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Adventures
| Alice In Wonderland | R.C. Johnson | [top] | |
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This is a text adventure based on Lewis Carroll's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. There are 16 objects in the game which you may be able to interact with. Each object has a weight and you can carry a different amount of items based on your size in the game. As Alice, you must explore Wonderland to find her lost pet cat and make it home alive. There are ten creatures which you can interact with and they act similar to how they do in the original story. The gameplay is similar to other text adventures where you go around from area to area and interact with whatever you find. The included documentation tells you what commands there are, or you can attempt to figure those commands out yourself. | ||
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| Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur | Infocom | [top] | |
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This Infocom Graphic Interactive Fiction takes place in the days before Camelot, when magic and evil rule England, a sword sheathed in stone appears in a quiet churchyard. Engraved upon it are the words which form your destiny "Whoso pulleth out this sword of this stone is rightwise king born of all England". For you are Arthur, the son and true heir of the High King, Uther Pendragon. But there is more to asserting your claim than wresting free the sword. The sword in the stone disappears - stolen by the evil King Lot. To win it back, you must develop the kingly qualities of wisdom, chivalry, and experience, qualities that will also prove you worthy of the throne. And you must do it all within three days, or Lot will usurp your legacy. You are assisted by Merlin the Enchanter, who grants you the power to transform yourself into a variety of animals. Now you can explore the kingdom as no one has before: from the sky, from rivers and lakes, from on - and under - the earth. How you use this power, and how you solve the myriad puzzles that confront you, will determine your success in your quest. Merlin's crystal ball reveals helpful hints. The undo command lets you rescind even the most foolhardy of decisions, and optional on-screen mapping gives your quest direction. This was the first game to incorporate graphics into an Infocom work of interactive fiction. | ||
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| Avvy, Denarius Avaricius Sextus | Thorsoft | [top] | |
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The first in an adventure series, this takes place back in good old A.D. 79. You play as Denarius Avaricius Sextus, a man whose sole aim in life was to hoard as much cash as he could. He lives in Pompei, together with his nag of a wife, Arkata. Now... what is Pompei most famous for? Right. That's exactly the goal in this game. After a brief introduction in the game, where you'll meet such people as Gedalodava, Crapulus, Taxidermus the taxman and your arch-enemy Lupus, you will have to escape the city before it's covered in lava. Avaricius' graphics might not be the epitome of digital art, but they serve their purpose. Sometimes, it even aids the humour in the game. You can't help but laugh when they introduce the sexy temptress Gedalodava in her full 16-colour pixelblob glory. They also do give a good feeling of the earliest graphical adventure games, so all in all, they don't substract anything from the game. The game has a parser for giving commands, just like in the old Sierra games, but if you right-click, you open up the menu and can choose the necessary commands that way, so you don't necessarily have to use the keyboard if you don't want to. The strongest part of the game is its sense of humour. It's not only in the names or in puns with them (Gedalodava and the woman Avvy's been sleeping around with, Adultera, quickly jump to mind, as well as telling Taxidermus the taxman to get stuffed), but in the general attitude of the characters and even the nagging of the (useless) registration (Yes, this game is shareware, but it's a full game) and the overall feeling you get that the makers of this game simply had loads of fun making it. | ||
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| Berlin 1948: East vs. West | Time Warp / Rainbow Arts Software GmbH | [top] | |
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This is a very intriguing spy adventure game set in the time of Cold War Berlin when the great city was divided into two parts, East and West Berlin. An atomic bomb has been smuggled into the city by the Americans. You play an American spy, whose mission is to guard this bomb and not to let Stalin have it under any circumstances. This is one of the early examples of a 3rd person perspective point & click adventure, the interface being slightly more complicated than the famous SCUMM system. The enhanced graphics are quite nice and mostly done in grayscale with a little touch of colors supported with internal PC sound. | ||
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| Bride Of The Robot | First Star Software | [top] | |
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First Star Software published a number of adult text adventure games. 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. | ||
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| Caper in the Castro [MAC] | Cathleen M. Ralph / Heizer Software | [top] | |
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This is considered to be the first video game with an LGBT theme. The game was thought to be lost in 21st century until 2017 when the author found original floppies of it. When Tessy LaFemme goes missing, her friend Tracker McDyke must put her detective skills to use and scour The Castro in San Francisco to track her down. This graphic adventure mystery game puts the player in the role of the detective. Its gameplay is presented through a mix of a point-and-click interface and a text parser. The player can click on items in the main game screen to interact with them. Verb icons give the player extra ways to interact, and some of these require the player to type what they want to do. An edited version was released under the title Murder on Main Street due to concerns a publisher would refuse to accept an LGBT-themed game. This version was released for free as charityware; the author requested that players donate to AIDS charities if they enjoyed the game. An alternative version of the game called Murder on Mainstreet was made for commercial sale. This version swapped out the main characters' names and other details to exclude LGBT themes, so that the developer could sell it to a publisher that might not have been interested in an LGBT-related game. | ||
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| Chamber Of The Sci-Mutant Priestess / Kult | ERE Informatique / Draconian | [top] | |
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Set in a post-apocalyptic world, Chamber Of The Sci-Mutant Priestess casts you as Raven, a young "Tuner" (psionic mutant), working for the Tuner Netwerk. One day, while out on assignment with his friend Sci Fi, he witnesses the massacre of a "Normal" village, by a group of Protozorqs (physical mutants). Raven and Sci Fi disobey their instructions from the Netwerk, and fight back against the Protozorqs. In the ensuing struggle, Sci Fi is captured and taken back to the Protozorqs' mountain temple. Raven vows to save her, and so gets himself captured, too. As the game starts, Raven is a prisoner in the crazy Protozorq temple, where something sinister and utterly insane seems about to happen. Apparently, Raven has to go through five ordeals, to become a "Divo" (a Messenger Of The New Solution). For each ordeal he completes, he receives a Vort skull. Can you complete the five ordeals, save Sci Fi and destroy the fiendish Protozorq plot, in time? Luckily, you have a great array of amazing psionic powers to help you, and a neat point-and-click interface, in this unique graphic adventure. | ||
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| Chrono Quest II / Explora II | Infomedia France / Microvalue | [top] | |
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In this sequel...after the events of the first game, you attempt to return to France of 1922, your own time period. A disorder on Explora, your time-machine, makes it use up all its metal fuel, leaving you stranded on an unknown time era. You need to find enough metal for Explora to be able to return you to your place in time. The original point-and-click interface (text-based with auxiliary icons) was replaced by a fully icon driven one. There's a row of icons at the bottom of the screen with movement arrows, a save game icon, "get", "give", "examine", etc. The conversations with characters have a basic form of speech-synthesis which can be turned off (the full text of the dialogue is displayed either way). The game boasts 13 different locations and multiple time stages. | ||
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| Codename: Iceman | Jim Walls / Sierra On-Line | [top] | |
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Written by Jim Walls of Police Quest fame, Codename: ICEMAN was to be the first game in a new adventure game series by Sierra. A sequel was never released, although it was mentioned in Sierra's news magazine. You control Navy officer Johnny Westland, as he takes on a secret mission dealing with the oil reserves in Tunisia. The game is a traditional adventure, with interesting James Bond-esque spy elements. A large portion of the game is also played in a (perhaps overly complex for some players) submarine simulator. | ||
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| Colonel's Bequest, The: A Laura Bow Mystery | Sierra On-Line | [top] | |
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This first game in the Laura Bow series created by Roberta Williams using SCI0. It uses 4-bit color (16 colors) and a typing interface. It's set in the 1920s, which gives the game a unique, Art Deco style. The game's main character is Laura Bow, a Tulane University student who is invited by her friend Lillian to spend a weekend at the decaying sugar plantation of Colonel Dijon. When the reclusive, childless Colonel gathers his quarrelsome relatives for a reading of his will, tensions explode and the bickering leads to murder. Throughout the game, Laura remains stranded on the island surrounded by suspects and potential victims in a classical Agatha Christie manner. All Laura can do is observe the family and witness murders. Apart from this, there is also an optional, secondary backplot concerning a hidden treasure. The game will be finished no matter how Laura solves the puzzles, since the score is expressed by the means of a clock and time advances by a quarter-hour when new plot elements are witnessed. A murder happens every 1 hour. This is the only Sierra game which is more character-driven than puzzle-driven. Although solving puzzles is crucial for obtaining a high score, discovering information about the characters' backgrounds and their relationships with each other is more important to the game. It features two different endings, a right one and a wrong one, based on your final action. The game closes with a detective rating, dependant on how much of the mystery you actually solved. | ||
