your depleted bodily fluids, you're gradually turning into a machine. You need to find and assimilate those clones before the transformation is complete. It weaves action, adventure, and strategy elements into a cohesive whole. The hallmark of this game is the unique alien language (which you must learn) and compelling setting. The adventure portion is non-linear, as there are many randomly-generated planets to explore. The interface takes a while getting used to, so make sure you read the manual. | ||
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| Chrono Quest / Explora | Infomedia France / Psygnosis Limited | [top] | |
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Chrono Quest is an adventure game told in still images and text windows. Controls are implemented by various icons around the screen border. The gameplay basically is somewhere in between modern point&click adventures and graphics-supplemented interactive fiction. The plot starts off some time around 1920 in the mansion of the main character's father, which was murdered and left the protagonist as the main suspect. In the course of exploring the mansion, the player finds a time machine and starts tracking down his father's murderer through the ages. Two sequels were released only in French under the title Explora series. | ||
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| Colony, The | Mindscape | [top] | |
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You are a Space Marshall, investigating a distress call from the colony Delta 5-5. As you approach the planet, your ship comes in contact with a gravity well, and crash-lands. The landing drained your ship of all but minimal power, stranding you. After putting on your Power Armor, navigating the planet's surface and stepping into the Colony itself, you must uncover what has happened to the colonists, restore power to your ship, rescue the colonist's children, and destroy the planet overrun by aliens. This is a revolutionary RPG that is largely forgotten. The Colony pioneers many concepts that are now familiar to most RPGers: a fully rotational 3D gameworld, real-time action, digitized sound effects, and mouse-controlled movement. Despite shaky 3D effects and static 2D bitmapped view for most interaction scenes (opening drawers, etc.), The Colony is still a fun and highly innovative game for its time. | ||
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| Corruption | Mangetic Scrolls / Rainbird Software | [top] | |
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In a big departure from the tongue-in-cheek fantasy settings that mark all three previous Magnetic Scrolls games, Corruption is set in the do-or-die world of 20th century corporate life that fans of The Firm will instantly recognize. You've just become a new partner in the lawfirm of Rodgers and Rodgers, got your new BMW and a shiny new office, when things start looking a bit dodgy. David, your formerly friendly partner, looks as if he's out to get you. Everyone, including your wife, David's secretary and the staff of the local hospital, are trying to make you look as if you're the guilty part in an insider dealing case. Perhaps it's time to engage in a little scheme of your own. Harking back to Synapse's classic Interactive Novel games Mindwheel and Brimstone, Corruption is played in semi-real time: you play against a 24-hour clock which advances one minute for every turn. Success depends not so much on a matter of making your way around a set of different locations, as being in the right place at exactly the right time. As time passes, David's plot thickens unless you interfere, otherwise everything just goes on according to plan. All this makes the adventure very difficult, and you will likely need to replay or restore the game several times to get it right. Interaction is limited to asking or telling other characters about something, and though you can ask most people about anything under the sun, you'll only get a useful reply if you pick the right topic. Because of its high difficulty level and somewhat of a "niche" plot, Corruption won't be everyone's cup of tea. Despite all that, though, the game is very deep, well-written, and thoroughly engrossing. The game came packaged with a cassette tape containing a series of audio conversations. The player would be prompted to play them at specific points during the story, adding an extra layer of depth to the game. In 1991, Virgin Interactive released The Magnetic Scrolls Collection Vol 1, containing new versions of The Guild of Thieves, Corruption and Fish! that took advantage of the Magnetic Windows engine. | ||
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| Crash Garrett [Fr] | Ère Informatique / Infogrames | [top] | |
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This is an illustrated, animated adventure made in France and offers excellent graphics, animation, and sound effects, fully-realized characters, wild sight-gags, and a most wonderful sense of humor. The setting is pre-World War II America, circa 1938. The plot concerns sinister Nazis, tattooed Arabs, beautiful women, "Hot from Hollywood" columnist Cynthia Sleeze, and a lurid plan to create Hitler's master race. Tough and bumbling, Crash is a formerly shady character (bootleg liquor, smuggled guns, and gang wars) gone straight. He's a combination of Indiana Jones and George (of "George of the Jungle" fame), with a variety of facial expressions and verbal wisecracks. These days, with friend Grease Flanagan, Crash runs an air-taxi business based in Hollywood. While snooping into the suicide of film star Lana Torride, Cynthia and Crash stumble into a nest of Nazis, led by the repulsive Baron Engel Von Krul and the sadistic Gestapo officer Helga. This fanatical group plans to kidnap beautiful women - Lana Torride, for example - and use them to create for "der Fuhrer" the blue-eyed, blonde-haired master race. Your goal as Crash Garrett is to foil the plot and save the world. The game displays a low-res picture of the current location. Medium-res pictures of the characters overlay the location shot. Text in cartoon balloons allows the characters to converse, crack jokes, and threaten each other. The pictures slide around the screen as the characters pace, as they enter or leave a room, as they stagger from too much booze, as they dodge bullets. "BAM!," "POW!," and "ARGGHH!" appear when guns are shot, when fists connect, and when pain becomes too much to bear. Crash has eight reservoirs of power for use in tense moments. He can also carry as many as eight of the objects that can be found during the game. | ||
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| Dossier Kha [Fr] | JP Swalens / Microïds | [top] | |
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In order to elucidate the disappearance of the eminent Professor Wolf, you enter the house of his colleague, Professor Kha, looking for clues. This is a typical text adventure with graphics of France in the 80s: a primitive syntax analyzer, large images, and no description. This means you must grope to find out what are the elements that can be manipulated on the screen and what are the exact words to use in commands. It's annoying because the mansion is filled with strange machines that you must understand the operation. The graphics are CGA and there is no sound. | ||
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| Dr. Dumont's Wild P.A.R.T.I. | Brainwave Creations / First Row Software Publishing, Inc. | [top] | |
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This long-lost piece of IF from the power duo that brought you such classics as Oo-Topos and Infidel are back in this zany adventure game that is centered around physics principles. As a hapless student zapped into the virtual reality world in your mad professor's machine, you must explore the world where almost everything is a metaphor of principles in particle physics in order to achieve the ultimate goal: be the first human being to see the mysterious particle X. This is a difficult game that has some devious puzzles, although they are all logical. Well-scripted NPCs enhance the atmosphere and overall zaniness. In 1998, Mike Berlyn has released a much-improved version of this game through his company, Cascade Mountain Publishing, along with Infocom-style feelies scanned in .pdf format. Unfortunately, his company went under in early 2000, and Mike has graciously decided to distribute this new version free of charge. | ||
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| Dracula In London | SDJ Enterprises / Personal Companion Software | [top] | |
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This is a board game / adventure game based on the classic horror novel by Bram Stoker. Tired of his ancient and barren homeland in Romania, Dracula has come to London seeking fresh blood. He has already bitten and transformed Lucy Westerna into a vampiress, forcing the six remaining main characters to destroy her. Players take control of the six survivors and must track down and destroy the evil count before he can claim another victim. It can be played as either a board game with multiple players controlling different hunters, or as an adventure game with a single player controlling all six characters. Each character has their own special abilities, for example John Harker is the only character able to follow up on clues, and Dr. Steward is the only character able to pick locks as well as calm down asylum inmate Reinfield if the madman should get out of control and attack your hunters. In order to locate the vampire's lairs, you must investigate local going-ons in London for signs of the count's presence. Once a lair has been found, you can equip your hunters with items and sacred weapons and explore the infested estates for the count and his places of rest. If you are unable to track Dracula down, he will flee to his family castle in Transylvania, and you can give chase for a final battle. The five or six locations in London are randomly generated, and can contain clues to be followed, coffins to be destroyed, vermin to be fought in combat, and even encounters with the evil count himself. Also, many different random events often occur which can influence the course of the game. Hunters may be stricken with illness, forced to visit an ailing relative, or arrested by the police for breaking and entering. The madman Reinfield may slaughter your hunters at Dracula's command, or he could become the unlikely hero who shows up at the final battle and dispatchs the count for you. One of your characters, Mina, may be targeted by the count, and if you fail to protect her Dracula will transform her into a bloodthirsty vampiress. In 1993, a Windows 3.x conversion of the original DOS game was released. The ASCII graphics and CGI color were replaced with improved black & white graphics and very slightly modified gameplay. | ||
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| Dream Zone | Naughty Dog / Baudville | [top] | |
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Essentially a "one hit wonder" company, Baudville released many sub-par adventure games in mid 80s, except this game which turns out to be a surprisingly interesting adventure about the influences of dreams on our lives. As the name suggests, you will travel through the various "dreamzones," each with its own character and coded metaphors about your real life. Some puzzles are annoying, and there are many horrible deaths to die, but the weird plot manages to carry the game right to the end. | ||
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| Fish! | Mangetic Scrolls / Rainbird Software | [top] | |
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In this more light-hearted, surreal adventure game there is Inter-Dimensional Espionage. Inter-Dimensional... because you can "warp" into the body of a living thing in this or any other dimension. Espionage... because there are good guys and bad. And you're a good one... with years under your belt and a multitude of successful missions behind your dark glasses. The payoff? You get a vacation, and the ultimate vacation in this business is to become a goldfish. Yes, a goldfish. Hey, it's cushy. You swim a little, eat a little, live in a castle. (So what if it's plastic.) Just as you were getting into the vacation mode (umbrella drink and all), the tide turns. The most dangerous group of inter-dimensional anarchists surface - the Seven Deadly Fins. This septic septet will stop at nothing to destroy all forms of life as we know it. And wouldn't you know it, you are drafted to stop them! In 1991, Virgin Interactive released The Magnetic Scrolls Collection Vol 1, containing new versions of The Guild of Thieves, Corruption and Fish! that took advantage of the Magnetic Windows engine. | ||
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| Gamma Force in: Pit of a Thousand Screams | Tom Snyder Productions / Infocom | [top] | |
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Third in the series of interactive comic books, Gamma Force is the best Infocomic and features a cast of cool superheroes, equally interesting sub-plots for each character, and a lot of action. The story's beginning is a little disorienting as perspectives change rapidly. More emphasis on backstory would have been better, but this is still a lot of fun to watch and the animations are cool. In a dangerous world, individual superheroes are not enough. Even the best of them - a humanoid made of flame, an elf princess with a mean bow, and a musclebound waterbeast - can't do it all themselves. When they come together, they are Gamma Force. Can anybody stop them? The unique element of this software was you could "follow" the narrative from a single character's point of view, or "jump" to another character's. Thus, you could re-read the story to learn new things about how the character's different paths affected each other and the outcome of the story. The display technology used a 3D vector format; Many scenes scaled (like zooming on a camera lens), although this sacrificed detailed graphical textures and colors. | ||
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| Gnome Ranger | Level 9 Computing | [top] | |
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Gnome Ranger is a fun tongue-in-cheek fantasy text adventure that follows the exploits and misadventures of Ingrid, a good-natured but exceedingly accident-prone gnome, who has been banished by her village and must find her way back home. Gnome Ranger debuts Level 9's new parser that is a vast improvement over their previous efforts (that ends with Knight Orc) and quite comparable to Infocom's famous parser. You can now tell Ingrid to FIND any object or person if you have met or seen them before. This is a very handy command, especially if you've dropped an item by mistake and can't remember where, or need to find someone in a hurry. You can also GO TO and RUN TO any location you've been, FOLLOW a person, or WAIT FOR someone to show up. Puzzles are challenging but fair, and make good use of new parser commands. With refreshing (if a bit overused) humor, colorful characters, and well-written plot, Gnome Ranger is a must play for every Level 9 and Infocom fan. | ||
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| Gnome Ranger 2: Ingrid's Back | Level 9 Computing | [top] | |
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Ingrid's Back is Level 9's sequel to the very funny Gnome Ranger, and sports improvements over its predecessor in every respect, including a brilliant "racetrack" system that allows you to control other characters and give them a much wider range of movements and interactions than before. The plot follows similar wacky, unpredictable turns of events that fans of the first game came to expect. After being banished from her village in Gnome Ranger, the lovable but exceedingly accident-proned gnome Ingrid finally found her back... just in time to discover that Little Moaning (yup, that's the village's name) is about to be transformed into prime real estate development by the new landlord Jasper Quickbuck, whose name says it all. This involves evicting all the poor gnomes out of their homes, of course, and so it's up to our unlikely heroine once again to save the day. Since the main puzzle is getting the various inhabitants to sign the petition that Ingrid initiated, there's a lot of interactions with other characters. It is here that the game truly shines: the text (with its unmistakable British charm) is cracking stuff, and characters so fleshed out and hilarious that you'd be glad none of them is your relative in real life. As in Knight Orc, you can follow people around as they go about their business, and ask (or force) them to do your bidding. The game also requires you to use advanced commands like FOLLOW and FIND people to accomplish your tasks - all the more better to show off the game's robust parser that's come a long way since Jewels of Darkness. While the number of locations is small, each is chock-full of details and many objects and people to interact with. You can play the game's 3 parts independently if you wish, but obviously the plot makes more sense if you play them in order. The game is also very friendly to newbie adventurers, such as reminding you which gnomes haven't yet signed the petition after you got a few signatures. Overall, this is one of Level 9's best games that further affirms their reputation as "Europe's Infocom." | ||
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| Gold Rush! | Sierra On-Line | [top] | |
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In Gold Rush!, Jerrod Wilson (the player) receives a letter from his long-lost
brother (who fled the city years before when was hastily accused and convicted of a
crime he didn't commit) asking him to join in Sacramento, California. If that's not
enough for Jerrod sell everything and give his hometown Brooklyn a fond adieu, under
the stamp was one of the first nuggets of Californian gold seen in the Atlantic shores
of the United States. So, Jerrod bids farewell to his peaceful life as a newspaper
editor, and becomes a fore-runner in the the great Gold Rush of 1849, hoping to find
his brother and "strike gold" (literally). Released late into the lifespan of
Sierra's AGI engine, Gold Rush! features some tricks not seen before the more advanced
SCI engine, such as enlarged characters, but it is best known for the three routes
available to reach California: by land, travel by boat to reach the Atlantic shore of
Panama, cross the isthmus, and then get a second boat in the Pacific shore, or making
the dangerous all-boat trip by Cape Horn. Each route has it's dangers: Cholera might
strike as you make your way across the Northern states or your boat might sink. As
usual with Sierra adventures, instant killing happens if the player is careless, but
will also happen at random. Other important (and innovative) concept is the game
being timed. If Jerrod takes too long to leave Brooklyn, passages to California
increase in price, and his house devalues. See also: Gold Rush! Anniversary |
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| Guardians of Infinity: To Save Kennedy | Paragon Software Corp. / Medalist International | [top] | |
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Original in concept but a bit flawed in execution, Guardians of Infinity sports one of the most original and elaborate plots ever presented in IF: you must journey back in time to save president Kennedy from being assassinated to prevent a disastrous spacetime rift in the future. The interface allows you to give commands to each agent, who can be assigned to convince someone, rob the bank, or carry out other spy activities. The interface is a bit cumbersome and confusing, since you have to address each agent by their name first, and there's no telling who you are talking to, not to mention the fact that sometimes their responses hardly make sense. There is also a very unforgiving time limit, which makes it frequent saving a necessity. Recommended only to IF lovers with a lot of patience and time on their hands. You definitely need the manual to play this game, as it contains locations and schedules of different people you will need to convince to prevent JFK's fateful trip. | ||
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| James Clavell's Shogun | Paragon Software Corp. / Medalist International | [top] | |
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A faithful adaptation of James Clavell's hit novel of the same name, Shogun casts you in the role of Blackthorne, an English navigator hoping to fine fortune in the 19th century Japan, only to find that he must earn it the hard way by winning acceptance and respect from wary Japanese. Shogun captures the novel's plot and atmosphere almost perfectly, with excellent writing, well-paced plot development, and great Japanese-art graphics. The game is broken down into chapters, each of which is self-contained (i.e. every item you can find and use is only for the current chapter) and advances the plot little by little. The puzzles are definitely up to Infocom's usual standards - in particular, puzzles that require you to figure out how to communicate with the natives are brilliant. Being based on the same engine as Zork Zero, Shogun also follows in that game's lead in offering new kinds of puzzles to make the game more varied. In this case, there are a few timed sequences, and an arcade-ish maze navigation in which you move Blackthorne around with the arrow keys. Overall, Shogun is Infocom's neglected masterpiece that belongs to every gamer's collection. Although the game would appeal more to Infocom veterans, novices should not be discouraged to try this one out, as the built-in on-line hints are excellent. | ||
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| Journey: The Quest Begins | Infocom, Inc. | [top] | |
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Journey is an epic fantasy game that marks a radical departure for Infocom: the entire game is played similar to a choose-your-own-adventure book, in which you choose actions from a menu of choices. The lack of parser surprisingly does not lead to lack of interaction, as there are always many choices to choose from and many possible solutions to the same puzzle, including optional ones. In Journey, you become part of a well-written epic, controlling a band of hardy adventurers as they set out to find the cause and remedy of failing crops in their small village. Despite the game's claim that many puzzles are optional, you'll quickly find that the game isn't as non-linear as it seems: you might make your way to the final stages of the game, only to discover that you cannot continue because you didn't solve some puzzles in the past in an "optimal" way. This is most aggravating with the game's magic system - spellcasting requires "essences," (e.g. air and earth), which are extremely hard to find (you'll have used most or all of them by the game's finale). Because the game never hints at how much essence you will find, you are free to waste a lot of them in solving various optional puzzles, only to find out later that you need more than you have. This "realism" makes Journey a frustrating save-and-restore type of game, and this may intimidate IF newbies. This complaint aside, however, Journey is a very well-written, well-paced game with a plot that will keep you guessing to the end. Its non-linear feel, no matter how illusive, is a refreshing change from typical interactive fiction. The ability to control multiple characters and see the world from their different viewpoints also adds a great deal to the atmosphere. Definitely a must play for everyone, although be sure to save a lot, and don't waste the essences. | ||
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| King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella | Sierra Entertainment | [top] | |
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The player takes on the role of Princess Rosella, daughter of King Graham of Daventry. King Graham and Queen Valanice were glad to have their children back. Graham thinks that it is time to pass onto them his old adventurers' hat. When he throws it across the room, he suffers a heart attack and collapses on the floor, and he is carried off to bed. The only way that Graham's health can be restored is by retrieving the magic fruit in the faraway land of Tamir. A beautiful fairy called Genesta offers Rosella the chance to be transported to the land, and find the fruit. But once she gets transported, she cannot be sent back unless she helps the fairy regain her talisman that was stolen by the evil witch, Lolotte. This is the first PC game to support a sound card. This chapter is the only one in the King's Quest series where the action takes place during a limited 24 hours. Some activities must be completed during the day, while other puzzles can only be solved at night. This game was simultaneously produced and published in the AGI and SCI engines. SCI has higher video resolution (320x200 rather than 160x200 in AGI), sound card support, mouse support, and a more versatile scripting system. Not many AGI versions were sold (suitable for older computers) and it was discontinued so it is rare. | ||
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| L.A. Crackdown | Nexa Corporation / Epyx | [top] | |