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| Conquests of Camelot: The Search for the Grail | Christy Marx / Sierra On-Line | [top] | |
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This first game in the Conquests series is an impressive historical adventure. The game was famed for the immense amount of historic knowledge and folklore that is woven between the dialogues and the descriptions as the plot unfolds. The message boxes (narration) are the wizard Merlin speaking and counseling the player. As none other than King Arthur himself, you must search far and wide for the Holy Grail, which will reportedly return your dying empire to its former glory. Three stalwart Round Table knights have already disappeared before you, so finding them is a priority as well. As you search through Britannia, Gaza and Jerusalem, along the way you will meet Gwynhyver, the Black Knight, the Lady of the Lake, and will rescue Sir Lancelot and Sir Gawaine from danger. Finally, you must pass the tests of the six goddesses to prove your worth and receive the Grail. Though the game's puzzles are uninspired, there are some fun arcade sequences and the rich story and historical information make it a very good game. This is one of the last games by Sierra to utilize the parser interface. We have to type short commands in order to do things. The graphics are 16-colour EGA. | ||
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| Crack Of Doom, The | Beam Software / Melbourne House | [top] | |
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This was the third Lord Of The Rings game made by Melbourne House (in addition to The Hobbit). Return to Mordor, where a dull red sky is filled with the dust and heat of Mount Doom. Brave the ash-covered wastelands of Gorgoroth, the blood-splashed courtyards in the Tower of Cirith Ungol, and a horrifying torture chamber guarded by grinning, brutal orcs. In this adventure you will be playing as Sam Gamgee and will begin outside the gates of Cirith Ungol. Dare you enter the Tower and try to save your beloved master, Frodo? Or should you somehow try to complete the quest alone, and hurl the Ring of Power into the fires of Mount Doom? It's a solid adventure that is both longer and more complex than its predecessors. | ||
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| Demon's Tomb: The Awakening | Mastertronic | [top] | |
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A huge and well-written adventure that's arguably Mastertronic's best adventure game, Demon's Tomb recalls Infocom's Infidel in that you play an archeologist who must save his findings for posterity. In the second half, though, you will play his son whose task is to find out what happens to his father's doomed expedition. Flexible parser and good graphics makes this an excellent game, and some puzzles are quite tough. The more items you have Lynton preserve in the prologue, the more you'll be able to accomplish when you play Richard, although achieving complete victory eventually requires you to save everything. This is an original and interesting method of maintaining non-linearity in the game's puzzle structure, as the player can save a few items, then restore and try others to explore different possibilities in the game. Saving all of Lynton's research is the major challenge of the game, requiring flawless execution and perfect timing, but if you don't quite get it right, you're still able to do some serious exploration with what you do manage to save. The game is now freeware. | ||
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| Dondra: A New Beginning / Questmaster I: The Prism of Heheutotol | MicroIllusions / Electronic Arts, Inc. | [top] | |
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You are called forth from this world to another world to defeat the evil Colnar. You'll travel the world of Questmaster to find and defeat him, and find the prism. Along the way are various pitfalls and REAL TIME traps and monsters. Summoned by the Elders to help find the Crystal Prism to vanquish the evil Colnar, you must deal with many clever puzzles, including some in real-time. The game is cartoon adventure with a text parser. It has a musical score and a cursor controlled 3-D Animated Character. For it's time, Dondra was an amazing undertaking in that it incorporated 3 dimensional computer-color scenery, animated sequences, an advanced parser system and also the unique ability to import your character into future installments which unfortunately were never released. The PC version is a port of the original 1987 ZX Spectrum game but also included enhanced 256 color graphics. It's a fun adventure game that was ahead of its time, with vibrant 16-bit graphics and a good parser. Your score at the end of the game also represents the "experience points," to be used in future Questmaster games (which sadly never came out). The score is modified by the number of times you saved the game, got killed, and the number of objects you obtained. Recommended, but be warned that it is a shorter-than-average game. | ||
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| Dragon's Lair | Sullivan Bluth Interactive Media, Inc. | [top] | |
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This is an early conversion of the Don Bluth cartoon, coin-op arcade game. This one attempted to capture the full cartoon glory of the original in EGA graphics. Players control Dirk the Daring, a knight on a quest to rescue Princess Daphne from the evil dragon, Singe. They must negotiate their way through a mad wizard's castle, fighting and dodging traps all the way. | ||
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| Emmanuelle: A Game of Eroticism | Inference, Tomahawk / Coktel Vision | [top] | |
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This adventure is licensed from an autobiography of the rather sordid life of Maryat Rollet-Andriane and was fodder for a series of porn films. It centres around a man's efforts to attract her - suffice to say, he doesn't do so by offering her a can of Pepsi, and the game is not aimed at the young or prudish. Most of the game involves using multiple-choice dialogue to produce the correct outcome. You will visit bars, beaches, and many glamorous cities. There are also several sub-games, as you visit a casino, fend off love rivals, and face down smugglers. Though it's a point-and-click game, the PC port had not mouse support at all so pushing the cursor around with the arrow keys pretty soon gets very tedious especially with a fair amount of hunt-the-pixel objects to find. | ||
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| Fool's Errand, The | Manley Associates / Miles Computing | [top] | |
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This is one of the classic puzzle games. It tells the story of the Fool, who wanders throughout the land solving puzzles to break the enchantments, discover the land's treasures, and undo evil. It features word searches, cryptograms, jigsaw puzzles, anagrams, a Tarot-based card game, and lots of other bizarre puzzles. Also included is an animated intro, and extended finale animation as separate executables (but you have to win before it'll let you run the finale). The game is structured as a storybook divided into four parts, each containing a large number of different chapters; the storybook can be paged through and read as continuous prose on screen. However, not every chapter is available at the start of the game, and those chapters which are available are not consecutive. Many chapters have a puzzle (called an enchantment) associated with them; completing such a puzzle unlocks further chapter(s). The very first chapter, The Sun, features the puzzle The Sun's Map. This is a jigsaw puzzle with one piece for every other chapter in the story; each puzzle piece appears only when the appropriate chapter is unlocked. Each piece contains a symbol representing the chapter from which it came, plus part of a continuous path which flows through all pieces in the order in which they are mentioned in the narrative. Once the map is successfully completed, other designs on the map become active click targets and can be used as clues or processes to decipher the true final puzzle: The Book Of Thoth, hidden within the chapter The High Priestess, which requires the reader to peruse the entire story as continuous prose and identify a number of phrases hidden within the narrative. The game has now been released as freeware by the author who made a sequel in 2012 called The Fool and His Money. | ||
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| GrailQuest | Artworx | [top] | |
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This is a game in the world of the legendary King Arthur, but adding a few more features than your "run of the mill" adventure. This game also includes adult "situations" that add to the classic motif. During the actual quest for the search of the grail, there are sub-quests to master as well. It's a VERY detailed graphic adventure game that has a very high end interactive fiction storyline. You are a last Round Table knight, entrusted by King Arthur himself to search for the Holy Grail. You can ask the king questions by typing keywords into the parser (similar to Neuromancer), or just talk to him. You even have simple RPG-style statistics: physical strength, magical resistance, and spiritual strength. The first two can decrease when you are hit in (random) combat, while spiritual strength, which is essential to retrieving the Grail, can be increased by praying at various altars and doing good deeds. The graphics, while not eye-catching, is good throughout the game, with all historical locales presented as vibrant VGA photos. The interface is just a row of verbs you can use (similar to LucasArts or Sierra games), and the game can be unforgiving. You can travel far and wide, only to discover later that you already ate the bread you need to give to someone. The gameworld is vast, spanning almost the whole of England, and you'll spend most of your time finding out a way to get from town A to B to finish your errands. Puzzles are mostly of the "give X to Y to get Z" variety, and are mostly unimaginative (except for a few late-game puzzles that require you to ask someone the right question). Combat in the game is more or less random, and you can die from a fight very quickly. | ||
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| Hero's Quest: So You Want To Be A Hero / Quest For Glory | Sierra On-Line | [top] | |
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Do you want to be a hero? If so, then there is a good job waiting for you!