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LA Crackdown is an excellent police/detective game that will really benefit from a facelift for the 90's, because the gameplay is already excellent. You're an undercover FBI agent-in-command who must expose an illegal smuggling ring. Although there are not many orders you can give your subordinate agent, each of them is surprisingly deep, and *timing* (i.e. deciding when to bug the room, listen to tapes, search the place) becomes critical to success. Overall, a good adventure with a healthy dose of tactical elements. | ||
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| La Abadia Del Crimen [Sp] | Opera Soft | [top] | |
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The development of the game is based on the Umberto Eco's novel "The Name of the Rose", on which Guillermo de Baskerville along with his intrepid disciple Adzo de Melk have orders on the part of Abad of an Abbey (Abadia) forgotten of the hand of God, to clarify certain crimes that are granted to the hand of the Devil. In Spain, it is still considered like one of the best games of all times. It wasn't possible to talk with Umberto Eco, the author of "The Name of the Rose", so the authors of the game decided, after three months, that it would be called "La Abadia del Crimen" ("The Abbey of crime"). A free remake was released in 2005 with VGA 256 colours, True Color graphics and Sound Blaster sound. In 2016, The Abbey of Crime Extensum, a modern remake was released by Manuel Pazos & Daniel Celemín. | ||
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| Lancelot | Level 9 Computing / Datasoft | [top] | |
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Travel back to the Age of Chivalry when knights were bold, galloping across the countryside and rescuing damsels in distress. Level 9 recreate the time of wizards and the Knights of the Round Table in their greatest adventure yet. Lancelot is a three-part adventure, spanning the complete saga from the foundation of the Order to its finest hour - the quest for the Holy Grail. Guide Lancelot through his many exploits at Camelot, battle with wayward knights, and win the love of Guinever and Elaine. The challenge which has fascinated treasure hunters through the centuries is now yours - and you´ll need all your strength, wit and valor to achieve your goal. A welcome change from the difficult Knight Orc, this is a fun, introductory-level game that is well-written and well-paced. The puzzles may be too easy for some, but none of them is illogical or irrelevant to the story. It has over 100 locations to visit, all of which are well-described and teeming with various characters going about their business. One of the best things about Lancelot is the freedom (or the illusion thereof, anyway) for the player to do whatever he wishes, but with appropriate reward and penalty. So you can lie, fornicate, and steal your way to the final part of the game, but you'll likely have minus hundreds of points by then and be judged unworthy of the Grail. This is a great system that requires the player to seek out chivalrous deeds to accumulate enough points for the final challenge. Overall, Lancelot is an outstanding, well-written IF that is highly recommended for novices and experts alike. It's full of fun puzzles, atmosphere, and solid scoring system that probably inspired Sierra's Conquest of Camelot years later. | ||
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| Lane Mastodon vs. The Blubbermen | Tom Snyder Productions / Infocom | [top] | |
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Infocom released Lane Mastodon, the world's first "interactive comic book" with little fanfare and even lesser reaction from the gaming public. Apart from being the first electronic comic book, Lane Mastodon and all subsequent Infocomics allows the viewer to change perspective between characters, thus providing an excellent replay value as you can replay the story from a different perspective. Three more stories followed before Infocom decided to halt the unsuccessful venture. The lackluster response was perhaps due to the fact that the comics - with the exception of ZorkQuest, are based on original premises created by Infocom designers. Furthermore, the then-primitive graphics technology was not conducive to engaging animations. But then again, the dismal sales of Marvel Comics CD-ROM comics later may be suggesting that comics are best suited to print medium after all. Written by Steve Meretzsky, the first Infocomics story is like watching a decent "B" movie, complete with stereotypical aliens, a bumbling superhero, and tongue-in-cheek humor in the style of Meretzsky's earlier Leather Goddesses of Phobos. Fun for a good laugh or two, but the illogical plot and sophomoric humor may turn some off. | ||
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| Le Nécromancien [Fr] | Patrick Leclercq / Ubisoft | [top] | |
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Your character is a warrior-assassin Kotar, who lives in a fantasy world. One day he receives a letter from his friend, the scientist Batara Red, who was in the city Stragla where there is something wrong, and asks for help from Kotar. Going on a stagecoach in Straglu, Kotar discovers that the local population is terrorized by things generated by local black magician, whom you will engage in mortal combat. Unlike most text adventures, this game does not provide any input verbs (or other words) to choose with keyboard - it's more of an interactive visual novel. Each screen - text describing the situation in the game, and located below the answers - that you will take in this situation; depending on your choice will develop further the plot. The character has the inventory, so some of the questions will be related to the use of objects. The only graphics on the PC-version is only the titular picture of a castle and a necromancer "border" in the form of demon persons accompanying the individual screens. The game's plot is very interesting, and can only regret immensely that the game was not released outside of their native country. | ||
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| Leisure Suit Larry 2: Goes Looking for Love (in Several Wrong Places) | Sierra On-Line | [top] | |
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In this second game in the popular sexually comic adult adventure series,
due to the criticism against the first Larry game, Sierra wanted to tone down Larry's
sexual escapades for this sequel. Thus, Larry 2 doesn't contain nearly as much sex as
Larry 1 (in fact, if the player does try to pick up random women, Larry will
invariably be killed), which explains why the game relies only on copy protection and
not an age-verification system. Ironically, Larry 2 was criticized for not being sexy
enough! Eve, the girl of Larry Laffer's dreams from the end of the previous game, has
serious second thoughts in the light of day and casts him aside. Larry begins his
exploration again, and by chance he wins the lottery and a Blind Date contest in the
same day. During his preparations for the cruise, a microfiche falls in his hands by
mistake. He is then pursued by KGB agents as well as minions of the evil scientist Dr.
Nonookee (a pun on "no nookie"), who both want to recover the film. His travels lead
him to the tropical island Nontoonyt ("None tonight"), where he meets Kalalau, the
daughter of the natives' leader Kennywauwau. The game used the new engine by Sierra
called Sierra's Creative Interpreter (SCI), with 16 colors and MIDI sound. It
introduced grand-adventure elements, including a number of diverse settings (a cruise
ship, tropical islands, and so on). This was the first Larry game to include some
customization, like the favourite 'trite phrase'. The default is 'Have a nice day'
but the player can change it to anything he likes.
Also see: #Leisure Suit Larry 2 AGS Remake |
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| Los Pájaros de Bangkok / Carvalho [Sp] | Dinamic Software | [top] | |
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This is a conversational adventure based on the novel of the same title, The Birds Of Bangkok, written by Manuel Vázquez Montalbán. The story begins when the detective Pepe Carvalho (or in this case, you), receives a mysterious phone call from Bangkok by an old friend, Teresa Marsé, who is requesting you to come there to her help as she claims some people want to kill her. With this information, you meet all her family in the travel agency which took her to Bangkok, where his guide informs everyone about what happened: "In Bangkok, Teresa met a young native -Archit- for which she falls in love, but he turns out to be a a diamond smuggler. Teresa has the "great" idea to convince him to steal diamonds of his boss, Jungle Kid, but the latter's son discovers it, Archit and had no other choice but to kill him. Now the whole Thai Mafia pursues them, and it will be difficult for them to escape." With all this, nobody seems to want to go to in the search for Teresa or hire someone to travel. You get to convince his father that something must be done, and you get chosen as a volunteer after discussing the trip price with the owner of the agency. But he refuses to give you more than 200,000 búths for the travel. After a long journey by plane you finally arrive in Bangkok, and you do not know where to start looking. You just know that you have to go to the Spanish embassy in Bangkok, where the ambassador will explain in greater depth your mission. | ||
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| Manhunter: New York | Evryware / Sierra On-Line | [top] | |
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Manhunter: New York is a post-apocalyptic adventure game set in the (then) futuristic year of 2004, when Earth has been enslaved by a race of aliens known as the Orbs. The Orbs, who look like giant floating eyeballs, have implanted all humans with tracking devices, forced them to wear nondescript robes and forbidden them from speaking. The protagonist has been assigned by the Orbs to track down fellow humans who are believed to be forming an underground resistance. Over the course of the game, the player discovers that the Orbs are not the benevolent rulers they claim to be; they are actually harvesting humans as a food source. The player then "switches sides" and works to overthrow the Orbs. Manhunter: New York utilized Sierra's Adventure Game Interpreter (AGI) development tool. It was very different from other AGI games in that it did not use a text parser, incorporated a first-person rather than third-person perspective, and featured a rudimentary point-and-click interface. In these ways, Manhunter foreshadowed later games like Myst. The gritty, sometimes gory visuals, unique interface, and use of real-life locations in New York City all helped set the game apart from Sierra's other titles, which were typically more family oriented. | ||
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| Mindfighter | Abstract Concepts / Infinite Imaginations / Activision | [top] | |
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Mindfighter is one of the best post-apocalyptic adventures ever made, although sadly not many people played it when the game was released. Aside from being one of the most ambitious IF titles ever designed, Mindfighter also marks a debut title for Abstract Concepts, a more serious sister company of British developer Delta 4 who best known for the hilarious Bored of The Ring and other parody games. It was based on an Anna Popkess book (which was originally bundled with the game) and uses an interactive fiction System Without A Name, or SWAN for short. It's set in a post-apocalyptic world of guards desperately attempting to retain order over mobs of genetically-mutated thugs, with extensive use of the death penalty. Into this maelstrom steps Robin, an 11-year-old psychic beamed forward in time from before the drama. Adjusting to a completely different form of life, Robin must learn to survive and get adequate food, and ultimately infiltrate this vicious police state. Encounters with other characters are frequent, of whom some retain a semblance of old humanity. Daryl, Alison and Matthew all come in handy, and must be coaxed into doing what you wish. Examining objects often gives few clues, so the detail in the manual is vital, although few of the objects are vastly different from familiar 20th century artifacts. Two levels of object descriptions exist, allowing for faster or more immersive play. Overall, Mindfighter is a thoroughly entertaining, serious, and thought-provoking game, which draws you into the brutal reality of the future. Although the game sounds a bit dogmatic at times, it is never really overbearing, and the intriguing plot and well-written characters will keep you interested for hours on end. | ||
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| Mortville Manor [Fr] | Lankhor | [top] | |
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Mortville Manor is an excellent and highly underrated murder mystery game from French developer Lankhor. Aside from offering a solid plot, the game introduces many features to adventure genre, most notably random factors (that, like the board game Clue!, leads to a different culprit each time you play) and digitized voices (which sound better than Access Software's "RealSound" technology used in Mean Streets, which came out after this game). You played Jerome Lange, a private detective who is tasked with investigating a murder that occurred in a remote manor. Your job, naturally, is to interrogate all potential suspects and go through their possessions to find clues and evidence. Random factors give the game replayability unseen in other games: the killer's identity changes each time you played. Although the mystery takes only about 2-3 hours to solve, the random element keeps replay value high, and solid writing makes the game much more interesting than Clue!. Like most great murder mystery games, almost everyone has something to hide and motive to kill the victim, and therefore it is fun to reduce the possibilities one by one until you figure out the killer. The PC version was never released in English. | ||
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| Murder On The Atlantic | Intracorp | [top] | |
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Murder on the Atlantic is a fun murder mystery with a cliche murder-on-the-ship plot that develops into a solid game of logical deduction and timing. Clues and evidence must be pieced together to determine the culprit. Unfortunately, the heavy reliance on precise timing and included documentation, almost non-existent plot development, mundane NPCs, and poor movement scheme detract from the fun, but it's a good exercise in logic for all wannabe sleuths if you can put up with the quirks. | ||
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| Neuromancer | Interplay | [top] | |
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Definitely one of the best cyberpunk games ever, Neuromancer is an excellent adaptation of the classic book of the same name. You play a hacker who is struggling to make ends meet at the beginning, only to discover that all is not well in cyberspace. Although initially there are not many locations for you to visit in the game, there is a great deal to find out and cyberspace locations ("WELLs") you can visit. For instance, you have a special connector attached to your head that allows you to insert silicon chips. These chips contain various "skills" which will enable you to achieve certain objectives that would otherwise remain beyond your grasp. The skills, which include subjects like Psychanalysis, Sophistry, Evasion and even Cop talk, can also be upgraded, so while you might have the Cryptology skill chip, it may not decipher an encrypted code word until you find a way of upgrading it to version 2.0 or even 3.0. You will generally acquire skills and upgrades by talking to other characters within the game, and this brings us to the game's weakness: the specificity of its parser. You need to get the exact word right before it gives you needed information. A notepad is absolutely essential for playing Neuromancer, as there is a lot of information and WELL addresses to keep track of. Neuromancer is undoubtedly the best "hacking" game in existence, as the thrill of hacking into forbidden sites, editing databases to further your cause, and generally finding things out is exhilarating (and harmless, as opposed to real life). Overall, no cyberpunk fan should pass up this overlooked classic. | ||
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| Nine Lives Of Secret Agent Kat | SoftLab Laboratories | [top] | |
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This is one of the most obscure and underrated shareware adventure games of all time. Designed by Bill Fisher, designer of The Last Half of Darkness, Nine Lives uses a tweaked version of the same game engine. The plot is simple: you control a party of 4 secret agents, who must infiltrate a super-secret lab to steal a super-secret document (duh). Despite this typical espionage plot, Nine Lives is full of interesting plot twists and excellent atmosphere that Last Half of Darkness fans will enjoy. Gameplay is similar to Last Half, but with some significant enhancements. The screen is still divided into four major sections: scene graphics, list of exits, action menu, and a description box. This time, icons have replaced action words in the menu, and pictures of your four agents are displayed at the bottom along with what they are holding. Most puzzles, as one can expect from an espionage game, involve the use of high-tech gadgetry and your agents' abilities. You can call up the HQ for some hints on what to do next, and combine some inventory items together. Agent Kat is the name of the team's leader, who must be kept alive at all costs to continue the game. Each agent has a "health bar" similar to RPG titles, and they will die if the health bar goes to zero (they can be wounded by enemy bullets, etc.). With an interesting blend of RPG and adventure elements, some solid puzzles, and a high play value, The Nine Lives of Agent Kat is well worth a look for anyone looking for a fun, unassuming spy adventure. It certainly does not live up to Last Half of Darkness in terms of atmosphere or plot, but it has plenty of charm all its own, especially considering the shareware status. | ||
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| Police Quest 2: The Vengeance | Sierra On-Line | [top] | |
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Following on the heels of the successful debut title for the series, this second game in the series had improved graphics and soundtrack but also with the horrid copy protection. While waiting in prison for a re-trial, Jesse Bains (the “Death Angel” from the first game) kidnaps a guard, escapes from jail, and goes on a rampage to seek revenge on the people who have put him behind bars. The graphics are slightly improved and the game still operates via a parser interface. The major difference between this game and the original game, however, is the revised driving system. Gone is the manual driving system. You now travel to the location you want to go to by getting into your car and typing the name of the location, after which you are automatically driven there. Developed with Sierra's new SCI engine, it focused more on detective and forensics work than the traffic-cop beginning of the original, while keeping the same realistic setting. The proper procedures for collecting and handling evidence are the main focus of many of PQ2's puzzles. | ||
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| Profession Détective [Fr] | Ubi Soft | [top] | |
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A pretty simple and very short quest released exclusively in France. Plot: you play a private detective, whose task is to rescue the child of wealthy parents, kidnapped by bandits. Visually, the game is implemented as a set of successive black and white static images; sometimes change is instantaneous, and sometimes the picture is "slipping away" beyond the game screen, giving place to the next. The gameplay is much like text adventures with graphics, but most of the commands you need don't have to be entered manually, you can choose from the menus at the top of the screen. In addition to the purely "technical", where there are three such groups: "Objet", "Personnage" and "the Action", while in fact each of them has a list of various verbs-actions. The first group includes activities such as "seek", "inspect", "show", and so on, with the conversation with the NPC came in the second group, moving or opening inventory (as he has in the game) - in the third. After selecting a particular team often opens its purely "menu" - in particular, the choice of moving the team will be asked to choose which of the presented in a small list of areas you want to move (and then there will always change the pictures!). In some cases, however, "continue" signified team action you have to yourself - for example, to enter the previously recognized code (this is the same quest, after all!), Or the name of an object. Graphics - only the CGA, with black and white (!) but extremely high quality; more than that - a choice of the creators of the game creates a great atmosphere of an old film noir. However, criminally short duration of the game and periodically pop-up image of a funny dog clearly hinted to us that this game is focused primarily on children's audience. Note also that the texts - explaining, for example, what you see in the picture, and on the basis of what you need to make a decision on further action - is in French, and for playing at least to know it needs to be mandatory. | ||
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| Psycho | Starsoft Development Laboratories / Box Office | [top] | |
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Psycho is a graphic adventure game with a key-based verb interface. A set of jewels has been stolen. At the time of the theft, a curator was with the jewels, so he got stolen, too. And who's the suspect? Norman Bates, of course. The next night, a daring detective drives out to the sinister Bates Motel. His plan: a) find the jewels, b) free the curator and c) take a nice hot shower, should time suffice. Psycho is entirely controlled with the keyboard: direction keys for moving your character around, shortcut keys for performing actions. You need to stand close to an interesting object in order to examine it. Adversaries such as a dog, a ghost, and Norman's mother will appear at random throughout the house, putting you to sleep (!) by touch and thus draining your precious time -- you've only got four hours to solve the case. You may shoot the enemies as soon as you find a weapon. As there is no other option for character interaction, this is how you'll deal with the Bates family as well. It's one of the worst adventure games ever made, and based on the classic horror film by Alfred Hitchcock. By "based on" I mean that they both have the same title. It's all bad CGA graphics, if that isn't redundant. Your character, a detective investigating a kidnapping at the Bates motel, looks like a monkey when viewed from the front. He holds his magnifying glass (or gun, once you find it) at arm's length constantly. The room descriptions are... well, let me just direct-quote a couple: "I found this is a big living room;" "I found this is the same big room." "Clues" you find along the way offer such helpful tips as, "Skeleton keys open doors, not skeletons." Exits are laid out so that at times it's practically impossible to tell which door leads where. Trying a locked door simply doesn't work until you find the right key, and gives no indication that it's locked. There are bugs all over the game, the funniest being when you dig up a key in the coal bin. After you pick it up, it still shows up in the room, and you can keep taking it over and over and earning infinite points. And taking it repeatedly gives the message: "I found more keys just like the one I found before." Yes, they chose that as the alternative to adjusting the graphics so the key is no longer there. An absolute must-play for all fans of truly terrible software. | ||
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| Qin [Fr] | ERE Informatique | [top] | |
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The story takes place this time in China in 780 AD, in the context of Chinese mythology. The adventure begins in the family palace. You are the descendant of Liu, the brilliant architect of Emperor Qin's burial site. And this morning when you wake up, the vase porcelain present for generations in your family has a strange fascination to you. The objective of your trip will be to find the five parts of the plan that will lead you to the mythical tomb of the Emperor Qin. This is the last game of the authors of Sram and Sram 2. Technically the game is very similar to previous games and still works by parser, orders being captured in the verb and complement form. Every place has its graphic and sometimes will bring up a thumbnail showing the result, such as making a raft. The notion of time is used in the game because of the characters are present at certain times of the day. The game is longer than the Sram and also much more difficult. | ||
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| Scoop, Agatha Christie's The | Trillium Corp. / Spinnaker Software Corporation | [top] | |
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The last in the long line of great Telarium/Windham Classic adventures and based on an Agatha Christie novella, this game doesn't quite live up to the wonderful Below the Root , which uses a similar but more outdated choose-the-verb engine. It is nonetheless a solid detective game with interesting plot twists and nice interface (e.g. you can "listen" in on the conversations, and question the characters' alibi). It is also the first (and last, alas) Telarium game to use EGA/VGA graphics and excellent NPC routine that is well-integrated into puzzles - you must, for example, observe each suspect's routine by following them, then eavesdrop on their conversation at the right time and place to gain new topics you can ask other NPCs about. The Scoop also displays an unthoughtful design, as the rather harsh time limit means that you might have to restore many times to get everything done, which means that you unrealistically know what will happen before the event. Still, its interesting plot, fun character routines, and well-written dialogues more than make up for its shortcomings. | ||
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| Shadows Of Mordor | Beam Software Pty., Ltd. / Addison-Wesley Publishing | [top] | |
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This third game in the trilogy follows the adventure of Frodo and his band of fellow Hobbits from where Fellowship of the Ring left off as the Hobbits plunge into greater danger - facing off with giant spiders, evil horsemen, and sinister evil. The game is a marked improvement over Fellowship of the Ring... perhaps the programmers got back in time to fire that amateur they let design that game. | ||
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| Space Quest III: The Pirates of Pestulon | Sierra On-Line | [top] | |
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This was the first SQ game to be developed using an early version of Sierra's SCI engine. It featured music composed by the Supertramp drummer, Bob Siebenberg, and was one of the first games in the world that came with SoundBlaster support. As well as this impressive sound-support, PC versions of the game now supported mouse movement and a new, heavily improved, text parser. Narrowly escaping the events of Space Quest II: Vohaul's Revenge, Roger Wilco's escape pod floats through space. As just another metallic item of junk, it's soon picked up by an interstellar garbage hauler. Waking up in a pile of trash, quite familiar for this janitor-turned-hero, Roger Wilco must somehow escape. Once given access to the rest of the galaxy, he'll soon find himself having to avoid a collections cyborg for payments overdue, dealing with the corporate prison of software company Scummsoft, and having to digest the greasy food from the galaxy's finest hamburger joint. All this and he might be expected to get the high score playing Astro Chicken (tm) also! Space Quest 3 is a graphical adventure. The mouse is functional for movement and inventory access, however the game primarily relies on a text parser for specific commands and manipulation of objects on screen. In addition to the regular game, there is also a simple non-scrolling Astro Chicken game that's playable, as well as a radar screen representation for ship-to-ship space combat. | ||
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| Star Trek: First Contact | Simon & Schuster Interactive | [top] | |
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Last of the Star Trek trio of Simon & Schuster games and arguably the best, First Contact continues the exploits of intrepid captain James T. Kirk and his crew abroad the starship Enterprise. Your mission this time starts with transporting a diplomactic party to unexplored planet Gothica. As is typical of the series, this innocent mission soon evolves into a potential galactic war, and it's up to you to save Starfleet and the Federation itself. The game's interface is still the effective multiple-window presentation used in the previous 2 games, with some additional commands such as the ship's computer (F7 key) that contains both useful and serendipitous tidbits of knowledge on subjects ranging from the various characters to the different aliens and planets you will encounter. The captain's log now keeps track of all major actions you performed, and you can add records of the current play session to the log (similar to "LOG ON" command in other IF games). Crew members now exhibit a much wider range of responses that are appropriate in the situation. Overall, the additional features and more authentic Star Trek atmosphere and plot makes this the crown of Star Trek IF trio. | ||
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| Thing, The | Apogee Software Productions | [top] | |
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Inside a vast network of caves lies hundreds of valuable gold nuggets waiting to be found. But also awaiting the adventurer is the fearsome Wumpus, a cave creature no one has ever seen and lived to describe it. Your goal is to locate the Wumpus and shoot him with an arrow from a connecting cave. Do not enter the cave where the Wumpus is as he will kill you. There are also bats in the cave that will pick you up and dump you somewhere else, and bottomless pits that will also kill you. You can collect gold nuggets that will increase your score. | ||
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| Time and Magik Trilogy | Level 9 Computing, Ltd. / Mandarin Software | [top] | |
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In a similar manner to Jewels of Darkness, this collection brings together three interlinked Level 9 adventures: Lords of Time, Red Moon, and The Price of Magik. The games have all been updated into the company's later adventure system, and have longer textual descriptions and some slight puzzle tweaks. The 16-bit versions are new and inevitably feature higher-resolution and more-colourful graphics. They all center around wizards and spells. Despite the name "trilogy" these games do not share the same plot thread. Lords of Time has the best plot in this series: you must journey through time to collect various objects to defeat the Lord of Time. Red Moon and Price of Magik have more mundane plots, but the spell-related puzzles keep things interesting. | ||
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| Total Eclipse | Major Developments / Incentive Software Ltd. / Domark Software | [top] | |
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After whisking the players to far-flung galaxies in the excellent Space Station Oblivion (a.k.a. Driller) and Dark Side, Incentive brought their revolutionary Freescape 3D engine to breath life into ancient Egypt. Legend has it that Ra, the God of Sun, had placed a convenient curse upon his people: if the sun's rays to his shrine atop the pyramid are blocked by anything during daylight hours, he would obliterate the earth. The trouble, of course, is that thousands of years later you've just discovered that there will be a total eclipse of the sun in two hours - that is, therefore, the amount of time you have to race the fiendish mazes inside the pyramid to find Ra's shrine and prevent the catastrophe. Of course, what's a pyramid without hidden treasure to plunder? To that end, Total Eclipse is full of treasure for the taking, and your final score is based on the amount of loot you've managed to get as well as whether or not you have indeed saved the world. You are equipped with a revolver (with unlimited bullets), a wristwatch that ticks ominously towards the end of the world, a water bottle which you will need to fill constantly to satisfy your thirst. Collect ankhs to open doors, shoot mummies, drink water and maybe then you solve the puzzle of pyramid. Controlling yourself in 3D world, you may change angle of your rotation and width of your steps to avoid some obstacles. Also you can use your gun to shoot some doors or to eliminate some foes. Despite a more interactive environment, this is a much more difficult games than Incentive's previous offerings and may leave a beginner frustrated. Patience to map the maze-like environs is a must in this one. Recommended, but not for the faint of heart or anyone who's unwilling to sacrifice hours to get lost in desolate ancient ruins. A free remake was done in 2007 by Ovine Dy Design. | ||
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| Twilight Zone | First Row Software Publishing / Gigabit Systems | [top] | |
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Twilight Zone is a good game in the same vein as Mike Berlyn's Altered Destiny: a hapless hero gets sucked into an alien world where he must find a way back home and saves that world in the process. Good puzzles, reasonably intelligent parser, and engaging plot make this an underrated game. An all-text mode is also available for IF purists. An ordinary adventure game player, thrust into fantastic situations. Into a world between dreams and reality. A world existing only within the electronic circuits of a machine. An area where typed commands become reality in a game that is not quite real, not quite fantasy. A game known as... The Twilight Zone. This is a text/graphic adventure adaption of Rod Serling's classic television show, boasting a twist ending on par with some of the best episodes. | ||
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| Twilight's Ransom | Paragon Software | [top] | |
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Paragon Software, maker of the Twilight series of strategy games, takes a diversion in this surprisingly well-written IF set in the Twilight universe. Suddenly discovering that your girlfriend has been kidnapped, you must deal with the kidnappers who have more sinister plans, rescue your girlfriend and, of course, save the world as we know it. Although the game's parser is not up to par with Infocom's, interesting gadget-oriented puzzles and well-written gameworld more than make up for the deficiency. There are also enough plot twists along the way to keep mystery fans happy. All in all, a commendable and refreshing effort at fleshing out the fictional guns-and-bullets-littered landscape of Twilight 2000. | ||
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| Uninvited | ICOM Simulations / Mindscape | [top] | |
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Another game using the graphical adventure interface found in Deja Vu and Shadowgate, Uninvited comes with a "horror" theme. While driving on a lonely road at night, a strange figure blocks your vision causing you to swerve and crash your car. When you regain consciousness, you find that your sister is missing. The only place she could have gone is a creepy old mansion which looms in front of you. With nowhere else to go, you enter the mansion in search of your sister. It turns out the mansion once belonged to an old wizard and his apprentice, and somehow it has become infested with the Undead. A Windows remake was done in 1993 with much better graphics. In 2015, a MacVenture Series PC release contained both the original Macintosh 128k black and white, and Apple IIGS 4-bit color versions. In 2017, 8-bit Adventure Anthology: Volume I was released with remakes of Shadowgate, The Uninvited and Déjà Vu with a new 8-bit style menu, beautifully composed chip tunes and the most outstanding ‘old TV’ effects you’ve ever seen. | ||
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| Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders | Lucasfilms Games | [top] | |
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Zak McKracken is a tabloid reporter (and not a very good one at that). Based upon a psychadelic dream, Zak one day realizes that something is wrong - Space Aliens are dumbifying the general public through the telephone system. Zak must stop this, but he can't do it alone. After finding a magic crystal (or some sort of crystal), Zak manages to get the help of Anthropologist, Annie, and her friends, Melissa and Leslie. Between the four characters (all of which you control), you can destroy the dumbifying devices and save the earth. Not too bad for a tabloid reporter. It was the second game to use the SCUMM engine, after Maniac Mansion. There was also an enhanced version released using improved 320x200 (instead of 160x200) 16-color graphics and similar sound. | ||
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| Zork Quest 2: The Crystal of Doom | Tom Snyder Productions, Inc. / Infocom | [top] | |
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This was the second Infocomic in the ZorkQuest series. The unique element of this software was you could "follow" the narrative from a single characters POV, or "jump" to a new characters POV. Thus, you could re-read the story again and learn new things about how the characters different paths affected each other and the outcome of the story. The display techology used a 3D vector format; Many scenes scaled (like zooming on a camera lens) at a sacrifice of detailed graphic textures colors. Zork Quest 2 picks up where Zork Quest 1 left off: Egreth Castle and the land of Quendor once again found peace... but soon new troubles start brewing again after Moog, a mischievous young sorceress, stole an ancient spellbook that would give her powers unmatched by any other sorceror. It's up to a band of four brave souls, including the royal wizard Frobwit, to vanquish the evil once again. It's more captivating and longer than Zork Quest 1. | ||
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| Zork Zero: The Revenge of Megaboz | Infocom | [top] | |
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Visit the Great Underground Empire with upscale condos and subterranean highways, and try to dispell a curse before it kills all the inhabitants. This is a prequel to the classic Zork trilogy, but with additional graphics and puzzles. Although it is the fifth and last Zork game released by Infocom before the company's closing, Zork Zero takes place before the previous four games (Zork I,II,III, and Beyond Zork). Unlike its predecessors, Zork Zero is a vast game, featuring a graphical interface with scene-based colours and borders, an interactive map, menus, an in-game hints system, an interactive Encyclopedia Frobozzica, and playable mini-games including Peggleboz and Double Fanucci. | ||
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Adventure related
| Aaargh! | Binary Design Ltd. / Arcadia Systems Inc. | [top] | |
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What's that coming over the hill, is it a monster? Yes, as this Rampage-influenced arcade game sees you play either an ogre or a dragon. Both are searching an island for an egg which will give them super powers. This is located inside a building, and to find the right one you must continuously smash them up, using either the ogre's horn or the dragon's tail. Humans must also be attacked as you see them, as their catapults weaken you. Food can be found to restore energy, Once you have located the egg, a one-on-one beat 'em up battle with your rival ensues - win five of these to finally win the game. | ||
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| Aliants: The Desperate Battle For Earth! | Starsoft Development Laboratories Inc. / Keypunch Software Inc. | [top] | |
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When Earthlings decided to stop wars and explore the outer space, another menace threaten them. The Aliants species, who came from far space to conquer all and to dominate in universe. And such goal was mostly achieved by them. They conquered Earth, but some human forces were left, and you are one of them. The game represents the story about humankind savior, you, and is divided on Arcade and Strategical parts. In the start of the game, you should approach hidden Human base "Valley Forge" and land your cruiser. To achieve this, you should in arcade mode keep crosshair in the center of the screen, while it tries to move out of the center. After landing you should choose your origin and prove yourself in the Simulator, where you in arcade mode should burn with laser gun specific parts of the enemy starship. Completing the goal in Simulator, you will take the rank of Admiral and is ready to the main strategy part of the game. During strategy, you, sitting in the Lexington Starship, should command your Battle Carriers on the rectangular grid map 10x10, fight with enemy ships, defend your base, and free the base captured by Aliants. It is achieved by giving orders to your units and examining their positions. You should free all captured colonies to win. | ||
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| Book of Mormon Game, The | The Family Jewels | [top] | |
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This is an educational game designed to help players learn about the the Book of Mormon, the game resembles a multi-player board game which uses characters, quotes, and stories from the book. Three skill levels are included to allow the game to accomadate players whether or not they are familiar with the Book of Mormon. Players start by choosing one of the available characters from the Book of Mormon (a short biography of each character is available as well). Once all players have a character, the gameboard is shown which features a long, winding path representing the journey of Lehi's family to reach the promised land. On each turn players start by rolling a dice (in a typical computer dice fashion, the screen shows two dice with rapidly changing dots; pressing a key stops it). The players character will the move forward by the number of spaces shown on the dice. Based on the space, the computer will show an event from the Book of Mormon along with the approximate date it occurred or a quotation. In some cases, instructions will be provided as well (such as move back or forward a space); one possible instruction is to draw a card. The card drawn is random and could be a journey card, an ignore instructions card, or additional instructions (Players can hold on to ignore instruction cards for later use if they wish to use the card instead of following negative instructions such as moving backwards). Many spaces have a point value indicated on them as well; if there are points, they will added or subtracted from the players score (player scores don't go below 0 even if additional negative points are acquired). After any instructions are followed or cards drawn and points are awarded, the turn is over. The game continues until a player has accumulated 3 journey cards and a certain amount of points (varies by skill level). To successfully win the game and earn the necessary journey cards, players will need to venture out of the main gameline onto three additional journey paths which can be entered by landing exactly on the marked space for each one. The paths can be completed in any order and are The Journey of Zeniff, The Missionary Journey of Mosiah's Sons, and The Journey of the Jaredites. One journey card is awarded the first time a player enters one of the paths. Three skill levels are included with the game: Beginner - The simplest version of the game for ages 5 and up. Knowledge of the Book of Mormon is not necessary, the game is intended to teach about the book at this level. Game cards in this level are always used immediately. Players need 25 points to win the game. Intermediate - Similar to the beginner game, some game cards that are drawn can be saved for later use; lose a turn or extra turn cards are used immediately. Players need 50 points to win the game. Advanced - Knowledge of the Book of Mormon is required. When stories and quotations are displayed, information such as the author, year, or verse are omitted and points are awarded for filling in the missing information. Players need 75 points to win the game. | ||
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| Bubble Ghost | ERE Informatique / Accolade, Inc. | [top] | |
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Bubble Ghost needs to blow a bubble out of his creator's castle. Your task is to guide him so as to direct the bubble through the gaps in each room. The bubble's direction is affected by which part of the ghost hits it. Candles, fans, and other obstacles serve to make little Bubble Ghost's task harder. Bubble Ghost is invincible, but the bubble is prone to bursting if it hits anything at pace. You have five bubbles before the game is over. | ||
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| Capone | Actionware Corporation | [top] | |
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This is a light-gun game where the action takes place in the Capone era of 1920s Chicago. The player is a lone gunman battling Capone’s men down the streets and alleys of the city. The game plays much like Operation Wolf. As the game progresses, the screen scrolls sideways and evil gangsters pop up from behind windows and buildings. The player must take care not to hit innocent bystanders, including women, children, and pets strolling down the street. There are also two indoor scenes, including a warehouse filled with TNT and the finale that takes place inside a bank. Players can also play entirely with a mouse. During mouse play, a cross-hair cursor appears on screen. Firing is accomplished simply by hitting the mouse button, or trigger on the light-gun. | ||
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| Double Dragon | Technos Japan Corp. / Arcadia Systems Inc. | [top] | |
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Set in a post-apocalyptic New York, Double Dragon is the story of Billy and Jimmy Lee, twin brothers trained in the fighting style of Sou-Setsu-Ken. The game was originally in arcades in 1987. Together, they manage a small martial arts training school, teaching their students in self-defense. One day, Billy's girlfriend, Marian, is kidnapped off the street by the "Black Warriors", a savage street gang led by a man named Willy. The Black Warriors demand the Lee brothers disclose their martial arts secrets in exchange for Marian's freedom. The Lee brothers set out on a rescue mission to crush the Black Warriors and save Marian. Using whatever techniques they have at their disposal, from the basic punches and kicks to the invulnerable elbow strike, as well any weapon that comes into their hands, the Lee brothers must pursue the gang through the city slum, industrial area and the forest before reaching their hideout to confront the big boss, Willy. | ||
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| Feud | Binary Design, Ltd. / Mastertronic, Inc. | [top] | |
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Wizards Learic and Leanoric have a long-standing feud, and would do anything to see off their rival. As Learic, this is your task. One day, Leanoric cast an aging curse on Learic. As Learic, you have only one day in which to defeat Leanoric before dying. Collecting herbs to cast spells is the main basis of the game. There are 24 herbs and flowers to be collected, which are used to make one of 12 spells (the herbs are only used for 1 spell, so there’s no need to decide which spell you’d prefer to have access to). You can use a combination of the spells (including a teleporter, invisibility and a fireball, which you must work our how to use). You can even turn peaceful villagers into zombies. Leanoric’s direction relative to yourself is indicated by a compass. | ||
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| Freedom: Rebels in the Darkness | Coktel Vision | [top] | |
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This is a game that combines elements of strategy, stealth and fighting games. The main character is a rebellious black slave working on a sugar plantation that tries to incite a revolt among the slave population to gain freedom and to give comeuppance to each of their old masters. At the start of the game there is four characters to choose, each with different statistics and abilities like "constitution" and "lock-picking". The main game screen is a map of the plantation, where you guide a small icon of the character while trying to avoid the guard dogs. If the dogs find you, they either bark and alert the owners or attack you. When they do, the screen switches to a first-person screen where you have to avoid being bitten and killed by the animal. On the top of the screen there are four buttons, each with a unique function: "Path-finding" lets you click on the map with a cursor and see a description of each hut and house. "Movement" allows you to move your character. Left-clicking shows a first-person view of your surroundings. This screen can vary depending of the place where you are in the map. Most of the time is the recruitment screen, where you click on your brother slaves to amass a army. Their response is a random "yes" or "no". If you click while on a sugar field, you get the option of climbing the huts, picking the storage hut lock, or setting fire to the premises. If you click while on the housings of the owner or one of his henchmen, you get the option of either confronting the person, or running away. If you decide to confront him, the screen switches to a side-view similar to fighting games like Street Fighter, with two energy bars at the bottom, where you have to fight one of the owner's men. If you win, you have the choice of killing the person or holding him captive. "Review" is the game statistics screen, where you can see your progress in the game. "Advice" only starts working once you get the support of either the shaman or the medicine man. They can heal any wound sustained by dog attacks and fights. The pc version is very rare. | ||