Here is the little town of Spielburg, populated mostly by beer-drinking humans and
some centaurs who like working in the field. Spielburg is surrounded by forests and
mountains, where all kinds of weird creatures dwell: ogres, goblins, talking foxes,
stupid magicians, and others. Lately, Spielburg has been assaulted by brigands;
besides, the witch Baba Yaga is not to be trusted. The town has everything it needs,
even a Thieves Guild, except a strong, brave hero that would protect it. Are you
interested? "Hero's Quest" (renamed later to "Quest for Glory" for copyright reasons)
is an adventure/RPG hybrid. Visually very similar to other Sierra's "quest" titles
but the gameplay, beside the usual exploration, conversations with characters, and
solving an occasional puzzle, involves real-time combat and character development.
You can play the game as either a fighter, a mage, or a thief. The choice of class
will influence not only the combat, but also many other events in the game. You
develop your skills by fighting, practicing, climbing, throwing, etc. Many of those
activities are necessary to successfully complete the game. You interact with the
game world by typing commands or conversation topics.
Also see: #Quest For Glory 1 VGA Remake |
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| Hound Of Shadow | Eldritch Games / Electronic Arts | [top] | |
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This is a text adventure game set in HP Lovecraft themes in the 1920's. The game's character generation routine was unusual. It was an ambitious project that was meant to carry over to a game series called "Timeline" which never happened. You had to guide the character's career through WWI, professions, as he or she gets skill points to distribute. Not many games had skills at all, let alone the plethora of skills to choose from in this game. The text part of the game is a supernatural thriller where you have to escape the curse of the Hound of Shadow in 1920's London. It opens with a friend taking you to a seance to debunk. Strange things happen and you discover that you are under a curse. You research history and lore in musty bookstores and the London Library to gather information about the Hound. As you play, you are likely to learn about mythology and the occult too. There is a time limit though; the Hound will get you eventually if you don't get on the ball. | ||
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| Jabato | Aventuras AD | [top] | |
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Jabato is an adventure composed of six parts, each one with its own independent argument, but subtly related to the main plot. In each geographic area you will have different problems, interlaced within a series of "custom pictures" which gather part of Europe and North Africa as they were in the first century BC. It was the time of the Roman Empire splendor, their legions extend and dominate the known world, but in each one of their provinces the inhabitants breathe freedom and make their own rules, codes and rituals. In Hispania, Jabato became a legendary figure, prototype of the implacable hero in the fight against the evil but with a great heart. In this history you will assume the role of this fabulous personage. But it won't be easy: instead of living one of his moments of greatness, you will incarnate a defeated Jabato, without friends, prisoner in a dirty Roman jail with the bitter feeling that his beloved Claudia is captive in a distant land. Your final mission will be to avoid that her could be sacrificed by the fanatical sect of the Egyptian sub-world. For it, on the first part, you must liberate yourself from the Roman yoke and search for company. Multiple adventures are awaiting you soon in the Galia and Hispania. The second part begins in Cesarea, in which you must enter in the heart of Africa and obtain the keys that could allow you to survive in the lands of the mythical tombs, sacred Pharaohs and great mysteries. If you survive, you will fight the final battle against the terrible forces of the dark wisdom. | ||
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| Ke Rulen Los Petas [Sp] | Iber Soft / MCM | [top] | |
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A very nice sci-fi adventure that probably had not a smashing success for not having been published by one of the big companies. In a dystopian future Bangkok, the drug addicts fight the evil corrupt dictatorship of General Charoen. It's all good, from graphics to the atmosphere, except perhaps the character. The police are more corrupt on the face of the Earth, since they control the business of gambling, prostitution, drugs, organized theft ... plus prevent access to culture for the vast majority of the population (whose life expectancy does not pass thirty years). In this world you must play as Mikael and Andrew Kacho Yakson Mule, two camels trafficking survivors; they are good friends and they complement each other: while Mikael is smart and has good ideas, Andrés is all muscle and power. In one of the raids they discover and pursue Korps, leading them to flee and become separated. Mikael enters a dead end and has a korp behind him, leaving us with our first order type. The story that follows is full of touches of humor, especially with the apparitions of Willis, the old pothead, and Ku Klux Klan, which also has a role in the game (the sad social situation in Bangkok brings racial problems too), as well as the language used is somewhat rough and nasty. The "change" command that allows us to exchange the characters depending on whether the problem is solved with intelligence (Mikael's field, unable to lift anything much) or hard ( turn to Andrew, who is not able to detect objects if it's not expressly said). | ||
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| Kristal, The | Fissionchip Software / Cinemaware | [top] | |
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This is one of Cinemaware's last releases before the company disbanded and one of the few games it did not develop in-house, The Kristal is a zany outer-space adventure game that combines traditional adventure with arcade sequences. The game seems to follow the tongue-in-cheek formula of "B" movies such as Flash Gordon and Plan 9 from Outer Space, but has poorly written dialogues, puzzles that don't make any sense, and the annoying reliance on money, which is in extremely short supply. The plot puts you in the shoes of a carefree space jockey who had one too many at a galactic bar, and found himself stranded on an alien planet. | ||
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| La Aventura Original [Sp] | Aventuras AD | [top] | |
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In Spain, the first Spanish company dedicated exclusively to text adventures (Aventuras AD), made its reputation on this game based on Willie Crowther and Don Woods' original game Adventure. It took 8 months of investigation and work to create this version. Aside from being in Spanish, it has with several points worth mentioning such as having more than 100 detailed locations with graphical illustrations; a special routine of exit descriptions (indispensable for guiding the adventurer through this complex world); and the possibility of using accents, "ñ"'s and opening interrogation and exclamation signs. As well, every object of your inventory is described in text and graphic form. The characters also use the PSI system, so they are not mere objects with human names, but will listen to you and respond -- but most importantly, will act according to how you treat them. | ||
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| Legend Of Djel | Timeline Computer Entertainment / Tomahawk / Coktel Vision | [top] | |
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This is a point-and-click adventure (without mouse support on the DOS version). You play the role of a gnome named Djel. You have three basic missions: Find the daughter of Azeulisses, brew a magic potion for Theros and try to obtain a certain amount of Gold for the starving members of Kal's tribe. In the beginning these persons give you some items to support you on your quest. It's probably Coktel's only action game and is very strange. It combines quick reflexes with minimal strategic elements. The plot casts you as wizard Djel who must win back the confidence of his people by defeating various monsters and ultimately grand wizard Hokram in a magical joust. In a setting similar to the later Ween: The Prophecy, you must find various objects to please various sages and wizards in order to obtain ingredients and powers needed to fight the bad guys. | ||
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| Leisure Suit Larry 3: Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating Pectorals | Sierra On-Line | [top] | |
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In this third game in the popular sexually comic adult adventure series, the game action takes place on Nontoonyt, the tropical island from LSL2 (which is now a built-up vacation resort reminiscent of Honolulu, Hawaii), and is composed of two parts. The first part is very similar to the two previous games. Larry is dumped (Kalalau leaves him for a lesbian cannibal Amazon slot machine repairwoman) and loses his job with Kalalu's father, and is left free to explore the resort and meet girls. However, in typical Larry fashion, his encounters with the women he tries to seduce are doomed to failure, with Larry always ending up humiliated in some way. This continues until he finds his "One True Love", who this time is a pianist named Passionate Patti. The second part of the game occurs after Larry and Patti break up because of a misunderstanding; the player then takes control of Patti in her quest to find Larry, who has wandered off into the jungle. The "Patti" portion more closely resembles a traditional adventure game, with Patti having to collect various items and use them in creative ways to solve puzzles. The ending is the most surreal of the series as Al Lowe, the game's creator, wrote it as an ending to the trilogy of games... but then more in the series were ordered. Sierra decided to return to the adult oriented themes, absent from the previous game, so like the first episode of the series, it also featured an age verification system; a series of questions to which the authors reasoned only adults would know the answer. Unlike the first game, wrong answers didn't forbid the player to play, but rather featured more 'light' themes and expressions depending on the score. The levels differed in some 'dirtiness' details, like whether Tawni had a bra on the beach or not, the action of the sexual scenes, some vocabulary like the default explicit etc. The game had some customization options that never appeared in any other Sierra adventure. For example the player could change the colour of the message boxes and the fonts. Also, the player could edit into the dialogues his favourite explicit phrase which is repeated throughout the game. It is also the first Sierra game to allow players to switch roles and see the story from another point of view. | ||