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| Gauntlet | Atari Games Corporation / Mindscape, Inc. | [top] | |
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Gauntlet is an action game based on the popular 1985 arcade version where players choose characters and fight their way through hordes of enemies that assault them on the way to the end of the level. One or two players must make their way through 100 levels of mayhem and magic. The game features a choice of four characters to play with, each with different weapons. Thor the Warrior has a bludgeoning battle axe, Thyra the Valkyrie has a close range sword, Questor the Elf has his long range bow, and Merlin the Wizard has magical bolts. Ghosts, goblins and even the life-draining Death are among the enemies. Enemies stream out of generators, so destroy these before tackling the rest. Keys are needed to open the many doors within the levels, and in some situations a door will contain only bonus items, not a progressive route. Scattered magic potions act like smart bombs and clear the screen of all enemies. Beware of poison though, this reduces the character's energy level. Treasure is abundant throughout the levels and adds to the player's score. The DOS version uses a tweaked 256x200 pixel graphics mode and some other graphics trickery in EGA. Many VGA (and later) cards do not support this properly causing the game to hang after the character selection screen. DOSBox (starting at version 0.73) includes proper EGA emulation that allow this game to run when configured with the "machine=ega" option. | ||
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| Journey to the Center of the Earth | Greg Hassett / Chip | [top] | |
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This is an interesting but frustratingly difficult adventure/strategy/action hybrid based on the celebrated novel of the same name by Jules Vernes. As in the book, the game's plot is an intriguing blend of Victorian-era science and zeal for adventure. Upon hearing news of Prof. Lindenbrok' succesful trek to the center of the Earth, you decided to join his team on their second journey into the fastastic realm. You can choose your alter ego as one out of four eminent scientists in the 19th century (e.g. Rutherford and Rossi). Each scientist has his own characteristics, but they only affect how you appear in the game, and the starting statistics. The game plays like a survival adventure rather than Chip's usual blend of strategy and action (as evident in their masterpiece Joan of Arc: The Siege and The Sword). With a strong emphasis on survival, the game has more in common with Silmarils' Robinson's Requiem than a strategy game. You must check the major statistics of your character, e.g. food, water, and vitality, at all times to make sure they don't fall to the danger zone. In contrast to the strong strategy angle of Joan Of Arc and Pharaoh, Chip's better-known games, strategy in JTCE merely consists of choosing which direction to go next. Some action sequences border on the ridiculous: to drink water, for example, you have to run around in a large cavern, collecting droplets that fall from above while avoiding falling rocks. When you are injured, you must identify and use various tools in the first-aid kit - this is one of the more enjoyable aspects of the game. Despite these shortcomings, Jules Vernes' vision of what the "center" of the Earth looks like is a compelling one that will keep die-hard gamers and fans of his novels struggle through the game. The plot moves briskly as you cross new areas, and the writing is above average. It's unfortunate that the game doesn't focus more on strategy aspects. | ||
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| Kristor [Fr] | Loriciels | [top] | |
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This is the second game by the authors of Karma. Zor is a desolate world, black, glossy, hostile. Its atmosphere too thin for survival. Expelled from the federation because of the great conflict, exhausted, man fled to Zor. We are in 6339 after the fourth ice age. The instruction sheet is very brief and does not detail the course of the game, nor the goal, but quickly realizes that the game is focused on the exploration and prospecting ore and energy. You must send probes on various planets to determine their composition and then send a fleet and an extraction unit on site to mine the ore. If you take the head of the squadron, an arcade phase occurs when encountering enemy ships, these vessels must be destroyed one by one by juggling speeds and moving with the two cameras at the bottom of display. Other peoples covet minerals, and everything happens in real-time. Alliances are made and unmade, interstellar travel takes time and the position of a planet can evolve. The graphics are very variable: Classic CGA during the intro text mode for some management screens and high resolution green tone for the rest of the game (CGA mode reminiscent of Apple and has the advantage of being readable). There is a transcript of the audio cassette (performed and recorded by the programmer) supplied with the game | ||
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| Last Ninja, The | System 3 Software Ltd. / Activision, Inc. | [top] | |
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The Last Ninja was one of the most successful games ever for the Commodore 64 with over 2 million copies sold worldwide for all formats. You are the last living member of your ninja clan after they were brutally slaughtered. Now, you seek to exact revenge on the evil shogun responsible. It's an action/adventure game set in medieval Japan. The game is shown in isometric view, and the eponymous ninja can walk in four directions, jump, fight the enemies and collect necessary items on his way. While fighting, the ninja can use several different blows and block. The island is made up of six regions: The Wastelands, The Wilderness, The Palace Gardens, The Dungeons, The Palace, and The Inner Sanctum. Along the right side of the screen players can see the current enemy's health, weapons in use, and object being held. Across the bottom of the screen is your health, number of lives, and weapons in your possession. While exploring the island a number of items can be found and some of them must be found: a pouch, key, numchukas, sword, apples, smoke bombs, claw, glove, staff, shuriken stars, amulet, flower, rope, bottle, and scrolls. The game is one of the first isometric games on the market. Despite relatively primitive (EGA) graphics, characters move convincingly, and backgrounds are well-drawn to create good illusions of 3D landscape. Another nifty innovation is the fact that the game's terrain is merely not the non-interactive pretty scenery as in most other games: they are obstacles that must be overcome. Water is deadly to the ninja and there's some hard jumping puzzles to avoid it. The PC version has higher resolution graphics but brighter colors and no music. | ||
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| Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing! | The Software Toolworks Inc. | [top] | |
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Teacher Mavis Beacon enlists you in class to learn the touch typing. The lessons are explained on chalkboard, and you have to type the proposed words with the certain set of keys by typing them with proper fingers. The keyboard and fingers are shown as well as the text rows necessary to be typed and typed by you. The first lesson begins with "ASDF" keys of Standard QWERTY keyboard, but the Dvorak keyboard is also supported and may be adjusted before the gameplay. Also in the game the Arcade Racing is present. You should type the scrolling text as fast as possible to win a race with drivers of different skills. The skills of drivers and speed of typing are increased from level to level. Progress Graphing is present to show your progress with over 20 graphs of different parameters. You may use this information to create your own lessons. The multiple settings of gameplay may be adjusted, your actions and types of games may be explained by help and Mavis` comments, and your progress is saved. | ||
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| Munsters, The | Teque Software Development Ltd. / Abersoft Limited | [top] | |
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The characters from the 60s TV series The Munsters have been transported away to a mysterious castle. Playing as different members of the family in succession, the player must rescue them. As you walk through each room, you must collect items to help you deal with each challenge. You must build up your spell power by shooting ghouls, zombies and vampires, as this allows you to deal with other challenges. Avoid contact with those monsters, as they will zap your energy and finally kill you - you have a single life. | ||
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| Operation Cleanstreets / Manhattan Dealers | Silmarils / Brøderbund Software, Inc. | [top] | |
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You're Dirty Harry and you need to find and beat up dealers to get drugs and burn them outside the town, which will regain your energy. This is the Silmarils' first game. In 9 screens, you can fight with ninjas, amazons, punks and other thugs and low-lives, and you've only your hands and feet for that. You start in a street, a punk in front of you, beat him him up and he'll drop his drugs, continue to the stairs to find a guy with a chainsaw, beat him and keep his drugs. Go outside town to burn the drugs in a barrel to regain life and return to the dark side to make the streets safer. The game lives up to Silmarils' notoriety for extremely difficult action games: you'll die many, many times and start to wonder if the ending scene is worth bruising your knuckles for (it isn't). While the game does feature some innovations in this genre (such as buildings you can walk into), repetitive enemies and boring levels ensure that it'll stay a marginal old game. | ||
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| Paperboy | Atari Games Corporation / Mindscape, Inc. | [top] | |
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The object of the popular arcade game Paperboy is to deliver papers to your customers while inflicting as much damage as possible to the houses of your non-customers. To make things more difficult, numerous obstacles get in your way including construction workers, rogue tires, skateboarders, dogs and cats, cars, and even the occasional tornado. Subscribers are lost by missing a delivery or damaging a subscriber's house. The game begins with a choice of difficulty levels: Easy Street, Middle Road and Hard Way. The object of the game is to perfectly deliver papers to subscribers for an entire week and avoid crashing (which counts as one of the player's lives) before the week ends. The game lasts for seven in-game days, Monday through Sunday. Each day begins by showing an overview of the street indicating subscribers and non-subscribers. Subscribers and non-subscribers' homes are also easy to discern in the level itself, with subscribers living in brightly colored houses, and non-subscribers living in dark houses. | ||
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| Project Neptune / Bob Morane: Oceans | Infogrames Europe SA / Epyx, Inc. | [top] | |
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Taking on the role of special agent Robert "Rip" Steel (Bob Morane in the European version), it is up to you to destroy the evil Yellow Shadow's network of undersea mining bases. At the same time, you must protect your own bases from attack. You are in command of a small but powerful submarine, and must work quickly and strategically, if you are to succeed. Transport: Airlift to drop zone. Proceed by power ski to a one man attack sub. Weaponry/Tactics: Blast bases with torpedoes, drop decoys and time-delay explosives, eliminate frogman assassins in hand-to-hand combat, and banzai attack with PDP (Propeller-Driven Platform) as last resort. This game was released several months after the previous Bob Morane games and is the only one using EGA graphics. | ||
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| Rocket Ranger | Cinemaware Corporation | [top] | |
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In the 1940s, the Nazis built a base on the moon and plan to use a mysterious substance called Lunarium to reduce people's intelligence. However, in the 21st Century time travel has been mastered, as have jet-propulsion backpacks, plus some cataclysmic weaponry and advanced code-breaking equipment. Thus, you are sent back in time to change the result of the war using this technology to find their five rocket factories and destroy the moon base. The game fits the Cinemaware template closely, with a string of action sequences linked by cinematic animation sequences to set the scene. There's also a strategic element, as you move your spies around to gain information and avoid detection, and decide how much Lunarium to use at each stage of the game. Action sequences include hand-to-hand combat with a Nazi guard, and flying through the air shooting either hordes of enemy planes or the Zeppelin itself. | ||
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| Sinbad and the Throne of the Falcon | Cinemaware | [top] | |
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This Cinemaware game puts you in the shoes (sandals?) of legendary Sinbad the sailor from 1001 Arabian Nights, who roam the seas in search of fortune, power, and true love. In contrast to Cinemaware's earlier action/strategy classics (e.g. Defender of the Crown), Sinbad is basically a pure action game, as choices you can make are limited to which town to sail to next. Get ready, though, for a lot of fun action sequences that involve pirates and genies, and even Arabia-style romance and heartbreak. You'll need all of your wits and swordmanship to defeat the Black Prince and his minions from hell. But hey, who can deny the lovely Princess' requests? Despite a very hackneyed plot and stereotypical characters that don't do justice to the classic novel, Sinbad has more than enough swordfights, potential love intrigue, and exotic charm to keep Cinemaware fans trigger-happy for hours on end. | ||
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| Spy vs Spy III: Arctic Antics | First Star Software, Inc. | [top] | |
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The third and final installment in the original trilogy of games based on the popular characters from MAD magazine (after Spy vs. Spy and Spy vs. Spy: The Island Caper) sees the spies on an iceberg. They're seeking items (gyroscope, fuel canister, key card) and then seeking to leave via a rocket-ship before a blizzard sets in. New trap items include a saw (for cutting holes in ice), a plunger detonator (with dynamite), an ice pick and snowshoes. There are some pitfalls (thin ice and snow drifts). Hand-to-hand combat is done with snowballs. Watch your spy's body heat or he'll become a permanent resident. | ||
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| Stir Crazy featuring BoBo | Infogrames Europe SA | [top] | |
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Probably the rarest Infogrames game for PC ever made (alongside Sidewalk anyway), it's a nice collection of mini action games based on Bobo, a charming comic created by Belgian artist Paul Deliege. True to the events depicted in the comic, your objective is to help bumbling prisoner Bobo escape the jail - by playing 5 action games that range from arcade fare to a fun 3D racing game. If you enjoy The Honeymooners or Alley Cat, you will probably enjoy the charm of Bobo in this neat little release. The game is faithful to the comic's sense of humor, and all the arcade games are quite fun to play - although they are much harder than they look. Well worth a look whether or not you are fan of the equally rare comic. The main character is Bobo, an inmate who has been sentenced for seventeen years. He must do many chores, such as peeling potatoes, ladling soup to his fellow prisoners, helping his fellow prisoners to escape, jumping electric wires and singing lullabies to his snoring cell mates. It is possible to play through the events in a sequence or one at a time. Up to six players (alternating, not simultaneously) can play this game. Each event can be played with joystick or keyboard. The specific moves you have to make vary from event to event but it come basically down to moving the joystick or keyboard keys fast from left to right. It is also possible to pick things up and toss them. The game includes the following events: Bobo has a job in the prisons canteen. He must serve soup to the other inmates and keep their soup plates full. To do this Bobo must move around the tables. When his supply of soup is empty he must refill it at the top of the screen where a new supply of soup is available. If his fellow inmates demand more soup they start banging and hammering on the tables. The score of this event is based on how many plates of soup he hands out. Peeling potatoes is not Bobo's favorite chore but he has to do it. He has to pick up a potato, then peeling it and when that's done tossing it away. Bobo scores points based on the number of potatoes he has peeled. If a potato is not fully peeled it will be tossed back. In the next event Bobo must help his inmates to escape prison. The inmates are jumping out of their cell windows and it is Bobo's task to get them over the prison wall by moving a trampoline around. The score is based on how many inmates actually can escape. Bobo must be sure to catch the inmates under the right angle with his trampoline because if he fails the inmates will crash into the prison wall. Finally, Bobo found an way to escape prison. He must jump from wire to wire and as the wires are electrified he must take care not to be electrocuted. The score in this event based on how long Bobo can prevent being electrocuted. Bonus points can be earned by picking up the green objects that appear occasionally on the wires. In the last event Bobo has been captured by the police and returned to his cell. He can't sleep because his cell mates are snoring and to stop it he has to sing lullabies to them. He has to climb the beds and not wake his cell mates by stumbling around his cell. When all cell mates fall asleep Bobo himself must go to bed to get some rest himself. The score in this event is based on the time Bobo is actually able to sleep himself. | ||
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| Times of Lore | ORIGIN Systems, Inc. | [top] | |
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The Kingdom of Albereth was under attack of barbarian forces. King Valwyn drove the barbarians away, but was wounded in battles. Searching for a place where he could rest and restore his strength, he left the city - but never returned. Now, a new hero must rise and defend his homeland. Times of Lore is an action game with light role-playing elements, which follows the adventures of a young warrior (strong barbarian, armored knight, or quick valkyrie) to assist a weakened kingdom from various threats, and to recover special Artifacts that once made the kingdom strong. Gameplay consists of moving the protagonist in real-time (day and night) through various terrains, like forests, towns, and dungeons. The player character gathers basic items, like health and magic potions, and increasingly powerful weapons as he completes tasks and advances the plot. Conversations are handled through key phrases. Battles involve a few types of creatures (skeletons, orcs, rogues) of which there can be various flavors. | ||
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| Train, The: Escape to Normandy | Artech Digital Entertainments Inc. / Accolade Inc. | [top] | |
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In the months before France is liberated by the Allies in World War 2, Germany tries to take Paris' collection of classic paintings. As Resistance member Pierre LeFeu, helped by wounded former engineer Le Duc, must prevent this happening, but taking the paintings by train to Normandy and Allied control. Once in control of the train, you must set the throttle level, ensure that there is enough coal in the furnace, control the speed, and ensure that steam is released when necessary. Use the provided map, and the communications network once released, to plan the strategic side of your mission. Each station has coal and water supplies which may be needed to keep the train running. You must raid railway stations in order to get track switches into the right position. Both this and the initial capture of the train involve aiming at the enemy, current indicated point, and ducking before their bullets can hit you. Taking control of bridges is similar - you control a cannon and must take aim. | ||
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| Willow | Brian A. Rice, Inc. / Mindscape, Inc. | [top] | |
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This game is based on the fantasy movie produced by George Lucas and directed by Ron Howard. Willow consists of 5 different action sequences which recreate different scenes from the movie including an escape from the dungeons in a first-person view maze, lost in the ice caves is another maze where you need to decide when you turn down different tunnels. There's also an overhead segment where you play as Willow in a forest and need to avoid a horse of enemy soldiers coming at you. You can throw stones at them. There's another action-based sidescrolling scene where you play as Madmartigan storming the castle. You jump over incoming projectiles, then fight off enemies one at a time. Finally, there's a level where you need to cast a magic spell on a rat. Choose the wrong symbols and - hey, guess what, you lose. The player can go through all the sequences in order, or read the story in the form of a scrolling manuscript and click on keywords to jump to a particular action sequence. | ||
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Kids
| Alf's Party Kit | Box Office | [top] | |
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This is a fun collection of mini applications and games that are designed, as the name suggests, to help kids print invitations and banners for parties and have fun playing mini party games with their friends. With the help of Alf, the lovable alien from a hit TV series, kids can design decorations using a range of fonts, color palettes, and Alf cartoons, as well as print invitations for their friends, guest list, party checklist, and various stationery items. The games included in the program are designed to be printed out on paper for kids to play, and are all fun - although they are more arcade-style than educational. Kids can print out a color-the-tail game and a nice little maze game, among other things. All in all, a comprehensive little party kit that predates Kid Pix and similar programs by a few years. Recommended if you have Alf fans in your house, although the 4-color CGA palette may turn them off (not to mention incompatibility with modern printers). | ||
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| ALF's Thinking Skills | Vision Software Inc. | [top] | |
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Let the warty, mangy, cat-eating ALF teach your children the fundamentals of logic. The game is set into three lessons; the first has the child leading ALF to the Tanner household's cat Lucky, via a route of minor logic problems (such as 3 roads with stoplights, one is green... which road leads to the feline snack?) #2 brings the concept of "and/or" to children, using colorful shapes. Point out the correct answer using ALF. #3 involves shape/color sorting according to the criteria ALF gives you. | ||
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| Alf's World of Words | Vision Software Inc. | [top] | |
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This is a companion title to Alf's Thinking Skills, an excellent edutainment game starring one of America's most famous children TV characters. Like Alf's Thinking Skills, this was designed for preschoolers, this time to teach them the English alphabet and basic words. There are several mini-games kids can play, each presented by Alf and his cartoon friends. The games are easy to learn and fun to play, and the level of difficulty is just right for the target audience. If you (or more likely your kids) love Alf's Thinking Skills, you will also enjoy this game from the same company. It may not have the same quality or number of games as the more popular Super Solver series, but as one of the pioneering edutainment titles, it was excellent by 1988 standards - and remains surprisingly playable even today. | ||
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| Candy Land | IJE Inc. / GameTek Inc. | [top] | |
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This is a board game for one to four players. It is a computer version of the Milton Bradley board game of the same name. The King of Kandy Land and his castle have disappeared, and the players must explore Candy Land to find the lost monarch. Players take turns pulling a colored card from a deck. They then advance on the board until they encounter a location of the same color. The first player to advance across the board and meet King Kandy is the winner. | ||
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| Chutes and Ladders | Pedersen Systems Inc. (PSI) / GameTek Inc. | [top] | |
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This is a 1 - 4 player game of luck based upon the original board game from Milton Bradley. Players take turns spinning a wheel with the numbers 1 - 6, and moving along a board marked 1 - 100. Players start in the bottom left hand corner of the board, with the goal to reach the top left hand corner of the board. Along the way are chutes which drop the player to a lower level, and ladders which are shortcuts along the path. Players choose from 1 - 6 playing pieces, and graphical vignettes accompany movements on chutes or ladders. A computer opponent is available for single player games. The first player to reach the end of the board is the winner. | ||
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| Creative Learning Series: Decimal / Fractions / Percents | Vision Software | [top] | |
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Discover the exciting new program which is fun and easy to use. These four learning activities will build accuracy, speed and confidence while monitoring student's progress as they begin to master important math skills. These four programs include: Changing Decimals to Percents - It's time to make a change. Students will learn to change decimals to percents by correctly moving the decimal point in the problem; Percent of a Number - Numbers up. Students are encouraged to make the change from a percent to a decimal and to multiply it by a whole number to find the percent of that number; Changing Fractions to Decimals - Make the change from fractions to decimals. Fractions can be made into decimals by just dividing the numerator by the denominator; Comparing Decimals - Take the ultimate challenge and dare to compare. Students are given two numbers and must decide which is greater. An emphasis is put on place value. Options include: Demonstration - This activity presents sample problems and demonstrates problem-solving; Examples With Help - Students are given clues to solve problems and must give the correct answer to complete the problem; Do It Yourself - This activity challenges students to solve problems independently; Speed Drill - Students are encouraged to accurately solve problems while racing against the clock; Step-by-Step Problems - Students are given prompts to aid problem-solving. Additional Features: Positive Reinforcement, Option to Review, Score Keeping, Random Number Generation, Entry and Exit at Any Level. | ||
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| Creative Learning Series: Multiplication / Division | Vision Software | [top] | |
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This educational software is aimed at Grades 3-8. Discover the exciting new program which is fun and easy to use. These five learning activities will build accuracy, speed and confidence while monitoring student's progress as they begin to master important math skills. This package includes five different programs: Basic Multiplication Facts - Conquer the basics. Students are encouraged to tackle the skills needed for beginning multiplication. The multiplication symbol as well as the horizontal and vertical formats are presented to beginning students; Basic Division Facts - Divide and conquer. Students are taught the basics of division as they learn to recognize the division symbol and the horizontal vertical method of problem-solving; Multiplication Problems - It's not a problem. Students are given an opportunity to practice their skills through a series of multiplication problems. Problem size ranges from up to four digits to multiply with up to two digits; Division Problems - Practice makes perfect. Students are given a chance to perfect their division skills as they practice on problems ranging from one-two digit divisors and two-five digit dividends; Multiplication and Division Problems - Problems, problems go away. Drill and practice will make problems go away. Students are given the chance to practice their skills as they solve both multiplication and division problems. Options include: Demonstration - This activity presents sample problems and demonstrates problem-solving; Examples With Help - Students are given clues to solve problems and must give the correct answer to complete the problem; Do It Yourself - This activity challenges students to solve problems independently; Speed Drill - Students are encourage to accurately solve problems while racing against the clock; Step-by-Step Problems - Students are given prompts to aid problem-solving. Additional features: Positive Reinforcement, Score Keeping, Entry and Exit at Any Level, Option to Review, Random Number Generation. | ||
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| Fisher-Price Firehouse Rescue | GameTek Inc. | [top] | |
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The player controls a fireman driving a firetruck. Both the fireman and the firetruck bear the familiar style of the popular Fisher-Price toy line. The object of the game is to rescue pets from trees and people from houses in the immediate neighborhood. There are 2 parts to this task: the first part involves navigating the maze-like streets from an overhead perspective in order to find the troubled residence. Once the house is reached, the second part of the job is to maneuver the firetruck's ladder underneath the person or animal in need of rescue, from a side perspective, and letting them down to safety. While the first level confines the entire neighborhood to a one-screen maze, later levels span multiple screens, thereby increasing the challenge. Further, later levels also add time limits and additional keys that the player must collect before attempting the rescue mission. | ||
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| Fisher-Price: School Bus Driver | Fujitsu Parex | [top] | |
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Arcade game with a small element of "logic" for children. You have to play the equally beloved and hated character of folklore pampered overseas children school bus driver. The action takes place in a small town, and your task is to collect children from bus stops and deliver to the school. There are four levels of complexity: first the children just quietly standing at your stop all at once, no time limit, you just need to get everybody together and take; on the second the babies come at different stops at different times, one after another, but time limit is still there; the third - same, but with this limit of five minutes; finally, on the fourth you want to choose the right route because some roads barricaded by fallen trees or lying on the roadway, cows (pressure which, of course, nobody will allow). Side view, front and back - automatically replaced depending on the direction of the street relative to the beholder's gaze on the screen, but in full 2D; the bus is by default going forward, but you can give it back. Graphics is only CGA, it's very pale and not particularly clear. The area of the city is very big - it consists of many screens, but no scroll - when the bus edge of the screen automatically takes you to the next; apparently, this is "children and education" element is to train your memory. Since the landscapes are mostly mountainous forest (to go uphill, too, will have), we can assume that the action takes place somewhere in the Northern United States or even in Canada. The twists and turns of the bus with the perspective of the review in the screen is able to please, but the animation of planting the kids in the school and the children display and driver - ever-smiling dummy - very annoying. | ||
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| La Bosse des Maths 3ème [Fr] | Coktel Vision | [top] | |
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"You fall on your head and say ouch? Maybe it's the math bump that grows ..." This third most senior high school class is definitely the pinnacle of evolution in the series of games about the misadventures of Joe the dromedary camel. The sections of the edition for secondary school students who are already preparing for admission to the lyceum are a bit like the editions for the fourth grade: for example, in the Ocean of Geometry we will be greeted by the familiar Pythagoras with vectors, as well as - a novelty - linear equations. The inhabitants of the Data City have also matured: statistics and algorithms have been added to the usual proportions. Well, the Digital Limit has radically updated its range of useful entertainment: except that "Solving Equations" reminds of past successes, while "Formulas of Abbreviated Multiplication" and "Square Roots" may not pretend to be higher mathematics, but they will definitely make you scratch your head and many adults. The texts of the problems are still original and interesting, but there are even fewer illustrations - except that the algorithms look very picturesque against the general background and partly replace nice pictures that are so memorable in the "younger" editions. But the authors have finally at least somehow taken care of the interest of re-passing: many exercises, when asked for the second and third time, slightly change the conditions and answer options, so that as a result, our services are not familiar 54 tasks, but much more. On the other hand, still nothing prevents, instead of thirteen assigned tasks according to the plan, to solve one or two already mastered points for the set of the necessary fifty points, albeit in several of their varieties. Nevertheless, given the complexity of local exercises, recommend this only to very confident users and connoisseurs of both language and mathematics. Well, or 14-year-old French schoolchildren. | ||
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| Manhole, The | Cyan Worlds / Activision Publishing | [top] | |
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The Manhole is a computer adventure game intended for children in which the
player follows a rabbit down a manhole and may explore the fantastic world beneath.
The game was first released on floppy discs in 1988 by Cyan, Inc. (now Cyan Worlds) and distributed through mail order. In 1989, it was produced for Activision as CD-ROM
version based on that floppy disc game. This version is notable for being the first
computer game distributed on CD-ROM. It runs in black-and-white on the Apple Macintosh
line of computers. The PC version came out after the original Macintosh version by
almost two years, but it sports better graphics and smoother animations. It was
created using the HyperTalk programming language by brothers Rand and Robyn Miller,
who founded the company Cyan and would go on to produce the best-selling adventure
game Myst. It's teeming with lively cartoon characters that
kids will like, as well as many educational tidbits disguised as mini-games to be
discovered. In many ways, the qualities that make The Manhole a unique and outstanding edutainment title are the same that later made Myst a best-seller: the freedom to
explore the rich, well-realized gameworld at your own pace, and one-click-does-all
interface. As a kid's game, The Manhole is even better at utilizing the concept. The
game opens with an simple-looking manhole cover; clicking on it leads to one of the
game's many exploration choices that make it replayable many times: should I do up
or down? Each location, many of which the player will miss on his or her first time,
is jam-packed with objects to play with, friendly cartoon characters, and fun
animations. In 1992, The Manhole: New and Enhanced was released with a 256 colour graphical update to the game and new CD audio tracks in the way of music. The gameplay and level makeup is exactly the same and it contains English as well as Japanese text. See also: Manhole, The: Masterpiece Edition |
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| Peter Pan | Coktel Vision | [top] | |
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This is the story of a boy who wouldn't grow up... In Peter Pan, you, somewhat, follow the story of Peter and Wendy. In the Darling children's bedroom, you must click the various objects to find Peter's shadow. Next, everyone flies to Neverland and you see the island's map. Click the item that moves, which is the Indian village. Here, you must navigate a watery maze, gathering floating items. Be careful that the Indian brave in his canoe doesn't catch you or you'll lose a life. After that, it is off to the Lost Boys' village. You must run a maze, gathering flowers, while avoiding a pirate. Then, it is off to the Mermaid Lagoon. You must click on each mermaid so Peter can jump rocks to get to Wendy. After that, you move to a tree with a playhouse. You must click around to find the hiding children, like hide-and-seek. Finally, it is off to Captain Hook's ship, the Jolly Roger, where you must run a maze, avoiding three pirates, to get to and rescue Wendy. This will send Hook packing and win the game. | ||
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| Puzzle Storybook | First Byte | [top] | |
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This is a children’s computer game combining interactive puzzles with storybooks. Children solve puzzles with tiles and geometric shapes, then write the stories and hear the words read out loud. Different skill levels can be adjusted to the child to suit his/her needs, and the Helper options allows the parent to customize the activities as well. Children create their own scenes by selecting a scene, then adding characters, buildings, and other objects from the Picture Library. The recommended age group is 3 to 8. | ||
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| Rody & Mastico [Fr] | Dominique Sablons / Lankhor | [top] | |
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This is an educational game intended for young people. “The multi-colored star” has disappeared. Will your children be able to help Rody find her? Yes Mastico, the robot will explain the way to them... A coloring adventure, where dreams, observation and reflection come together. It's based on the work of a teacher and has 6 sequels. The principle is simple: The child player embodies Rody, who is offered different thinking tests based on illustrations. From an educational point of view, the emphasis is on color recognition. The Mastico robot intervenes to guide the child and give them the right answers if necessary. The robot's head appears in a thumbnail. It is wonderfully and constantly animated. As for the voice, it is the synthetic model stamped Lankhor (which would have deserved to be used more widely by other developers) which sticks to it. It was nominated for best educational game. | ||
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| Sesame Street: First Writer | Hi Tech Expressions | [top] | |
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This is a word processor program that teaches children to write and print words, sentences and stories, with help from Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch and Elmo. | ||
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| Sesame Street: Letter-Go-Round | CTW Software Group / Hi-Tech Expressions, Inc. | [top] | |
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The Sesame Street Muppets invite a child player for a spin on the Letter-Go-Round. By catching and matching letters on a spinning ferris wheel, children practice recognizing and matching letters, simple spelling and word formation. There are several types of game: Upper case matching; Lower case matching; Mixed case matching; One little word; What's missing?; Spell the secret word. At the start of each game, one of Muppet pets brings out a letter to match or word to spell and drops it on the seesaw. A letter appears on each ferris wheel bucket and as the Letter-Go-Round spins, child player should find the right letter to match or complete a word. Child may choose and try any letter, because there is no time limit to play. When a match is made or a word is completed, Muppet pets will dance and cheer a child player to the next round of play. The game is recommended for 1 player aged 3 to 4. | ||
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| Speller Bee | First Byte | [top] | |
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Good Work! You really have Spell Power. EDUCATOR APPROVED for PRE-SCHOOL through JUNIOR HIGH. Meet Speller Bee, a revolutionary educational tool that incorporates speech into software for the purpose of improving spelling skills. Revolutionary because it brings this powerful tool to you at an affordable price without the need to buy additional hardware for the at for the speech capability. Motivating, student paced, and versatile, Speller Bee transforms the once tedious task of memorizing spelling words into exciting and skill building experience. Features: 1. Unlimited type and talk capability; 2. Customizable student or parent entered spelling lists; 3. Educationally critical pre-entered spelling lists; 4. Easy-to-use help screens; 5. User-controlled word pronunciation; 6. Print out capability; 7. Spelling tutorial; 8. Simulated test situation; 9. Challenging word games for practice and reinforcement; 10 Companion manual for instruction and follow up activities. Word Games for Fun and Challenge- SCRAMBLE: Unscramble the mystery word and discover another spelling word you have conquered. SEARCH: Search through the maze, discover a spelling word and beat the clock at the same time. DETECTIVE: Missing letters can suddenly appear with the skill of a good Speller Bee detective. | ||
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| Spelling Fun One | Reckon Software Pty Ltd | [top] | |
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You have been locked in a castle by Erlking of Errors, the Spelling Serpent. You must move through all the rooms in the castle until you can find the Key of Gold and escape. To move between rooms a word is flashed on the screen and begins to fade away. You must correctly type the word to proceed to the next room. Once you have built up enough strength (points) some rooms will have teleporters to move up to higher floors. The gold key is hidden in one of three tower rooms at the very top of the castle. Once the gold key has been found, you must find your way back to the first room in the castle where you can exit and finish the game. A number of word lists are included of varying difficulty, and custom word lists can be created. | ||
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| Troubadours [Fr] | Lankhor | [top] | |
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This is an educational adventure game in French for children aged nine to fourteen. Elements that are part of the game include quests with knights, the French language, poetry and music. After finishing the game, a bonus arcade game is unlocked where you control an archer from behind, shooting letters. Education and adventure finally united. Sharpen your quill pen, tune your lute and follow in the footsteps of medieval knights. A delicate mission will be entrusted to you. Your knowledge of French, your poetic sense, your musical ear will be the key assets that will allow you to discover clues and overcome challenges. Have confidence in your talent and your imagination and know that the enchanting Corwïn will always be there to guide you through difficult times. It's also an arcade-reflexion game proposed at the end of the adventure. It is also a purely educational part with the pedagogical content studied where the tests are a completely original and pleasant way to approach written expression, reading and vocabulary. The game is now available as freeware. | ||
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| Where in Europe is Carmen Sandiego? | Brøderbund Software, Inc. | [top] | |
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This is one of the many games in the Carmen Sandiego series. It focuses on the European history and geography. The gameplay is very similar to that of "Where in the World", meaning that the player is sent to a location, has to find clues to lead them to the next location, and builds up a warrant along the way. Being one of the older games of the series, this games does not live up to the spectacular graphics and gameplay of the later editions. | ||
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Adult
| Sex Vixens From Space | Free Spirit | [top] | |
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Free Spirit Software published a number of adult text adventure games for PC and possibly other platforms. All of their titles (with the exception of The Last Inca, which was G-rated) featured intergalactic hero "Brad Stallion" and his ship, the "Big Thruster". They're all pretty much rip-offs of Infocom's Leather Goddesses of Phobos, but distinctly aimed at male players (unlike LGoP, which allowed you to choose your gender) and minus Steve Meretzky's wit. These were not sold in family-oriented software stores and are quite difficult to come by. The first game in the trilogy is Sex Vixens from Space, which comes in a bigger package than other Free Spirit games. The goal in this one is to explore a planet populated only by women. Sounds like Rex Nebular, right? Well, the game is much, much worse. There are many things wrong with the game. On the surface, it's your typical text adventure - type VERB + NOUN commands to progress, and use inventory items to solve puzzles, etc. However, the parser in this game is so horrible that Infocom fans will probably cringe after the first few minutes. Aside from having a very limited vocabulary, the parser expects only the *exact* VERB + NOUN command that the designers have in mind. | ||
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| Strip Poker II | Artworx Software Company Inc. | [top] | |
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This is a computer version of five-card draw poker featuring photos of women who wear fewer clothes the better you do, all rendered in digitized graphics. The basic game includes two models, Suzi and Melissa, but expansion disks were also available. | ||
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| Strip Poker II Plus | Anco Software Ltd. | [top] | |
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Anco released their own sequel to Strip Poker: A Sizzling Game of Chance using a different interface and girls to Artworx's own sequel. The concept is the same – two beautiful girls are your poker opponents, and they will gradually remove their clothes for you if you win. You start with $100 and each bet starts at $5, which can be raised to $25. After a second round of cards is dealt based on how many you choose to exchange, hands are compared and winnings assigned. Donna and Sam are the included girls. | ||
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| Teenage Queen | ERE Informatique, Exxos / Infogrames Europe SA | [top] | |
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Most likely the worst game from quirky French developer ERE Informatique (which later became Cryo Interactive), this is a strip poker - nothing more, nothing less. But ERE games are nothing if not unique, and this is no exception. What sets it apart from other strip poker games is the beautiful graphics, which uses airbrush to great effect. The game also is notable for having no cards lower than the value of 10, and this makes a typical game go much faster than a normal strip poker. The PC version, being 16-color EGA only, unfortunately loses much of the graphics appeal.. that airbrush effect doesn't show up very well at all. Still, ERE's unique graphics touch is evident, and the girls' provocative poses may -ahem- keep you playing for just a few minutes longer each time. Overall, one of the most graphically unique strip poker games ever made - unfortunately, it's still strip poker. Anyone who abhors the thought of playing (almost) mindless card game just to see some girl strip her lingerie off should look the other way. | ||
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Role-Playing Games
| 2400 A.D. | Origin Systems | [top] | |
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2400 A.D. is a 1987 role-playing video game designed by Chuck Bueche and published by Origin Systems. This post-apocalyptic RPG casts the player as a member of an underground resistance organization trying to free the human inhabitants of planet XK-120 from the clutches of a tyrannical race of robotic oppressors known as the Tzorgs. The ultimate aim is to destroy the robots' central control. The gameplay style is very similar to the Ultima series, also from Origin Systems. The entire game is viewed from top-down perspective. The various commands (search, open, talk, etc.) are executed by pressing a correspondent key on the keyboard. Battles take place on the same screen as exploration, and require the player to press A (for "attack") and a directional key to aim at the enemy. The game is set entirely in the big city, with streets and buildings to explore, items and weapons to buy, and people to talk to. | ||