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| Les Portes du Temps [Fr] | Legend Software | [top] | |
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The year is 2112. Scientific base "Neuronix" based on Alaska reported that deadliest virus AX 415 has infected some of its employees. They encircled itself by power field to prevent any outside infection. But the base has the center of teleportation in time - "Transtemporix", and some employees mad of their fate has used it to run away the base and put in danger the present society and ancient big civilizations. You, Agent Martix, was chosen by Jimonson Government to be responsible for carrying out the mission on eliminating the individuals infected by virus, who has spreading out the Neuronix in the times. A Cyborg RX-22 will accompany you during all length of your mission because of his remarkable knowledge of ancient civilizations stored in several gigabytes of its RAM and invisibility to anybody except you. The Epochs you will visit in this text adventure with graphics include: 1) Alaska ( 2112 A.D. ) - present days on the base "Neuronix"; 2) Central Europe ( 85002 B.C. ) - first Homosapiens in Paleolithic; 3) Highlands of Scotland ( February 16th, 1135 ) - feudal lords and castles near Loch-Ness; 4) Incan Empire ( June 25th, 1527 ) - Indians, Capital of Empire, and Holiday of the Sun; 5) Japan ( May 12th, 1535 ) - castle in Edo city, shoguns, Japanese culture. | ||
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| Manhunter 2: San Francisco | Evryware / Sierra On-Line | [top] | |
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This s a sequel of the Sierra cult classic series with a no-typing interface. As a manhunter working for orb-shaped aliens, find and join the underground movement to free the earth from slavery. Sleuthing skills (e.g. tracking down suspects and deducing their names) are integrated with lots of action sequences. Manhunter 2 has less frustrating arcade sequences (and fewer mazes) than the first game. | ||
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| Mean Streets | Access Software | [top] | |
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This is a film noir-style mystery, set in a post-nuclear holocaust future - the first in a long series of Tex Murphy mysteries. Groundbreaking technology (for 1989) features 256-color VGA graphics, real actors, and digital sound played back through the PC speaker. It's an underrated classic, a great sci-fi adventure with some action elements. It even a had well-coded flight simulator based on the engine used in Echelon. The game's strongest appeal is the very well-written plot that is full of many unexpected twists and turns. You play Tex Murphy, a PI who is trying to make a living in 21st century San Francisco. Your first case, brought by a beautiful, seductive Sylvia Linsky, is to investigate the purported "suicide" of her father Carl Linsky, who supposedly jumped off the Golden Gate bridge. Until his death, he has been working on a classified project with a company called MTC. She is not pleased about the fact that the insurance company will not pay her the one million dollars of Carl's insurance. It has enough good ol' inventory and deduction-based puzzles to satisfy fans of traditional adventures. Besides the mini-flight sim portion, it also contains a simple shoot-'em-up arcade in which you must advance along a long corridor and shoot down the thugs who try to stop you. Another innovation is the interrogation/conversation interface. Talking to a character brings up their close-up digitized photo, and an array of approaches you can take - ranging from friendly, to bribery and outright threat. You can get "stuck" forever in the game if you choose the wrong approach for a character, so it's best to save before talking to anyone. Most characters just offer campy, canned remarks, but a few are quite interesting, with a personality to match Tex's ego. | ||
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| Megacorp | Dinamic Software | [top] | |
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In the XXII century the universe is dominated by two major forces born after decades of major wars: the Empire and the Hark Federation. Being both of them expansionist governments, frictions in their borders are almost constant. Within the Empire, the biggest power after the emperor himself, are the Mega Corporations, financial partnerships that control every aspect of people's lives. With power of life and death, these Mega-Corp, as they are familiarly known, extend their tentacles by the Cosmos in search of riches to extract or eventually snatch. The federal system consists in the "adoption" under its tutelage of technologically poor planetary systems in general, although rich in material or manpower that are invariably employed in improving the resources of the originary Hark planets. "Megacorp" is a conversational adventure with static graphics in which you will take part of the Imperial federation. Your exact mission would be guiding your operative agent to get control of the situation on the GEA-3 planet. You should, helping rebel groups, overthrow the government, now in the hands of The Federation. Your craft will land on the forest surrounding the rebel base. Cross the lake, pass police checks and find your link to be identified by their status as merchant in fur, from here follow his instructions. The mission is risky but the reward is great, if you make GEA-3 planet be part of the Empire, you will get immensely rich. In 2020, Megacorp Deluxe, a free fan-made remake using Adventure Game Studio was released. | ||
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| Myth | Mangetic Scrolls / Rainbird Software | [top] | |
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Magnetic Scrolls' last adventure before the introduction of their 'Magnetic Windows' format, Myth is a short but fun game that was distributed for free as a "welcome present" in the British adventure club called "Official Secrets," which was founded by Tony Rainbird, founder of the well known "Rainbird" label who later became business advisor of Magnetic Scrolls. The ancient gods are having a bit of a problem: Something called Christianity. Hordes of people are leaving their temples to worship this newfangled Jesus bloke instead. Desperate to win back public support, chief god Zeus decides to give all fellow gods a task each, something to impress the little people. Guess who gets to show off first? Yep, you, Poseidon, the god of the sea, who can't swim. You're whisked off to the gates of the Underworld armed with the usual adventuring tack: trident, shield, tunic and skirt (!), plus the obligatory note explaining the task facing you: Basically, just to nick the Helmet of invisibility from Hades. The problems are solvable, but far from easy. You need a devious mind to work some out. It's a text only game, and it strikes an excellent balance between atmosphere and amusement. Author Paul Findley keeps enough sense of 'being there' to make the game lastable, as well as plenty of humour to make it enjoyable. Myth is destined to be a classic, it's funny, cunning and addictive. Despite the game's short length, Myth is a lot of fun to play. It's got clever puzzles, pleasant graphics, and the solid parser that fans of The Pawn will feel right at home with. | ||
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| Omnicron Conspiracy | First Star Software / Epyx | [top] | |
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One of Epyx' last releases before they went out of business, this is a cutting-edge game for its time in many ways: good graphics, plot (in which you are an intergalactic police investigating an agent's disappearance), icon-based inventory, and good interface. As a Star Police Captain, your job is to maintain peace in the Universe. Bust up an intergalactic drug ring in an odyssey involving pyramids, giant artichokes, a big conspiracy, and the Universe. Unfortunately, the annoying 6-item inventory limit, flat writing, and arcade sequences (yes, you have hit points in this game) dull these strengths. Still, an above-average game that holds your attention with its quirky charm right to the end. | ||
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| Ooze:Creepy Nites | Dragonware Games | [top] | |
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Ooze is an illustrated text adventure: Your uncle Chez Burger left you a house called Carfax Abbey, placed in a little town in the southeast of Salom's Lot. As Ham Burger you are heir to something evil and sinister on a frightening and exciting journey into the world of ghosts and demons. In a setting familiar to most horror fans, you must negotiate a variety of creepy events while exploring Carfax Abbey, an ancient dilapidated house that's become your new home. The unusual second-person perspective parser, simplistic but fair puzzles, and good atmosphere makes this a pleasant game that falls short of Infocom's classic horror IF Lurking Horror, but is still a worthy attempt despite banal plot and amateurish writing. | ||
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| Passengers On The Wind | Infogrames Multimedia SA | [top] | |
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Based on François Bourgeon's French comic book series from the '80s, the game follows the series' plot very closely. It's a romance story set in the high-romantic era of the 18th century, similar to Infocom's Plundered Hearts. As the French Revolution is about to begin, Hoel and Isa find themselves in Brittany after a series of unfortunate events. They will face a thousand dangers, travel from the European to the African shores, in a quest to discover truth about Isa's real identity. The player controls, in turn, the actions of the daring heroine, the courageous and loving sailor, and more than fifteen other characters living towards the end of the eighteenth century. Gameplay is limited to only choosing the decision of either Isa or Hoel when their "thoughts" appear on the screen. Although the game is very non-linear, this gives a good illusion of freedom as different choices may lead to different outcome (although they all converge sooner or later). | ||
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| Passengers on the Wind II | Infogrames Entertainment SA | [top] | |