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| Alternate Reality: The City | Paradise Programming / Datasoft, Inc. | [top] | |
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You are one of many people who have been abducted from earth by aliens and transported to an alternate dimension where you are dumped in a strange, yet familiar city. Your quest is to explore the city, and find the clues that will lead you to your captors and help you get back home. In addition to standard first-person RPG features of that era, like skills, stats, experience points and a repertoire of shops and places to visit, the game offers moral evaluation of your character, and depending on your actions you become good or evil, and that affects how the environment reacts to you. Encounters are not necessarily just resolved with the turn-based combat system, but you can also try to trick, charm or bribe opponents. The storyline is non-linear, for example allowing you to take a job in order to enhance a particular skill or just to pass away time. This was a planned 5 part series, but only the second part The Dungeon was ever released but not on PC. It has achieved cult status for its ambition. It uses a 3D first-person perspective, with a small window taking up about 1/9 of the screen at the center. The player controlled one character who had an absolute minimum of visual representation - the closest to a character image to be found was when one encountered a "doppelganger" monster. The 3D used was not like other contemporary 3D graphics either. Most other 3D first-person games used static graphics to represent the walls, meaning the player could only move one tile at a time. However, in this game the rate of travel depended on the character's speed, and moved incrementally along the tile. Distant walls would slowly come in to focus rather than suddenly appear. It had a raycasting engine equaling that of Wolfenstein 3D, which came seven years later, but was recognized for popularizing the system. However, the design implemented right-angle movement only. Another upshot of the fact that the graphics were rendered rather than simple images is that while the sun was setting, the entire palette of colors changed convincingly. Distant waterfalls moved, and the rain was realistically rendered. | ||
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| Bard's Tale II, The: The Destiny Knight | Interplay Productions, Inc. / Electronic Arts, Inc. | [top] | |
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After a group of brave heroes defeated the wizard Mangar the Dark and freed Skara Brae from eternal winter, all seemed well in the world. However, the evil Archmage Lagoth Zanta shows up and splits the Destiny Wand into seven pieces, scattering them all over the land. The Destiny Wand has protected the lands for seven hundred years, and without it the realm will fall into chaos. Thus it falls upon the heroes to reforge it. One of them also has to ascend to the position of Archmage and use the wand to defeat Lagoth Zanta. The Destiny Knight is the second installment in the Bard's Tale series, and a sequel to Tales of the Unknown. Like its predecessor, it is a fantasy role-playing game with first-person exploration of a pseudo-3D world and turn-based battles against randomly appearing enemies. The sequel features six towns as opposed to the predecessor's only one, and a larger overworld area. Dungeons contain more traps and puzzles than before. The player can create a party of up to seven active characters, as well as create additional characters and store them at the Adventurer's Guild in every city. Available races are human, elf, dwarf, hobbit, half-elf, half-orc, and gnome. In addition, some monsters can join the party and be summoned during combat. It is also possible to store money in banks. | ||
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| BattleTech: The Crescent Hawk's Inception | Westwood Associates / Infocom, Inc. | [top] | |
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This is a great RPG, one of the best ever. You start as Jason, a young battlemech cadet in a training camp. After a while, a citadel gets destroyed while you escape and start your quest. The game itself is pretty big. It includes mech fights, character interaction, money earning. An interesting blend of RPG and tactical strategy with some adventure elements, Battletech follows the story of Jason Youngblood as he searches for information of his father Jeremiah, and a lost cache of 'Mech parts. As the first and only RPG based on the well-known FASA giant robots universe (Battletech 2, not marketed by the original Infocom company, isn't an RPG but a turn-based tactical strategy game), it does not disappoint. Westwood again masterfully weaves an addictive blend of action and traditional RPG into a captivating game, with an engaging plot that follows the adventure of Mech pilot Jason Youngblood from his apprentice days and beyond. Truly a game that sets new standards for the genre, and foreshadows many successors to the FASA license. | ||
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| Eamon | Donald Brown / PC-SIG | [top] | |
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Eamon was one of the earliest role-playing games available for the Apple II. It was also perhaps the first ever adventure game construction set. The game was public domain, so it was mainly distributed in Apple user groups and by trading with friends. The main game consists of the Eamon Master disk, which has the Main Hall and a short adventure called the Beginner's Cave. You start the game in the Main Hall, where you create a new character or select an old character. You are able to buy weapons, spells, and armor and go on your adventure. Weapons come in five different types: Axe, Bow, Mace, Spear, and Sword. There are three types of armor: Leather, Chain, and Plate. There are also several spells: Blast, a damage spell; Power, which has random effects, Heal, which cures you; and Speed, which increases your chance to hit. Character development is fairly simple. Your character starts with random stats in three categories: Hardiness (how much you can carry and the amount of damage you can take), Agility (How good you are in combat) and Charisma (Affects the costs of items in the store and the friendliness of monsters). You also has percentage ratings for each of the weapon types that determine, along with the armor penalty, whether you can hit or not. These percentage ratings have a chance of going up every time you hit a monster with that type of weapon. The game is entirely text-based, though the construction set allows the addition of graphics. You interact with the environment typing simple one or two-word game commands such as ATTACK RAT, INVENTORY, or NORTH. There is no option to save your game, so death is often quick, sudden, and final. | ||
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| Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World | New World Computing, Inc. | [top] | |
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The space traveler and rogue guardian Sheltem has left the world VARN, where he was pursued by the relentless Corak the Mysterious and a party of local adventurers helping him. The Gates to Another World eventually takes all of them to another world, known as CRON. There, a great turmoil is caused by Sheltem's actions, and the heroes must stop his madness, preventing him from casting the planet into its own sun. This second installment in the Might and Magic series is a sequel to Secret of the Inner Sanctum. Core gameplay is similar to predecessor, with the player creating a party of six characters and exploring vast first-person 3D environments, while fighting enemies in turn-based combat and leveling up. Unlike the first game, enemy encounters occur at set points rather than spawning randomly, though enemy type selection is still random. Like in the previous game, character classes rely each on a particular attribute to be effective. Knight, Paladin, Archer, Cleric, Sorcerer and Robber return, with the addition of two new classes, Ninja and Barbarian. Race selection features humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, and half-orcs. There are several locations and items that are restricted to certain genders, alignments, or races. A new feature is the possibility to hire two non-player characters to travel with the party and participate in battles. A new skill system is introduced as well, allowing characters to learn such abilities as mountaineering (necessary to traverse mountains), linguist (for reading certain messages), cartographer (for creating an auto-map), and others. Compared to the first game, the sequel is more quest-oriented, with various characters in towns giving quests to the party, as opposed to purely exploration-based traveling in the predecessor. Time also plays a large role in this game, with some instances requiring the party to travel to different time periods. Characters also age as the game goes on; If the player waits too long, the characters' statistics will change to reflect their aging, and they will eventually die. | ||
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| Moria | Robert Alan Koeneke, Jimmey Wayne Todd Jr. / Don Kneller | [top] | |
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Moria is a roguelike RPG based on an early Terminal rpg from 1975. Development of the game was inspired by hearing stories of the development of contemporary dnd and Orthanc. It features several innovations, like a town level and dungeons levels that are bigger than one screen, and was the first open source and freeware roguelike. The goal of Moria is to descend in the dungeons of Moria and defeat the evil Balrog who is cowardly hiding on the lowest level. Other than this, there are no other references to J.R.R. Tolkien in this game. You begin the game by creating your character, choosing your sex and one of eight available races. You can then roll your stats and, when you got some which suit you, choose your class from six available classes (you can only some of them, depending on your stats). After entering a name, you're ready to roll. The game is entirely played in turns, feature text-only graphics showing your environment from above, and is played by entering character commands. You start in town, where you can visit several shops to buy weapons, armor, torches, food and other useful - and sometimes magic - items. You can barter with the shopkeepers to get reduced prices. The dungeon levels are randomly generated. They contain a variety of monsters, some of which invisible, and items, as well as traps and secret doors. Each level has more than one exit. As in other roguelikes, you explore the dungeons, kill monsters as you go, and try to accumulate as much treasure as possible. | ||
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| Paladin | Omnitrend Software, Inc. | [top] | |
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The Paladin is the ultimate warrior on the battlefield, he leads forces and is the master of swordsmanship. But Paladins are not born with these abilities. They must be trained and tested in many missions to obtain knighthood. Paladin is an overhead turn-based RPG strategy game played on various tiles. Players take a phase followed by enemies taking a phase. All actions, including movement will use up some of a character's MP (Movement Points). Possible actions include movement, opening doors, picking up items, using items, casting spells or attacking friends and foes on adjacent squares. Each quest is loaded up individually, though some quests may contain multiple maps. The paladin is the only character who can be transferred to any map and the only character to gain experience and new abilities. The game features a level editor for creation of one's own quests, the game itself comes with 10 quests. New Paladins are also built from this editor. One paladin ("Brandon") comes ready-made with the game. See also: Quest Disk: The Scrolls of Talmouth |
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| Paladin Quest Disk: The Scrolls of Talmouth | Omnitrend Software, Inc. | [top] | |
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The Kingdom of Waerna has been thrown into turmoil. The dark wizard, Talmouth uses the powers of magical scrolls he has obtained to lead the armies of evil. As a brave paladin, warrior of the light, it falls to you to defeat Talmouth and save the kingdom! Scrolls of Talmouth is an add-on disk for Omnitrend's Paladin containing 16 new missions linked together with a common story. | ||
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| Phantasie III: The Wrath of Nikademus | Strategic Simulations, Inc. | [top] | |
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Phantasie III: The Wrath of Nikademus is the third chapter of the Phantasie trilogy. This time, the Dark Lord Nikademus has set his evil sights on conquering - not only an island - but the entire world. He must be stopped, and you've chosen to undertake this difficult and dangerous quest. The basic gameplay in this game is quite similar to the system implemented in part one and part two, with several additions and enhancements. Some weapons and spells have been added. During combat, you can move each character to the front, middle, or back of the party. It's also possible to aim your spells at different ranks of the enemy. Wounds are specified by body location and extent of injury. | ||
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| Pool Of Radiance | Strategic Simulations, Inc. | [top] | |
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This was the first adaptation of TSR's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D or D&D) fantasy role-playing game for home computers. It is the first in a four-part series of D&D computer adventure games. The other games in the "Gold Box" series used the game engine pioneered in Pool of Radiance, as did later D&D titles such as the Neverwinter Nights online game. Pool of Radiance takes place in the Forgotten Realms setting, with the action centered in and around the city of Phlan. Just as in traditional D&D games, the player starts by building a party of up to six characters, deciding race, sex, class and ability scores for each. The player's party is enlisted to help the settled part of the city by clearing out the marauding inhabitants which have taken over the surroundings. The characters move on from one area to another, battling bands of enemies as they go and ultimately confronting the powerful leader of the evil forces. During play the player characters gain experience points, which allow them to increase their capabilities. The game primarily uses a first-person perspective, with the screen divided into sections to display pertinent textual information. During combat sequences, display switches to a top-down perspective. You have the ability to export player characters from Pool of Radiance to subsequent SSI games in the series. | ||
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| Questron II | Westwood Associates / Strategic Simulations, Inc. | [top] | |
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As the second title in the Questron series, this game follows the same basic formula as the original. You start out as a lowly peasant with only a few gold coins in your pocket and a bad attitude to defend yourself. By stumbling around the countryside and fighting hordes of creatures, you gain wealth, experience, and title. Questron II spans two continents, Landor and the Realm of Sorcerers. Additionally, there are the requisite tombs, castles, and dungeons. In the first Questron, your goal was to defeat the evil Wizard Mantor. Now, in Questron II, the good Wizard Mesron has sent you back in time before the Book of Magic was created. Your goal is to defeat the six Mad Sorcerers before they can create the book. | ||
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| Scavengers of the Mutant World | Interstel Corporation | [top] | |
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Scavengers of the Mutant World is a role-playing game that focuses on the survivors of the Earth after an apparent apocalyptic event, where player-controlled characters must gather "vehicle" components (to make a car) so they can reach an unknown haven or place of refuge. The game includes character generation and modification of skills and attributes (plus the character's face). It features party management, simple top-down turn-based combat style and randomly made map every time the player launches the game. | ||
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| Sentinel Worlds I: Future Magic | Electronic Arts, Inc. | [top] | |
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The merchants who live on the three planets of the Caldorre star system have been recently assaulted and robbed by groups of mysterious space rangers. Giant battleships were set to eliminate the threat; however, the raiders proved to be too agile, dodging them easily. A smaller, interceptor-class vessel is now dispatched to Caldorre to deal with the problem. Sentinel Worlds I: Future Magic is an open-ended sci-fi role-playing game. It has a combination of role-playing character building, customizable spaceship combat, and exploration. The player will guide his team, flying through space and exploring the surfaces and bases of a few planets to unravel the mystery that's disturbing the known universe. The game opens with a mission to protect a merchant shipment, which involves space combat against enemy ships. Afterwards, the player is free to explore the planets, mining them for resources, talking to characters to receive clues, trading, acquiring better weapons and armor for the crew, and upgrading the space ship. The player can use a pre-generated party of five characters or create them from scratch, rolling their attributes. There are five character classes, but they have little impact on ground combat, with the exception of the communicator officer, who interacts with NPCs, and the medic, who has access to healing abilities. Characters also have skills, including various weapon proficiencies as well as communication skills such as bribery. Skills can be increased when characters level up. Space travel, combat, and planet exploration are done in 2D. The player can land in any spot on the three planets of the star system and explore them by navigating an armored ground vehicle. Certain structures can be entered. At that point the game switches to 3D vector graphics, though the party, NPCs and enemies are always superimposed on the radar. Both space and ground combat in the game proceed in real time. In indoor locations the player directly controls only the party leader, while the AI manages the actions of the others. The game features "paragraph books", where characters mention a paragraph number to read from the booklet, instead of getting the text in-game. This functions as copy protection, making the game require guesswork to complete without the manual. | ||
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| Star Command | Strategic Simulations, Inc. | [top] | |
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Star Command is a sci-fi role-playing game set in a vast fictional universe and featuring tactical space and squad-level combat, similar to SSI's Pool of Radiance released the same year and other games of the Gold Box series. The game has nothing to do with Star Command Deluxe or Star Command: Revolution. The game plays in a distant future. Earth is a distant memory, having been destroyed long ago. The small human population is concentrated in a small portion of the galaxy, called "The Triangle" due to its form, and threatened from its neighbors: The Alpha border is plagued by pirates, recently united under a certain "Blackbeard", the Beta border is frequently ambushed by an intelligent insect-like alien race who is thought to plan an all-out war. The third border leads to largely unknown territory with space-faring robots of unclear origin. The only hope for mankind is the Star Command, the headquarter of military forces. You control a spaceship crew, trying to secure peace by completing missions issued by Star Command. The game starts at Startport Luna, where you first will have to assemble and equip your crew and buy a starship before rushing out saving humanity. Assembling the crew, i.e. character generation, is quite detailed and done by first recruiting and then training characters. Each character has seven basic stats like Strength and Intelligence. If the stats look okay, you select one of four classes (Pilots for flying ships and communicating with aliens, Marines for espionage, Soldiers for fighting, and finally Espers with strange psi powers). The character now has to be trained for eight years; each year, you select a skill to be trained, and, if you're lucky, the character increases his skill -- he may also learn nothing. Skills can be trained more than once, increasing the effective skill level. All in all, there are 18 skills, with a different set available for each class. Some trainings does not improve skills, but basic stats -- Special Forces, for example, increases speed and accuracy. Character usually start out as Privates, but they the rank can be increased by going to Officer's school. There are 13 ranks up to Grand Admiral, with increasing pay -- money is sparse, so this may be a good choice. Then again, it may be not. Later in the game, with enough funds, you can create clones of your character to replace him when he dies. Character also age during play. After you have created your crew, it's time to spend your money. First of all, you need a spaceship -- there are nine different ships, with different attributes like armor or fuel capacity. The ship may be upgraded by several systems, including from engines, guns, shields, drop ships, computers, etc. Finally, you have to equip your crew, again choosing among a vast selection of armor, weapons and miscellaneous items. Having a fully equipped crew at your disposal, you're now ready to get some mission from the Space Command and launch your ship. While in space, you are shown a view of the environment, with commands at the bottom and the crew or ship status on the right. The galaxy is quite big, consisting of 32x32 sectors, each containing several systems, with each one having up to 10 planets. You can select the view, changing from Galaxy Scan (showing the whole galaxy) to Long Range Scan (showing 8x8 sectors) to Sector Scan (all systems and starports of a sector) to System Scan (the star and its planets) to Visual Scan (direct view of a planet, starport or space station with its statistics). While travelling through space, you may encounter ships. The game then switches to turn-based tactical combat -- but that may include peaceful interaction. In each turn, you first have a selection of communication strategies -- bargain, plead, ask, demand, even impersonate a deity are possible. Then you can move and rotate your ship, and finally, you can fire. Some situations, for example when you're boarding an enemy ship or while travelling on land, you can engage in squad combat, which closely resembles spaceship combat, but is influenced gravity, atmosphere and terrain. One some missions, you will have to explore underground complexes, which may contains traps and other specials events. There are 17 missions all in all, but they have no time limit, so you can do other things -- and you should, like trying to get some cash. Additionally, some missions are randomly generated, so each game differs somewhat. Character get training after each completed mission, but they can also pay for it, which is very expensive. | ||
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| Star Saga: One - Beyond the Boundary | Masterplay Publishing Corporation | [top] | |
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Star Saga: One is the first of an innovative role-playing trilogy (yet only two titles were released). It attempts to bring the atmosphere of pen & paper RPG and Choose Your Own Adventure game books to the computer, while the more tedious task of book-keeping are made by the computer -- truly "Interactive Literature". The game comes with two large fold-out maps and tokens to be moved around the map, as well as a dozen booklets containing text passages to be read when the game tells you to do so (much like the early Epyx Dunjonquest games). When starting play, you can choose one to six players from preset character. The interesting thing is that the characters are meant to be played by separate players, sitting together in front of the computer, as in a pen & paper RPG. The difference is that there is no party, as each player has different tasks and missions and moves around independent of the others. When playing, each player moves his token on the map, then enters the movements and actions into the program, which calculates all changes to character stats and inventory, calculates combat, and tells the player which text passage to read. While progressing, the players will make new discoveries, battle aliens, trade with other players and NPCs, and discover the plot of the game. | ||
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| Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny | ORIGIN Systems, Inc. | [top] | |
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The Avatar, the embodiment of the Eight Virtues and the hero of Britannia, is called back to deal with a grave threat. Lord British, the country's benevolent monarch, has disappeared, and a man named Blackthorn has usurped his throne. The tyrant rules the land by enforcing the virtues upon the will of the people, corrupting their meaning in the process. His fundamentalist visions led him to create a police state, where failure to adhere to the virtues is punishable by death. Behind Blackthorn are the three Shadowlords, anti-thesis to the three principles of Truth, Love, and Courage. The Avatar must understand their meaning and origins, find a way to defeat them, rescue Lord British, and restore the former ethical principles of Britannia. Ultima V uses the basics of the Ultima IV engine, an overhead perspective for the map of Britannia and its towns, and a rosette-compass 3D view for the dungeons. The battle system also resembles that of the previous game, with separate battle screens and navigation of character icons in turn-based style. Many of the gameplay elements of the predecessor return, including the complex spell system (reagents must be bought in order to cast spells), recruitable party members, moongates that teleport the party between locations, various means of transportation (horses, ships, etc., with the notable addition of a magic carpet), and so on. Character creation based on morally ambiguous questions and basic leveling up system have been preserved as well. Additional challenges include navigating characters through the Underworld, a vast underground area containing many hazards; random presence of Shadowlords in the cities, which influences the behavior of their inhabitants, making them run away, steal from, or attack the Avatar; inscriptions in a runic alphabet that must be deciphered by the player, and others. The game has a noticeably more detailed world than any of its predecessors; the towns are much larger, with many unique buildings and objects represented graphically. Ultima V introduces physical interaction with the game world: many objects can be pushed or pulled, the main character can sit down on a chair (which is graphically shown), etc. It also incorporates a day/night cycle and schedules for non-playable characters: for example, it is impossible to shop at night because the shopkeepers are sleeping. Dialogues with NPCs have been enhanced, featuring more unique and detailed conversation topics. See also: #Ultima Collection | ||
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| Visions of Aftermath: The Boomtown | Chivalry Software, Inc. / Mindscape, Inc. | [top] | |
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It is the not-so-distant future, after the Great Apocalypse. Only the strongest and smartest have survived. It has been several months since The Day Time Stopped, several months since The Bomb, several months since you've seen the sun or felt its warmth. You can't last too much longer on the supplies left in your shelter. Soon you must leave your sanctuary. You have no idea what waits outside, other than the radiation. Scientists predicted aberrant weather, continuing natural disasters, overgrown vegetation, barren wastelands, and The Hordes: nomadic survivors devastated by radiation and its sickness. All this - and more - awaits you outside. Visions of Aftermath: The Boomtown is a post-apocalyptic survival simulation game with role-playing elements. In the beginning the player is offered to create a world from scratch or use a pre-made one. When creating a world the player can customize the number of characters in it, its setting (jungle, semi-urban, etc.), as well as type of gameplay, ranging from simple survival to a more tense experience with enemies such as scavengers and other creatures. The player can also choose various effects such as global warming or rain-creating swamps, which affect the game's difficulty. The player character starts in the shelter, where he receives initial supplies such as food, fuel, healing items, arrows, etc. The protagonist has life, exhaustion, and radiation levels. Some of these are depleted in real time, and the player is required to monitor the protagonist's well-being most of the times. Eventually the player comes across a book that teaches the hero how to build roads and shelters, create new items, and other vital information. The protagonist can also hunt and obtain food by cultivating fields. | ||
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| Wasteland | Interplay Productions, Inc. / Electronic Arts, Inc. | [top] | |
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Wasteland takes place in the future after the nuclear holocaust of World War III. The player guides band of Desert Rangers from town to town, gradually uncovering a sinister plot that threatens what's left of mankind. Much of the game is played like most other RPGs of its time: the player navigates the party through the top-down world, fights enemies (which appear randomly in hostile areas) in turn-based style on combat screens represented by enemy pictures, acquires information, equipment, and items from NPCs in towns, etc. The player can create a whole party of adventurers and/or recruit some of the characters that populate the game's world. However, Wasteland also introduced an original skill system that has had a significant influence on the genre. The game makes use of the skill system in conjunction with traditional character attributes to achieve goals and get past obstacles. Beside helping the characters to fight more efficiently, main attributes sometimes have an impact on activities used outside of combat. For example, high strength can be applied to break a heavy object, charisma rating might influence the way NPCs interact with the main character, etc. The skills work in a similar way: some of them improve the characters' proficiencies with different types of attacks and weapons, while others are needed to solve and/or by pass certain situations during interaction with the game's characters and objects. These skills are rather diverse, ranging from physical abilities such as swimming to more complex actions (medic, lock-picking), or even psychological states (confidence). Skill learning and progression depend on the main character's IQ rating. The game's setting and concept would become the basis for Interplay's later game, Fallout. On Feb 25/2020, a Wasteland: 30th Anniversary Edition remastered version was released with refreshed graphic design, which, despite the changes, retains the spirit of the original. | ||
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| Wizard Wars | Paragon Software Corporation / Out of the Blue Software | [top] | |
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Temeres the Wizard is entrusted with the quest to reunite the White Unicorn with the Black Unicorn, and restore the cosmic balance by ultimately defeating the evil wizard Aldorin in a magical combat. He must search the three dimensions for magical items and potions to help him on his quest. This won't be easy to accomplish, since each area is guarded by mystical creatures who don't take likely to intruders. Wizard Wars is a turn-based role-playing game in which Temeres battles creatures using magical spells. In the beginning elemental spells such as Lightning Bolt are used for the most part; later on the player will be able to create new spells. During combat the player takes turns with the enemy, choosing a single action (cast spells, use potions, flee, etc.) Afterwards the player can mix potions, create spells, view character information, or continue traveling the lands. | ||
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| Wizardry 5: Heart of the Maelstrom | Sir-tech Software, Inc. | [top] | |
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Despite the defeat of Trebor, Werdna, and L'kbreth, dark times once again threaten the kingdom of Llylgamyn. Once again, a party of adventurers must venture forth to vanquish the evil. This returns to the gameplay concept of the first three installments of the series, abandoning the unusual premise of its predecessor. As in the initial games, the gameplay consists of exploring a vast maze-like dungeon with a custom party created and outfitted in the game's only town. This installment offers larger mazes, new spells and character classes, and an expanded system for fighting and interacting with creatures. It is also the first game in the series that allows, but does not require importing characters from a previous scenario. | ||
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Platformers
| Adventures of Captain Comic, The | Michael Denio / Computer Easy International | [top] | |
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"You are Captain Comic, galactic hero. Your mission is to recover three treasures from the planet Omsoc, which have been stolen away and hidden on the remote planet of Tambi." Captain Comic is a solid platformer featuring a huge nonlinear playfield divided into several different terrains. As Comic, you must search throughout Tambi for powerups and items that will aid you in your quest to recover the three treasures. The Captain's main weapon is 'Blastola Cola', a can of drink that allows him to hurl fireballs at his foes. For each can that he finds, an addtional fireball can be thrown. There are many different paths that are available from the start, but without the right item or weapon, it can be impossible to progress through certain paths, or even suicide. It's up to the player to decide the correct route to take, and which places to return to at a later time. Captain Comic and its sequel are competent shareware platformers in an era where the shareware scene was dominated by Apogee and Epic Megagames (and still is, to a lesser extent). The best things about the game is the huge non-linear playfield which is divided into several different terrains. As Captain Comic, galactic hero, you jump from platform to platform and collect all kinds of bunos treat. Your only weapon is your blaster, which can fire a varying number of shots depending on how many blastola colas you've collected. Other items you can find include the pickaxe, jet pack, magic wand and other little trinkets. The graphics are EGA only and not as detailed as Apogee's platformers, but they are more than sufficient. There is also an element of puzzle-solving (e.g. finding this or that treasure, exit to the next level, etc.) thrown into the mix to make the game more challenging. Overall, both games above-average platformers that action fans should take a look, although they are far from being comparable to Apogee's classics in breadth or depth. It was one of the first side-scrolling games made for the IBM PC. The game was later given away for free (as an incentive for the commercial sequel, Captain Comic II: Fractured Reality). | ||
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| Armorik the Viking: The Eight Conquests | Infogrames Multimedia SA | [top] | |
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You are brave warrior Armorik, seeking to immortalize your name in the book of Viking legends. Luckily for you, the great god Thor has reviewed your application and mulled over your case. Thor agrees to reward you with eternal fame... provided that you single-handedly conquer the eight territories of the North. Your conquests can be tackled in any order. Each location is composed of multiple interlinked screens, and is named for its prevailing environment: Cemetery, Fire, Mountain, Cave, Manor House, Ice, Forest, and Castle. Armed only with throwing knives, Armorik must explore each region thoroughly, collect treasure guarded by fiends and natural hazards, find the hidden key, and reach the exit unharmed - all in less than two and a half minutes. This strict time limit, along with quick enemies that respawn every few seconds, multiple monsters and turrets that aim at you from different angles, and every hit being instantly lethal (requiring you to restart the chosen level) - all combine to create an arcade-style platform game where survival requires memorization, quick wits, agility and patience. | ||
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| Bionic Commando | Capcom Co., Ltd. / Capcom U.S.A., Inc. | [top] | |
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This is a port of the original arcade game. You play a soldier with a bionic arm that extends and contracts. Your arm allows you to grab on to fixed objects to swing around and climb up levels - no jumping allowed! The arm also grabs opponents and pull them towards you. Your mission is to infiltrate the enemy fortress, find your missing comrade, "Super Joe", and take out the evil leader, "Generalissimo Kilt", of the invading force that has been attacking your people for the last 2 years. The player transverses through the five levels: from a forest to a base, in order to stop a threatening armed force. The levels themselves are, like any conventional platformer, straightforward and semi-linear, with many situations in which there are enemies and other dangers lurking, while at the same time, cliffs that must be passed through. Prizes like points and power-ups can only be obtained from crates that come on the screen in a parachute, which can be revealed by shooting them. Unlike most of the later games, the player cannot use the arm and shoot at the same time, the arm cannot be used in the air and the only power-ups are weapon enhancements. | ||
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| Bubble Bobble | Taito Corporation / Taito Software Inc. | [top] | |
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This is the story of two humans, Bub and Bob who wander into the mysterious cave of monsters and magically turn into dinosaurs. The only way to transform back is to reach the end of the cave. It's a platform game, with each level being a single screen. The enemies must be cleared from a level to go to the next one. With one player controlling Bub and the other controlling Bob, the player can jump and collect items for points (such as fruit). The real power Bub and Bob have however is the ability to blow bubbles. These bubbles can be as platforms to leap on, or to trap enemies. Enemies trapped in a bubble must be popped by jumping into them, wherein they'll turn to fruit. Additionally, power-ups sometimes float by in bubbles. They include lightning, which flies out horizontally at enemies, and water, which drags the player and enemies straight down flowing over platforms. Taking too long to complete any level will summon Baron Von Blubba, who will float around the screen trying to destroy the player. In 2000, Ultra 2000 Series: Bubble Bobble a port of the arcade version was released in Japan by Mediakite. | ||
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| California Raisins, The | Starsoft Development Laboratories, Inc. / Box Office, Inc. | [top] | |
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You control Tiny Goodbite, one of the California Raisins who were popular claymation animated characters in 80's television commercials. All of your friends have been captured and brought to the cereal factory, and you need to come to the rescue. In this action platform game, you need to climb and jump your way through the many floors of the factory to rescue the raisins. On each level there is a key which needs to be collected so you can unlock the door to the next level. Each level is guarded by various bad guys which should be avoided; your raisin may also become energized and shoot the bad guys after landing on the green platform. Be careful when jumping around; if you fall too far or land on some machinery, your raisin will lose a life. The game ends when you have lost all of your raisins. | ||
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| Charlie Chaplin | Canvas Software / U.S. Gold Ltd. | [top] | |
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This is a unique game, in which player takes the part of the world-wide famous comic. As Charlie Chaplin, the player has to star in films, which are much in the line of famous black-and-white masterpieces. After a scene is filmed, the player is given an opportunity to edit it. Once every scene for the movie is filmed and edited, player is allowed to film, star in and edit a much more expensive movie (i. e. expensive script, more props and extras). To resemble a Charlie Chaplin movie, the game is deliberately executed in two-color palette. | ||
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| Dr. Sleeptite and the Nightmare Factory | KEF Technologies | [top] | |
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You're Restless Ralph Runabout, hunting for Dr. Sleeptite in his Nightmare Factory deep beneath the Mojave desert, where the mad scientist is working on his latest invention: a machine for creating nightmares. Six levels of this underground complex await, as chock-full of ladders, platforms and fire-poles as any arch-villain's lair. Complete each stage by collecting all of the good Doctor's Nightmare Capsules and reaching the exit door - but be sure to avoid Sleeptite's loyal henchmen, the horrendous Killer Pillows, who would love nothing more than to torment you in the night. | ||
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| Freddy Hardest | Dinamic Software | [top] | |
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The most irreverent playboy of all the galaxy, heir of a great fortune, has a totally irresponsible life, given to uncontrolled drunks, endless celebrations and excesses of all kind. After one of his last "little" parties he decided to take the controls of his spaceship in not very appropriated conditions to pilot, so our sidereal playboy went to play with meteorites under the effects of drunkenness. Evidently this diversion could not have finished very well, he crashed with a meteorite, lost the control of his spaceship and fell with it to planet Ternat's moon, where it's located the enemy base of Kaldar. Injured and laughing, he managed to left the smoky spaceship and slowly noticed that in such a place he wouldn't be received in a very friendly way. Already recovered of his dunk, Freddy Hardest, who although could not look it, is one of the most intelligent members of the Sidereal Free Planet Confederation's SPEA Agency Service of Counterespionage, he must start the adventure. A free fan remake was made in 2007 by Alex Belencoso. | ||
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| Game Over | Dinamic Software | [top] | |
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In a distant lost Galaxy in the immensity of the Universe, a gorgeous and evil woman had put under her with her intelligence and an immense army of Terminators of the five planet confederations located beyond Alpha Centauri. All the power of Gremla rested in the almost religious fidelity of her lieutenant Arkos; nevertheless, the intelligence of this Mega-Terminator of battle had evolved on the last ultraguarks in such a way that, finally, he left Gremla and he was united to the troops of the sidereal infantry, who commanded the general of the blue star Mc Killer. As far as the game in itself, it's frenetic arcade divided in two parts, in which when it stops to arrive at second, you needed a key access that you obtained at the end of first. | ||
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| Hunchback | Century Electronics, / Fireball Software Limited | [top] | |
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Originally, back in 1983, Hunchback was a coin-op by Century Electronics, one of the few UK outfits that manufactured such devices. Victor Hugo never could have expected that his creation Quasimodo, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, would run such an obstacle course as is dished up in this game, dodging fireballs and arrows while leaping over pits and pikemen, sometimes with the help of a swinging bell-pull rope, in hopes of rescuing his beloved Esmeralda from the top tower - all while being slow-but-steady chased across the castle parapets by an invincible knight in full armour. Once you get the hang of any individual obstacle, the game starts throwing them at you in tandem, until toward the end you're tracking the swing of the rope, the thrust of the lance, the approach of the arrow and the advance of the knight all simultaneously. Succeed, against all odds, and you get to do it again, but faster! Even an able-bodied protagonist would have a hard time juggling all these threats, but the player must succeed controlling a handicapped person. Robert Schmidt later made this PC port based on the BBC version and offered it as shareware. It is now freeware. A fan-made modern remake was also done by Mick Farrow. | ||
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| Impossible Mission 2 | Novotrade International / Epyx, Inc. | [top] | |
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Another great game that defies simple description, this is the PC version of yet another hit Commodore 64 game. It's a platform action/adventure where you infiltrate a hi-tech building to stop an evil plan. Despite this hackneyed plot, dodging the robots while getting clues from the various computer terminals is a lot of fun. After it was first released in 1987 in CGA, Konami released the EGA/VGA version in 1989 with much improved graphics and sounds that finally rival the C64 version. | ||
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| Jungle Book, The | Coktel Vision / SYSTEM 4 de Espana | [top] | |
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This platformer based on the Disney animated movie was only released in Europe. It's presented visually as if it's a movie being watched by an audience, with 6 people in seats at bottom of screen as if they are watching a screen where the gameplay is show above. If you lose a life, one of the audience members falls asleep. The action involves fighting in a jungle setting with different animals from the movie. Mowgli can fight with his hands or pick up a stone and throw it. He must avoid touching opponents which means instant death or avoiding spit or stones that are thrown at him and reduce his health. You progress through 4 locations of 40 screens each. Some items must be found and used to progress past some screens also. The graphics are CGA quality. | ||
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| Livingstone, I Presume? / Livingstone Supongo | Opera Soft | [top] | |
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Livingstone Supongo (literally translating to Livingstone Supposed) was one of the most famous games of Spanish game developer Opera Soft. It is a video adventure technologically almost identical to Goody (also of Opera) but this game has a more complex map and an obligation to alternate among three weapons and a pole that you have from the beginning of the game. The name of the game indicates a tour around each of the searches of David Livingstone that carry out the journalist Henry Morton Stanley in Africa in the XIX century. There the resemblance to reality ends, and turns into a platform game. It is leaps and bounds better than most of its competition due to large, complex gameworld, and many interesting gameplay features. The name of the game is actually the phrase uttered by Stanley when he finally found Dr. Livingstone: "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" Your task in the game is the same as Stanley in history: find Dr. Livingstone by navigating the treacherous jungles of Africa, and dealing with all manners of wildlife. The game is much more action-oriented than Goody: you have 3 weapons and a pole in place of standard inventory items, which you will use often to defend yourself against hostile animals. Most "puzzles" consist of figuring out how to get from point A to B. Although this is a common gimmick in most complex platformers, although Livingstone implements them in an interesting and challenging way; one of the reasons the game is a lot of fun is that you never know what to expect in the next screen. Sharp graphics and excellent gameplay makes this one of the best 8-bit platformers you'll likely find. | ||
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| Matterhorn Screamer! | Walt Disney Computer Software Inc. / Hi-Tech Expressions Inc. | [top] | |
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A side-scrolling, jumping game in which you help Goofy climb the treacherous slopes of the Matterhorn. Using keyboard or joystick, make Goofy climb ropes or jump to ledges, empty bobsleds or gondolas. Jump over goats or snowmen before they push Goofy off the ledge. At higher levels of difficulty, watch out for falling icicles or loose ledges. To win the game, collect all the flags along the way and claim the Mickey flag at the summit. | ||