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This sequel allows players to decide the fate of the heroes and direct all of them so that they reach their aim. It's an adaptation from a classic French comic (Bourgeon, 1979). Players will discover many locations, directions, and events; and will live different stories according to the directions that he makes the characters take. Everything is controlled using either the keyboard or the joystick. Players are both the director and the heroes. The screen is divided into three main elements: a graphical section where the action takes place; a section showing the character players are directing; and the section containing text, from which players decide the action. The player can take several actions during the game: saving a game, viewing flashbacks (in slow or fast motion), or intervention on the central graphic screen to make the action develop. The game is split into seven episodes which players have to gradually make their way through. In each, a main scene is displayed in the graphical section, and by simple confirmation players can make the characters appear. To avoid restarting the game at the beginning each time, players are given an opportunity to save the situation in progress. In this case, a blank, formatted disk is required to save these situations. | ||
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| Personal Nightmare | Horrorsoft | [top] | |
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In this horror adventure, your father is the pastor of your village. A strange letter from him made you decide to return to your village, only to find out your father is nowhere to be found, and everyone is being hostile and strange. After awhile you will find out evil forces have taken over the people of the village and your job is to find out how to kill some evil creatures (like a vampire) and figure out what truly is going on. This rare PC conversion of a great Amiga game is arguably Horrorsoft's best adventure before they turned to the RPG genre to produce cult classics Elvira and Waxworks. As with Horrorsoft's other games, Personal Nightmare is a horror adventure that starts out peacefully with you arriving at a hotel... before things go terribly wrong. Great mouse-driven interface, plot, writing, and puzzles make this an underrated classic. | ||
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| President Is Missing, The | Cosmi Corporation / Microprose | [top] | |
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The President of the USA and other heads of state were kidnapped. It's up to you as a special investigator to find them. In this text-based adventure mystery you must wade through piles of information, and send agents into the field to investigate suspects, all in the hopes of catching the culprits and saving the world leaders. Although not traditional IF in a sense that there is no text parser, President is Missing and its sequel Presumed Guilty embody what make great IF: involving story and inventive puzzles where logical deduction and attention to detail are key to success. Both games cast you as official investigator: President is Missing puts you in charge of an investigation to rescue missing presidents from terrorists, while its successor is based on a more typical detective plot. Innovative on many levels, including real-time action, great details, and captivating storylines. Check out the "database" command for comprehensive on-line instructions and background story. In addition to the manual, you also need the cassette tape that came with the game, since you must decipher the morse code at one point. | ||
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| Presumed Guilty! | Cosmi Corporation / Microprose | [top] | |
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Although not traditional IF in a sense that there is no text parser, President is Missing and its sequel Presumed Guilty embody what make great IF: involving story and inventive puzzles where logical deduction and attention to detail are key to success. Both games cast you as official investigator: President is Missing puts you in charge of an investigation to rescue missing presidents from terrorists, while its successor is based on a more typical detective plot. Innovative on many levels, including real-time action, great details, and captivating storylines. Check out the "database" command for comprehensive on-line instructions and background story. The game came with an audio cassette which contained special clues such as intelligence data, radio intercepts, coded agency transmissions, surveillance wiretaps, telemetry, satellite transmissions and more. | ||
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| Quest For The Time-Bird, The | Atari Europe / Rainbird Software | [top] | |
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One of the rarest Infogrames games ever made, Quest for The Timebird is an excellent adventure game based on a famous French graphic novel of the same name. In an unknown world, at a time when wizards and witches cast their magic spells, your task is to undertake the quest for the legendary timebird. In the game, you control the actions of Roxanna, the daughter of Mara the Witch, and Bragon the famous knight who became interested in the quest only after Roxanna convinced him to return to a life of danger and mortal combat. With him goes his trusty war-axe, the Reaper. Along the way, Roxanna and Bragon will become acquainted with Bulrog and the Unknown knight, both of whom may accompany you if you wish it. You have nine days to complete the quest, but the task is not as difficult as it first appears. Although it was marketed as an "adventure game," QFTB plays more like an interactive storybook: you advance the plot merely by exploring the lands, charming anyone you can, and attacking others. The game also includes an annoying maze, although it is thankfully short enough that you can solve it by trial and error. Similar to Infocom's Journey, you must select what to do from multiple choices, although the game is far easier and much more linear. | ||
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| Space Ace | Sullivan Bluth Interactive Media / ReadySoft Incorporated | [top] | |
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Following the successful gameplay of Dragon's Lair, Don Bluth released this second conversion of his Laserdisc games series. You're playing Dexter, a guy fighting the evil madman Borf who has kidnapped your girlfriend Kimberly and is now threatening the world with his dreaded weapon, the "Infanto Ray" which turns adults into small children. The game plays like a comic strip - visuals are similar to many cartoon movies. In each scene you only have to decide which direction of the keyboard has to be hit in order to avoid one of the countless death screens and to advance to the next screen. | ||
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| Star Trek V: The Final Frontier | Level Systems / Mindscape | [top] | |
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This is a disappointing game based on the equally disappointing Star Trek movie of the same name. Final Frontier's quirky combat controls and lack of real interactivity in the plot department sank the game faster than James T. Kirk's phaser draw. The game's excellent VGA graphics did little to improve things, so this game is really for die-hard Trekkies who simply must have every Star Trek game ever produced. The rest of us would do well to steer clear of this game. | ||
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| Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Transinium Challenge | TRANS Fiction Systems / Simon & Schuster | [top] | |
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You are commander William T. Riker of the Federation Starship Enterprise. When an allied station came under attack by unknown aliens, it's up to you and the crew of the Enterprise to solve the mystery. The first TNG game, this featured high-res (640x200) CGA digitized graphics. This obscure adventure game is an excellent Star Trek: TNG title that captures all the flavor of the TV series, with cool digitized animations of the cast and object. The game features the excellent "conference" and "analyze" strategic options similar to TRANS Fiction's other title Hidden Agenda, where you evaluate found objects and solicit opinions from crew members. | ||
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| Starlife [Sp] | New Frontier / Zafiro | [top] | |
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Rare Spanish quest with a first-person view in the dark and quite an unusual sci-fi entourage. The above-mentioned "very unusual" is not an empty phrase: Starlife is probably the only game in history that raises the issue of the so-called paleocontacts. Specifically, in the game world there is an alien invasion, but it does not occur in an abstract future or the present, but in the country since the Middle Ages. Evil aliens, eager to revive life on their exhausted from their economic activities home planet, plan to steal an artifact from Earth called Starlife that energizes the surrounding villages. The player assumes the role of a farmer who has to interfere with their plans. View the game in the first person, but the gameplay is extremely complex and little understood. Animations move there, but it is possible to set the movement of the hero in four directions. From the available actions there are dialogs, lifting, throwing and use of a particular object. Please also note that as the game progresses your character needed food and water to sustain life. The graphics in Starlife are extremely minimalist - your eyes will appear (in addition to the interface), only a small CGA-image on a black background on the left side of the screen. Immediately after the game has been subjected to severe criticism in rare reviews for "uninteresting" and the complexity, and the PC-version has been found only in June 2015. Of course, to carry this thing to the classic masterpieces is not possible, but as a collector's item and how, again, probably the only game on this topic, it has a very high value. | ||
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| Third Courier, The | Synergistic Software, Inc. / Accolade | [top] | |
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The game plays in the era of the 'cold war' and the action takes place in Germany. The player is a western spy, and his mission is to recover stolen NATO defense plans. To fulfill this mission all typical spy actions, like tracking, interrogating etc, can be used. In one of the best "spy" games ever made (but then, there haven't been that many...), you earn money and skills in the process. The vast gameworld, very few clues, and numerous objects you can use (including neat spy gadgets) make this a difficult game. Most puzzles center around tracking suspects with the right equipment, and interrogating them. | ||
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| Transylvania III: Vanquish The Night | Polarware / Merit Studios | [top] | |