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| Night Hunter | Ubi Soft Entertainment Software | [top] | |
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NightHunter is a Dracula based action/adventure in which you actually get to play as Count Dracula. Dracula will have the ability to transform into a bat and a werewolf. Your goal is to locate holy medallions in order to create total chaos on Earth. Of course, Van Helsing and his band of vampire hunters are on your trail, so they must be avoided so you don't get dusted. Enemies encountered include priests with holy water, vultures, and even the police. It's a traditional side scrolling platform game that is made up of 30 levels. Each level has 20 screens. To advance to the next level 8 objects must be collected; 3 parchments and 5 keys. Every 5th level you obtain one of the medallions. Beware of daybreak! You will die if you don't locate a crypt to protect yourself from the sunlight. In contrast to most games based on Bram Stoker's Dracula, NightHunter lets you play the Count himself in a quest to steal enough holy medallions to create chaos on Earth. Of course, Professor Van Helsing knows about your quest, and has recruited an army of vampire-hunters to hunt you down. | ||
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| Rampage | Bally Midway Manufacturing Co., Inc. / Activision, Inc. | [top] | |
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George, Lizzy and Ralph were just ordinary Americans, until an experiment went wrong, turning them into a Gorilla, Lizard and Werewolf respectively. Following this, the three of them plan to go round destroying buildings, and up to 3 human players can join in. Smashing at the edges of the buildings for long enough will make them collapse. The police and military are after you, and will shoot at you, so try to destroy them (failing that, you can avoid the bullets). You will need to eat regularly, with things like plants on offer, to avoid shrinking back to being human. | ||
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| Solomon's Key | Tecmo, Ltd. / U.S. Gold Ltd. | [top] | |
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This is a platform game based on a 1986 arcade game with both action and strategy elements. On each level your goal is to retrieve a key which can then be used to unlock the exit. To help out, you have a magic wand which can be used to create and destroy blocks (though some blocks can't be destroyed). In order to reach the key you will need carefully to arrange the blocks on the screen so you can jump your way around safely. Wandering around each level are a variety of enemies which will cause you to lose a life if you're caught. Some creatures can be killed by destroying the block they are standing on, others must be dodged. Hidden bonuses and magic can be found on many of the levels, sometimes even hidden in blocks. Some treasures give you bonus points, others can form magic spells to help deal with the enemies. To make the game more difficult, each level has a time limit in which it must be completed. A fan-made free remake by Zikitrake was released in 2007. | ||
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| Spiderbot / Arac | Addictive Games Ltd / Epyx, Inc. | [top] | |
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You're a robotic insect, leading a normally happy life in your robotic jungle, when some of your robotic cousins decide to chew through the nearby citadel. Unfortunately for you, they're threatening to chew right through the reactor core! Capture renegade insects to stop their damage, and use them later to perform tasks for you. Fire your web to catch killer bugs. Then brainwash your hostages into changing sides. Once caught, the Big Borer can be put to use gnawing passageways to the citadel. Locate your exoskeleton and become Spiderbot. Then climb upwards, shooting radioactive webs. But don't hang out on the ceiling too long. | ||
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| Tower Toppler / Nebulus | Hewson Consultants Ltd. | [top] | |
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You play a small greenfrog who needs to blow up eight towers, because their presence is somehow poisoning the water of planets which could potentially be ideal colonies. Unfortunately you need to get to the top of these towers to blow them up. You make your way up to the top of the tower via walkways around the outside of the towers. You need to jump over, kick, and run from various enemies in your journey to the top. Most vertical movement is achieved by jumping onto moving ledges at the right moment. The game was considered revolutionary in its time for its graphic technique. As the main character walked around the outside of the tower, the character was fixed in the middle of the screen while the tower itself rotated. This gave it a pseudo-3D effect. Towers are linked together via a voyage through the sea in your trusty MK.7 submarine. This plays out as a side-scrolling collect-'em-up in which bonus points can be obtained. In 2003, a fan remake named Nebulous was released by Andreas Röver & Pasi Kallinen. It improves graphics and has new levels. The game includes a level editor to create and share new levels. | ||
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| Vixen | ntelligent Design Ltd. / Martech | [top] | |
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The Vixen is the last human on the planet Granath, which is now ruled by a race of dinosaurs. She has been raised by foxes, and intends to follow through on a promise she made to her elders to wipe them out and restore the planet to humanity. Each platform level must be completed within a time limit, but progressing from left to right. She is armed with a whip, a useful weapon for attacking the denizens of dinosaurs on each level. Lots of bonus items can also be whipped to activate them - bonus lives and extra time for example. Tokens to turn into a fox can also be collected - enough of these takes you into a bonus level set underground. A notable feature in the game was that the movements of the main character were (at least in some versions of the game) captured from the moving picture thus making animation more realistic than usual in computer games those days. | ||
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Casual Games
| $100,000 Pyramid, The | Box Office Inc. | [top] | |
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This is an early adaptation of the popular TV game show The $100,000 Pyramid. The objective is to reach the top of the pyramid by winning successive rounds. Each round consists of selecting a category from the pyramid. Each category consists of a list of words that share some common thread like "things that are red". One player then tries to give the other player clues to guess the word without saying the word itself. There is also a single player mode that does not resemble the show very much where you have to type in single word clues. | ||
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| Arkanoid | Taito Corporation / Taito Software Inc. | [top] | |
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The original Breakout concept involves controlling a bat at the bottom of the screen and using it to catch and direct a ball so as to hit all the bricks which are arranged at the top of the screen. Originally an arcade game in 1976, it has inspired countless numbers of clones of its gameplay. This popular version was an arcade game in 1986 with a plot that redefines the bat as a Vaus spaceship, the ball as an energy bolt, and the bricks form a mysterious wall stopping the ship from progressing to safety. By the mid-80s, power-ups were popular in most types of arcade games, and Arkanoid features them. They are caught by positioning the bat below them as they fall (meaning that you risk missing the ball if you go for them at the wrong time). The power-ups include lasers (which are mounted to each side of the ship and allow you to shoot out the blocks), a catching device (so as to be able to fire the ball off at a different angle every time you hit it) and one that slows the bolt down. In 2009, Arkanoid Tournament Remix, a fanmade remake was released by Werner Flaschbier. | ||
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| Battle Chess | Interplay Productions, Inc. | [top] | |
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This is a quite typical chess game, but it comes with a twist: all pieces are represented by small, realistic figures that walk around on the chessboard, and when one piece takes another, they both take part in an animated battle. There is a different animation for each permutation, depending on which pieces are capturing or being captured. You can also play in 2D without animation. The game's opening library includes 30,000 different moves, ensuring a variety of games will unfold across the 10 skill levels. Multi-player support can be extended to modem and/or serial port play. In 1991, an Enhanced CD-Rom version was released with improved 256-color VGA graphics, new visual effects and animations, and a symphonic soundtrack in redbook (CD audio) format. | ||
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| Blockbuster / Impact! | Audiogenic Software Ltd. / Mindscape Inc. | [top] | |
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This is a break-out style game. The user controls a paddle and needs to catch a ball with the paddle each time it comes down. When the ball hits a brick, it is destroyed (unless it's made undestroyable). Sometimes, a bonus will come out of the brick. This adds to the 'bonus score'. When the player collected one or more bonuses, he may 'release' them, and he receives a powerup. Each 'bonus score' has a different powerup: the most powerful powerups need the largest number of bonus points. Impact comes with a lot of levels and a level editor. | ||
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| Card Sharks | Softie Inc. / ShareData Inc. | [top] | |
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Based on a popular television show at the time it was released, Card Sharks is a question and answer guessing game in which you compete against a computer player or another "live person". Questions are asked based upon a poll of 100 people. You must guess how many out of 100 answered Yes or No. Your opponent then has the chance to guess whether the true answer is higher or lower than your answer. If you are right, you are taken to the "Cards" screen to play a video version of the "High Low" card game. Guessing correctly lets you keep control of the board, and the next question. If you lose, your opponent receives the next question. If you win enough times, you'll go to the "Big Bucks" card screen where you can bet all or part of your winnings on a more elaborate board of "High Low". | ||
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| CD-Man | Creative Dimensions | [top] | |
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This Pac-Man variant was first released with a pre-release version featuring the first two worlds (third world, Deep Space was also in progress at that time). The graphics were in high-res EGA mode and you could even gain endless life by pressing F1 which was made for testing purposes. Then all five worlds were completed and the game was released (that was version 1.5). In Version 2.0, some new features added like a new character ("The Snoofer"), some additional graphics, and two players support (you can play simultaneously) therefore joystick and gamepad and soundcard support. | ||
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| Championship Poker | Applications Plus Inc. | [top] | |
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Among the great variety of computer incarnations different card games individual project is difficult to stand out, except, perhaps, its rarity. Here and Championship Poker interesting is this. The game offers little help on the basics of poker and the possibility to decompose a single party or to participate in the tournament, and both in that and in other mode there are several settings that allow including to change the number of players, entry and rates. Then we show a table made in a simple CGA palette, in which the virtual and invisible dealer puts the cards from the deck, and around are the players. All control is from the keyboard. We can assume that the little-known company Applications Plus at the time tried to win consumers from competitors due to lower price their products, which automatically translates them into the category of the budget, and therefore some of their projects have not survived to the present day. | ||
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| Classic Concentration | Softie Inc. / ShareData Inc. | [top] | |
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Concentration was a popular game show in the mid-to-late 1980s, and this game was adapted from that television program. Two players can play against each other, or one person can play against a computer generated opponent. The answer to the puzzle is hidden by tiles. The tiles have words denoting game prizes ("Mexico", "Camera", "Telescope", for example), and your object is to find the two matching worded tiles. Exposing two at a time, your memory is taxed as more prize tiles are revealed and then covered over again. As more tiles are matched, the hidden puzzle is revealed. Solve the puzzle and you win the game. | ||
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| Jeopardy! New Sports Edition | ShareData Inc., GameTek | [top] | |
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Based on the tv game show. Jeopardy! New Sports Edition provides the same gameplay as the original Jeopardy!. There are over 1000 answers. Categories include everything from the Olympic Sports, such as Gymnastics, Swimming and Track to Football, Golf and Baseball. You can play one-on-one with the computer, or challenge up to two other sports fans to a game. Three players compete against each other by coming up with the question for a given answer. There are two rounds of play each with six categories of answers, and one final round consisting of a single answer. Each correct question given can be worth from $100 to $1000 for the player to respond first, or if a daily double is uncovered the player to find it may bet up to the current amount of money they have. The player with the most money at the end wins. Jeopardy! features a high scores table so players can save their characters wins and losses, different male and female character animations to choose from, and of course a wide variety of answers and questions. Up to three human players can compete, or a combination of human and computer players. | ||
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| Jeopardy!: Second Edition | I.J.E. Inc., Softie Inc. / ShareData Inc. | [top] | |
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This is an update to the original Jeopardy! game for home computers. It is exactly the same game, but with new questions. 3 contestants compete against each other in a game show, trying to supply the question for answers in several different categories. Each correct answer the player gives earns them money, while giving an incorrect answer will cost them money. The player with the most money at the end of the game is deemed the winner. The solo game is the same as the normal game, except that it's just the player competing against no other contestants. | ||
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| Jr. Pac-Man | General Computer Corporation / Thunder Mountain | [top] | |
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This game, first in arcades in 1983, features gameplay similar to the original Pac-Man, but with a few changes. As Jr., you need to eat all of the dots in a maze without running into the four ghosts that are trying to get you. The maze is now much larger, and no longer fits on a single screen. The maze will scroll around to follow the action. From time to time a tasty bonus will bounce around the screen which can be eaten for extra points. There are tricycles, kites, drums, balloons, trains, root beers, and other bonuses that appear as the levels progress. When the bonus items bounce around the screen, any dots they touch will become larger and are now worth 50 points each instead of 10. However, one of these larger dots will cause Jr. Pac-Man to slow down greatly when he eats them making it more difficult to remain one step ahead of the ghosts which constantly pursue him! Located throughout the maze are power pellets; when Jr. eats one of these, the ghosts will temporarily turn blue and can now be eaten to earn even more points. | ||
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| Quadralien | Astral Software / Logotron Ltd | [top] | |
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This is a real-time puzzle game in the tradition of Sokoban. The future: Mankind's space stations throughout the solar system are powered by a huge space reactor, called Astra. Astra is about to break down. The enemy race of Quadraliens has captured the reactor; now, contamination is rising and total failure is imminent. The last chance are six remotely controlled droids, which are to clean Astra and destroy the Quadrailen mother in Astras core. You're controlling two robots in each of the 19 levels, cleaning up the contamination on your way. Gameplay is a variation of Sokoban: You've got to push spheres in the right direction to clear the way. However, the spheres are magnetically charged, meaning that they repell or attract each other. You've got to consider chain reactions. Before entering a level, you may chose which robots to take with you. Each droid has different abilities, like higher range of movement, higher capacity to carry contaminated materials, or a magnetic charge of its own. You can blast your way out of hopeless situations with a limited number of detonators, and you may restart every level with already removed contamination staying removed. However, there's a time limit for the whole game in form of reactor core temperature and energy, so be quick! | ||
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| Rockford: The Arcade Game | Arcadia Systems, Inc. / First Star Software, Inc. | [top] | |
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This is a rocks'n'diamonds style game. Play in six different worlds (as a explorer, cook, doctor, etc.) of increasing difficulty, and grab the coins/apples/hearts while avoiding the boulders. And there are enemies to make your life (even more) difficult. It features five characters in five different settings: an explorer in the South American jungle (the toucans were a dead giveaway), a cook, a cowboy, an astronaut and a surgeon. There are four levels to each of the worlds. You collect coins while dodging or killing enemies - you can only enter a gate to the next level if you have the required number of coins. You can kill enemies by dropping rocks or coins on them; you'll die if they touch you or if a coin or rock falls on you in turn. There are usually two types of moving enemies in each world: ones that explode into coins, and ones that just explode. So frequently, passing the level entails killing as many of the right kind of enemy as you need and collecting the coins. It's a colourful concept with an elegant variation in level types across all five worlds. There's no real music except the intro and an annoying tune when you a) die or b) pass a level. The sound-effects are on the internal speaker, so there's just the chinking noise of falling coins (or a thud in the case of rocks), a repetitive and pointless footstep sound and the noise of an explosion when something falls on you. Explosions cover a square of nine tiles, so make sure you aren't too close to one when it happens. There's a lot of humour in each situation. The surgeon is especially funny. You are chased by rolling skulls or butterflies made of two purplish ears (icky, but at least they aren't brains or kidneys), and the rocks become large, creepy eyeballs. The walls are red with disembodied sets of teeth grinning at you. After a while you feel vaguely queasy, as though trying to watch CSI while eating curry (don't try this). The spaceman was my favourite - you dodge spinning galaxies and what looks like a cross between yellow chickens and the Starship Enterprise, collecting suns along the way. The rocks are really little planet Earths. The third level is the only one to feature the amoeba, which can trap you if you stray too close to it. It causes enemies to blow up into coins by the score. There are also strange worm-like creatures with the power to turn coins into rocks (or vice versa). The cowboy world has a wagon train with a horse on either end, while the cook has both pizza and burger chains (the burger turns oranges into apples - i.e. coins - and the pizza turns oranges into fried eggs - which can kill you as they fly around.) What makes the game fun is the element of pressure - there's only a limited amount of time available for each level, and there is some degree of challenge in the placement of coins and obstacles in the level. After a while it becomes instinctive (I sometimes feel I could play it with my eyes closed) but at the same time there is enough uncertainty to keep you interested in competing with your previous scores. The gameplay can be infinite because you receive a 1up for every 40 000 points you collect, and when you complete one world you can simply start another. Unfortunately, there's no hall of fame for this game. | ||
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| Trump Castle: The Ultimate Casino Gambling Simulation | Capstone Software | [top] | |
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In this game, become a gambler in Donald Trump's casino-hotel "Trump Castle". The six casino games are available: BlackJack, Craps, Keno, Poker, Roulette, and Slots. The game bet limits are set at $10,000 by default, but this can be changed. Players can also increase or decrease bets at each table. Experienced gamblers may be enlisted in High Scores Table. | ||
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| Wheel of Fortune: New 2nd Edition | Softie Inc. / ShareData Inc. | [top] | |
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One of the most successful game shows ever made, Wheel of Fortune is a very popular TV program that catapulted Vanna White to stardom as one of the most recognizable TV celebrities. For those who has never seen the show, WOF is a language game that requires both luck and skill. The object is to solve a "hangman"-like mystery puzzle. Three contestants compete, taking turns spinning a huge wheel divided into sections containing various dollar amounts, as well as spaces such as "BANKRUPT", "LOSE A TURN" and "FREE SPIN". If a contestant span a dollar amount, he/she could then guess a consonant to receive that dollar amount for every time that consonant appears in the puzzle. An incorrect guess or spinning the wheel to one of the penalty spaces means control goes to the next contestant. At any time during a player's turn, they can elect to spin the wheel; ask to "buy a vowel" of their choice, in which case $250 is deducted from their score; or solve the puzzzle. The player with the most winnings at the end of the show is pronounced the champion and gets to play a bonus puzzle, which he/she had 15 seconds to solve after guessing five consonants and one vowel to be uncovered. Softie, which later became GameTek, obtained an exclusive license to produce computer version of this popular gameshow, on the heels of getting a Jeopardy! license. The game milked the license relentlessly, releasing approximately one WOF PC game each year between 1987 and 1994. This one includes more than a thousand new phrases to guess. | ||
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| Wheel of Fortune: New 3rd Edition | Softie Inc. / ShareData Inc. | [top] | |
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Providing new puzzle phrases, the third edition of the Wheel of Fortune series of games based on the popular television show, brings the same fun as the original. Up to three contestants can play. Players compete to solve the puzzle by spinning a wheel and guessing hidden letters of a person, place, thing, phrase or other category. | ||
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| Win, Lose or Draw | Softie Inc. / Hi-Tech Expressions Inc. | [top] | |
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This was a popular TV show requiring artistic skills and an ability to think laterally. A player on your team draws something on the big game board, and you must work out what it represents. They will be common expressions depicted literally, such as 'bright idea' showing a light bulb over somebody's head, and 'cabin fever' as a rickety building next to a man with a thermometer in his mouth. In this computerized implementation the drawing phase of the game is handled by the computer, so your task is simply to guess the meaning of the picture by thinking laterally. Your team has 60 seconds, and you can guess repeatedly, but the picture takes time to take shape. If you fail to guess correctly, the opposition has 15 seconds to guess it (with a single try) to steal the money. | ||
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