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The last game in the Transylvania series ends in a high note with improved graphics, much better plot and writing, and more difficult puzzles. This time you're not just up against an evil vampire but entire armies of horrific creatures. The verb-noun limitation of Comprehend results in a few annoying "guess-the-verb" puzzles, but other than that it's an excellent, action-filled trip into the lands of the undead. The spooky atmosphere is carried well with the graphics and real-time threats you always have to deal with. Definitely the capstone of Polarware's career and one of its very best. | ||
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| Treasury Of Zan | R&R Software | [top] | |
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Treasury of Zan is a very obscure shareware graphical text adventure sold via mail order in 1989. The game looks and plays similar to contemporary games from Magnetic Scroll and Level 9: graphics take up the top three quarters of the screen, and the text description and parser occupy the bottom one quarter. The plot is a cliche variant of The Wizard of Oz, except this time you are carried into another world not by a tornado, but by a suspicious looking wizard who picks you up when your car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. It places much more emphasis on puzzles than the storyline or characters, judging from minimal room and object descriptions. Unfortunately, the puzzles are a far cry from the caliber of difficult-but-logical puzzles found in Infocom and Magnetic Scroll games. The game gets much better after the initial start-the-car sequence. It is still unforgiving and sparsely described, but at least the puzzles are much more logical, and the game much more open-ended. It was later made freeware by the author. | ||
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| Universe 3 | Omnitrend Software | [top] | |
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Unlike the first two games in the series, which fell into the roleplaying and resource-management category, Universe 3 poses true logic-based puzzles for you to solve. Your characters move about in much the same way as their counterparts in Breach, Omnitrend's tactical combat RPG. You set out to escort a diplomat on a trip to the hyperspace booster (a key element of Universe 2) to investigate the disappearance of shipments from Earth to this remote corner of the star map. The story takes a quick twist when you and your crew are captured, forcing you to rack up some criminal charges during your escape. You'll spend the rest of your time looking for evidence about the missing shipments, which will clear you of the charges as well as wrap up the mystery. | ||
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| Usurper, The: The Mines Of Qyntarr | Sir-tech Software, Inc. | [top] | |
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You're in an unknown and strange world. The Usurper is the one who siezes the rights of others, without question, without authority; one who creates a tale of unfolding tyranny upon the innocent of the land; one who will never renounce his ruthless position to spite the good in all. The only IF from Wizardry maker is a decent dungeon romp in the spirit of Zork (only with a more serious undertone and better plot). While enjoying your holidays in the mountains, you encounter a strange dying man who asks you to find the magical Orb and use it to vanquish the evil Usurper, hence freeing the imprisoned tribe from the mines of Qyntarr. Good puzzles, imaginative denizens of the mines, and a competent parser make this a solid IF. | ||
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| Weird Dreams | Best Ever Games Company / Medalist International | [top] | |
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You are a severely ill man on the operating table when a Daemon named Emily traps you in your own subconscious. To escape you must find four orbs, which are trapped within a selection of esoteric mini-games set within the darkest Dali-influenced recesses of the mind. Weird Dreams is a third-person-puzzle type game with very strange levels including feeding a wasp cotton candy, beating up hopping totem poles with fish from the sky, and an encounter with a baked chicken in a haunted house. The game comes with a "short novel" that explains the plot in detail and serves as copy protection ( the "enter word on page 4, paragraph 5, line 6. word 8" type). | ||
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| Alien Syndrome | SEGA Enterprises Ltd. | [top] | |
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This is a run and gun shooter arcade conversion. Two players control two soldiers, named Ricky and Mary, who fight their way through large eight-way scrolling levels while rescuing their comrades who are being held by aliens. After they have rescued a certain number of hostages, the exit opens and they can pass through it in order to fight the end-of-level guardian. If this monstrosity is defeated, they are then able to move onto the next stage. Alien Syndrome features two player simultaneous gameplay and pickups which assist the player, including better weapons and maps of the current level. Make it to the escape hatch before the time bomb explodes. You can play as a single player or two people, taking turns (Player 2 starts the game after Player 1 dies and vice versa). | ||
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| All Dogs Go to Heaven | Penguin Software Inc. / Merit Software | [top] | |
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This game consists of ten arcade mini-games based on the Don Bluth animated movie with the main characters voiced by Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLouise. Charlie the dog, a good guy but a bit of a scoundrel, is bumped off by an evil 'crime lord' of a dog and ends up in heaven but yearns to go back to Earth to set things right. The game starts there, if you play the story mode. Plot points from the movie are used to loosely tie the mini-games together, but you can also pick your own game. Among the different mini-games, there's a Hangman clone, a session of The Towers of Hanoi, a run around the city to try to find the girl's house, a maze-crawl through a ventilation system, and a Rat Race that pits you as a rat called Squad Car trying to win a race against three to five other rats. There are three difficulty levels to choose from. | ||
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| Amazing Spider-Man and Captain America in Doctor Doom's Revenge | Paragon Software Corporation / Medalist International | [top] | |
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Latverian president Dr. Doom is a terrible enemy, so when he hatches a plan to blow up New York City with a stolen Atomic bomb, one Marvel superhero is not enough to stop him. As the lavishly-drawn comic bundled with the game explains, Spider-Man and Captain America must join forces to go to Latveria and foil his plans. The main action in the game is a side-scrolling beat 'em up, in which you alternately control the two characters. They each have their own moves to deal with The Rhino, Electro and other foes. Moves are context-sensitive based on the distance between your character and the opponent. Energy bars decrease as you each take hits. After each section you get comic-book sequences as a reward, and to set the scene of the evolving story. | ||
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| Archipelagos | Astral Software / Logotron Ltd | [top] | |
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This is a real-time puzzle and strategy game with an unconventional premise and equally unconventional gameplay. In the future, man carelessly poisons the earth with nuclear waste. The polar ice caps have melted, turning the surface of the earth into many islands of decaying land masses, known as Archipelagos. Man then built systems to try to clean up the pollution, but these failed. The only life left were genetically-altered plants made in an effort to clean up the waste - these also turned hostile. It is up to you to clean up the earth, island by island. Controlling a hoversphere, it is up to you to make Earth's many islands of land habitable. To do this, you need to knock out the radiation generators on each island, which can be done by knocking out each generator's power sources (there are several per island). Once these are knocked out, you have 90 seconds to get back to the generator and disable it before it melts down, taking you with it. Obstacles, unfortunately for you, are plentiful: You can't knock out a power source unless it is connected by a "land bridge" to the generator. You have the ability to create land where needed, but this takes up energy, and you have a limited supply. Also a hindrance are the many genetically-altered entities left behind on the islands: Viral trees that poison the ground; necromancers (former hoverspheres) that now erode land instead of creating it; eco eggs that explode on touch; and aircleaners, who are ruthlessly efficient in cleaning up the air -- and everything else, including you. The entire game plays from a 3D first-person viewpoint. A movable cursor selects where to move or what to manipulate. There are 10,000 islands on Earth to purify. If you can make it past Archipelago #100, you are then free to select any of them. | ||
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| Army Moves [Sp] | Dinamic Software | [top] | |
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This is a one-player game which is divided into two parts. In part one, you drive a jeep and must avoid collision with other jeeps and being shot at by helicopters. Then, you fly around in a helicopter and the oject is to bring down airplanes without being shot at by the airplanes themselves, submarines, and any other ground fire. Make sure you land on the pad near the end. In part two, you start out in the jungle and must jump from rock to rock without crashing into toucans (shoot at them to make them fly higher) and being blown to bits. Then you have to make your way to the general's offices shooting soldiers on the way, and finally, locate the secret documents. When you complete the seven sections of Army Moves, you'll receive a higher bonus. Some versions have a high score table to record your achievements. The second section must be loaded seperately, using a code attained from completing part one, on some versions. The PC DOS version only came out in Spanish. | ||
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| Asterix: Operation Getafix | Coktel Vision | [top] | |
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This is an action and adventure game in which you control Asterix the hero of the Gauls and star of the Asterix & Obelix comics. You have to travel around to collect items, and find a cure for Getafix, the druid of the Gauls. Getafix must be cured so that he can continue to make the potion that keeps roman soldiers away from the tiny Gaul village. It's one of the most obscure Coktel Vision games ever, and is a decent action/adventure similar to Infogrames' Tintin games. Gameplay follows for the most part a typical platform formula: fight the Romans and hunt the wild boars, etc. But as with most Coktel games, Asterix also contains non-action sequences, such as the fun part where you mix the ingredients and test the potion on either Getafix or a captive Roman, and a dice game you can play against the soothsayer or Romans in the camp. The money you win from the game is necessary to buy items and potion ingredients. | ||
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| Cartooners | ITDA / Electronic Arts, Inc. | [top] | |
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Cartooners is a nice simple little program that allows you to make your very own animated cartoons. Using actor templates and static backgrounds, any user from a child as young as 5 can make semi-professional looking animations. Characters range from a duck to a bird, and a pig to a baseball. Your own imagination is this games boundary. By discovering new techniques you can make some pretty impressive looking toons. This is where the fun lies. Gameplay is like mix-and-match - just pick the backdrop, cartoons, objects, then add text to the blurbs to make a complete comic-book style panel. Animations are cute, but limited interaction with the characters probably means the program is meant more as a "print kit" than a game. | ||
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| Clue: Master Detective | Dalali Software Ltd. / Mastertronic Group Ltd. | [top] | |
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Licenced from Waddington Games Ltd. and Parker Brothers this game is a computer remake of the logic board cards game. Mr. Boddy was murdered in his manor by one of his guests. You have to solve the mystery of murder: find killer, weapon and place of murder. Computer shuffles 30 cards, holds the murder cards and deals other cards to the players. Objective of game is to move around the manor, enter possible murder places, gather information of other player's cards, make suggestions and deduce the murder cards by a process of elimination. Number of moves is defined by thrown dice. When you are sure that you have deduced the correct solution to the murder, you must make an accusation to win the game. 3 levels of computer intelligence and difficulty for you. Multiplayer is up to 10 players sitting near one computer. | ||
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| Computer Edition of Risk, The: The World Conquest Game | Gang of Five / Leisure Genius | [top] | |
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This is an official conversion of the classic Parker Brothers board game. Two to six human and/or computer players attempt to conquer the world with their armies. Computer players have three different skill levels. There are actually four major versions of the game available: UK full game, US full game, UK short game, and US short game. The short games have an added rule to make the game go faster. In the UK short game, players can try to complete an assigned mission to win. In the US short game, players try to occupy enemy HQs. In addition to rule differences between the UK and US game, there are different graphics used for the cards. | ||
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| David Wolf: Secret Agent | Dynamix, Inc. | [top] | |
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Bruno Vasto, a madman, has stolen the experimental SF-2 stealth fighter and threatens to blow up Washington D.C.! It's up to you to infiltrate Vasto's organization and retrieve the fighter to save the world. It's all in a day's work for David Wolf, the secret agent. The game merges digitized cinematic cutscenes with bitmap and 3D animation to create an action-based interactive movie. Four 3D action simulations are the heart of the game: HangGliding (with a machine gun mounted to the front), Sportscar driving (with a machine gun mounted to the front), Fighter Simulation (with a machine gun and a missile launcher mounted to the front), and Skydiving (no machine gun). The player follows along with the story for a few minutes, then is attacked and must outwit his opponents to live. | ||
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| Double Dragon II: The Revenge | Technos Japan Corp. / Virgin Mastertronic Ltd. | [top] | |
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The lovely Marian was rescued from the clutches of the Black Warriors gang by Billy & Jimmy Lee in the first Double Dragon game, but now the gang has killed her in retaliation of their early defeat. The Dragons must now embark on a mission to avenge her death and defeat the Black Warriors for the second and final time. The original beat 'em up arcade version was essentially an improved version of the first game. In addition to offering renewed audio and visuals, as well as new traps, moves and enemy characters, it discarded the conventional punch and kick buttons in favor of a direction-oriented attacking system similar to the original Technos beat-em-up Renegade. | ||
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| Drakkar | Diabolic Software / Delta Software, S.L. | [top] | |
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Drakkar is an action game where you take the role of Erik, a viking that has been contacted by the gods and was told to to collect the three objects that will let him become the king of his people: the parchment of wisdom, the Caesar laurels and the trophy of war. But he will not face his path disarmed, the gods have given him a shield that will protect him from the Roman arrows. Erik has travelled back in time with a magical drakkar (the ancient viking ship) and has to pass a forest that takes directly to ancient Rome, where there are his goals, but first he must consult the gods (in the game presented in the form of dragons) as the order for collecting the objects varies depending on the game. Our hero is armed with a truncheon and shield that has been given by the gods, but the biggest drawback is that such a weapon (plus the axes that he can get later) serves only to certain enemies, while in other occasions he should just avoid any kind of contact with them. The first group of enemies, namely the ones that can be destroyed, belongs to bats and the Roman soldiers armed with swords, maces or arches. The second group belongs to snakes and rats from the forest, fish in the ponds, the notes to the angels of heaven, which in addition to subtracting energy to Erik, leave him immobilized at the mercy of their enemies, and chandeliers, that although lethal, can just be found in the rooms near the parchment. But not everything was going to be bad for Erik, and so, besides the shield of the gods and axes, he can also recharge part of his energy through pears and fish, succulent delicacies have been distributed for the comprehensive mapping. | ||
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| Fiendish Freddy's Big Top O' Fun | Gray Matter Inc. / Mindscape, Inc. | [top] | |
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In this game, you try to save your circus from Fiendish Freddy buying it out by performing 6 circus acts which include... High Diving, Juggling, Trapeze, Knife Throw, Tightrope, and Cannonball. The performance in each event is judged by five clown judges, who offer money depending on the quality of the show. These games are rather tricky, and watch out for Fiendish Freddy who has a fiendish trick up his sleeve every time. The game was similar to many of the multi-event sports games of the time such as Epyx' California Games, Winter Games and Summer Games. However, Fiendish Freddy differed not only by its surroundings (circus events) offering a comedy element, it also offered a plot and a clear goal of winning $10,000. | ||
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| Gauntlet II | Atari Games Corporation / Mindscape, Inc. | [top] | |
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Gauntlet II is very similar to its predecessor. Up to four players (a wizard, a warrior, an elf, and a valkyrie) make their way through various mazes, collect treasures and magic potions, and fend off assorted creatures and ghosts. Thor, Thyra, Questor, and Merlin thunder into your home - the continuing adventures of your favorite characters direct from the arcade megahit. Challenge and danger await as you fight for survival in the Dark Dungeons - with over 100 new maze layouts to explore. Collect valuable treasures while doing battle with ghosts, grunts, demons, sorcerers - all faithfully replicated from the arcade game. State-of-the-art programming makes it worthy of its arcade billing. This is the Gauntlet that you won't want to lay down. It features: technical wizardry that delivers all the action, sound, and colorful animation of the Gauntlet arcade games; devilishly difficult mazes; sorcerous secret rooms; a magic potion of traps, monster generators, transporters, force fields, and villains; and spellbinding graphics excitement! There are new health-draining force fields and new monsters such as sorcerers, blobs of acid, and a black monster that homes in on you and saps your health. The levels also start changing randomly after level 5. Less important is the ability to choose what colour you want your character to be, and if you're playing with a friend, it's now possible for both of you to choose the same character. | ||
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| Ghostbusters II | Dynamix, Inc. / Activision, Inc. | [top] | |
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The game tries to follow the movie, and the storyline goes roughly like this: Five years after our heroes saved the world from the invasion of an old Mesopotamian deity Gozer, (and blew up a 30 stories tall Marshmallow Man), an ex-girlfriend of one of the 'Busters is returning home with her baby. But the wheel of the baby-carriage gets dipped in some pink slime and it starts driving on its own. Dana (the girl) decides to call on her friend, the Ghostbuster, to find out what happened, after which they decide to dig a huge hole in the middle of the road. What they discover is an underground river of Slime, but at the same time they knock out the electricity in the entire Manhattan area... and are sued by the city. And this is where this game picks up. First you must bust the two Scallarry brothers, who want to take their revenge on the judge who gave them the chair. Succeed or not you'll proceed to the Ghostbusters office. Here there are several things to do. Like in the real classic Ghostbusters (for C64) from 1984 money IS an issue. You start with a $10.000 debt. To make money you must answer the phone and... (surprise, surprise) bust ghosts. You must also collect some slime and test it, because this slime will come in really handy. If you've seen the movie you know that this is good-mood slime and it gives the Statue of Liberty get-up-and-go because it (the slime - not the statue) really loves Jackie's: (Your love's lifting me) Higher and Higher. But be careful! If you fail to bust a ghost or get trapped in the river of slime, you'll end up in the nuthouse, and the rest of the team will have to bust you out (this part of the game is really the most original, because it's quite different from the movie). So, can you stop the Scorge of Karpathia, the Sorrow of Moldavia - Lord VIGO?! | ||
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| Heroes of the Lance | U.S. Gold Ltd. / Strategic Simulations, Inc. | [top] | |
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Heroes of the Lance is one of the AD&D games that takes a break from the usual RPG style and based on the later parts of the Dragonlance book Dragons of Autumn Twilight. In it the heroes descend into a ruined city in search of the disks of Mishakal. The gameplay consists of horizontal fighting with a maze like map using doors to change the view. The party consists of the 8 Heroes of the Lance, using one at a time and the player can switch between them at any time. Each character has different types of attacks and spells making them more suited to fighting different enemies as well as acting as lives. | ||
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| Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom | Atari Games Corporation / Mindscape, Inc. | [top] | |
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The arcade game based on the second movie in the series gets ported to the pc. Indy "whips" his way through the levels solving tasks such as saving the children from Mola Ram. Jump gaps using your whip to swing across. Ride mine carts, choosing the right track and avoiding obstacles. Beware of bats, snakes and Thuggee guards and the fireball throwing Mola Ram. | ||
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| J.R.R. Tolkien's War in Middle Earth | Synergistic Software Inc. / Melbourne House | [top] | |
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This 16-bit version has additional adventuring features compared to the 8-bit version, loosely depicting the events of the One Ring from the Shire to Mt. Doom. The game starts with the three hobbits: Frodo, Sam, and Pippin surrounded by nine individual units of Nazgul near the Shire. Although the first task is to travel to Rivendell, the player is free to decide how heroes and armies progress, despite the in-game conventional storyline. Victory is attained by successfully sending the ring bearer to Mt. Doom - how this accomplished is completely up to the player. Additionally, any hero including Frodo may die during combat. If the ring bearer dies during combat, a new ring bearer (if they survive the encounter) will be appointed to carry the One Ring. If the enemy gains possession of the One Ring is taken by the enemy, they will attempt to reach Barad-Dur, Sauron's fortress in the heart of Mordor, which will result in the player's defeat. The player will also lose if the enemy manages to seize three major allied citadels. Gameplay is divided in accordance to the three different map levels used: Full Map Level - Consists of the whole map of Middle Earth on one screen. All heroes and armies will be shown as colored dots; blue as allied units, green as neutral units, and red as enemy units, as well as general terrain and regional displays. All forces are in the game are viewable as no fog of war feature is in effect. Campaign Level - Most gameplay features of the war takes place at this level. This map offers more detail of locations and units; all locations such as towns, citadels, ruins, etc., may be viewed from here; characters are displayed as figured and armies as badges. Large armies will be shown as a shield, indicating the unit type as well as the shield background signifying the unit's country of origin. Although at the start of the game various character and armies are viewable across the map, only flashing units may be issued orders by the player. Combat encounters for armies also commence at this level, which will prompt a new window where the player may opt to enter a battle or ignore the event. Combat orders consist of four commands: charge, engage, withdraw, and retreat. The battle when all units of either side is completely destroyed or retreats. Animation Level - Animated encounters for characters take place at the level, either for story or combat-related events. Random encounters will prompt a window to be opened and the player may opt to go there or ignore the event. Objects, such as armor, weapons, and other equipment are also viewable and may only be manipulated at this level (e.g. equip, use, etc.). Some units of the West require certain items before their units may be mobilized. | ||
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| Jaws | Starsoft Development Laboratories / Box Office Inc. | [top] | |
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This is an ambitious shark hunting simulation based on the blockbuster 1975 Steven Spielberg movie. In contrast to most fishing games, the goal in Jaws is very narrow: hunt for big sharks to earn money, so that you can better equipment to-- hunt for more sharks in more dangerous waters. You start out with a boat and $8,000 in cash, which dwindles very quickly as you buy modern shark-hunting equipment. You can choose from a wide range of locations to sail to, be it the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean, Kingston or Acapulco. The hunting itself is a bit boring - a little bit like fishing in fact. I would think shark hunting would be more exciting and suspenseful, like in the movie, but unfortunately the game's dull CGA palette and awkware interface doesn't convey that too well. The game does have some nice touches though, such as the different weapons and boats you can ugprade as you make money from selling sharks. A "weapon school" in every port is where you can get certified for each weapon - this improves your accuracy with that weapon. | ||
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| Jim Henson's Muppet Adventure No. 1: Chaos At The Carnival | Micromosaics / Hi-Tech Expressions, Inc. | [top] | |
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This is a collection of six arcade mini-games. Miss Piggy has been "pignapped" by the sinister Dr. Grump; her Muppet friends come to the rescue. Kermit, Gonzo, Fozzie and three other characters from the children's TV show dash into Grump's mysterious fun fair in search for their pink companion. They must brave five rides in succession in order to take on the Grumpasaurus in the final carnival confrontation. Tunnel of Love: Avoid objects in the waterway. Duck Hunt: Hit passing ducks with tomatoes. Space Ride: Land a spaceship in the correct dock using rocket blasts. Bumper Cars: Race around the track and avoid crashing into obstacles. Funhouse: Find a way through a small maze filled with guard dogs. Battle of the Grumpasaurus: Tickle the Grumpasaurus so that he laughs himself silly. It supports two players, taking turns. | ||
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| Le Fetiche Maya | Silmarils | [top] | |
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Silmarils' first action / adventure game is a great game of exploration and survival that sets the stage for many more survival games to come such as Robinson's Requiem. As intrepid explorer, buy equipment and tools and head into the wild Yucatan jungles to find the mysterious Mayan fetish. The side-scrolling view changes to a cool 3D view when you drive the jeep, adding variety to the fun-but-frustratingly-difficult gameplay that combines arcade action with traditional puzzle-solving in the Mayan temples. | ||
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| Mortadelo y Filemón II: Safari Callejero [Sp] | Dro Soft / Animagic S.A. | [top] | |
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The famous crazy-scientist Dr. Bacterio was experimenting with hens to let them grow to the size of a horse, thus trying definitively to end the hunger in the world. But, as was habitual in his experiments, he had failed in his objective and now a gang of uncontrolled hens is circulating around the city putting eggs on the street. But certain special eggs have the capacity to turn one person into a hen (or at least that's what they believed) if the egg crushes on his head. It's the sequel of the first game dedicated to the famous Ibañez's comic book saga, "Mortadelo y Filemón", known as "Clever & Smart" or "Flip & Flop" outside Spain. | ||
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| MOT | Opera Soft | [top] | |
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Who is MOT ? MOT is nothing less than a 3 meter tall inter-dimensional monster (complete with a tail and horns), which can travel through the planes of time and space as easily as you go from your bedroom to the kitchen. Moreover, MOT has the bad habit of hiding in your cupboard, smashing all the furniture in your house from time to time or eating all the food in your fridge during the night. And of course, when you tried to explain to your parents that it wasn't you but MOT who crushed their car, they sent you to a psychiatrist. But MOT is your friend, and you wouldn't let him down when he calls for your help, would you? This is a colorful platformer from Spanish developer Opera Soft. | ||
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| Nightmare On Elm Street, A | Westwood Associates / Monarch Development | [top] | |
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In this exciting action game based on the hit movie, you must find evil Freddy's house before he finds you, and enter it to rescue your friends. Freddy strangely disappears after you enter the house, but you must contend with the various nightmarish creatures. In the beginning, the player gets to choose what character he wants to play, as each character has his or her own special ability. After selecting a character, it is up to the player to rescue the five other characters from Freddy’s sharp claws. But before you can do that, you must first find out where Freddy lives. Once you have found out where Freddy lives, you have to move through his maze-like house collecting keys, pulling switches and defeating hordes of strange and creepy enemies. You will gradually venture deeper into his house, and into madness. A fast, fun, but very short game if you're a good action gamer. | ||
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| Oliver & Company | Coktel Vision | [top] | |
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You are Oliver, a cat from the Disney movie "Oliver & Company" which is in turn based on Charles Dickens' classic Oliver Twist. You play Oliver, a cat who is enjoying life in a nice home after being adoped by a kind soul. But then trouble begins when the evil Sykes (voice by Robert Loggia) tries to kidnap you. In scenes reminiscent of Home Alone, you must escape and deal with these bad guys once and for all. Gameplay is typical platformer - jump, run, and avoid obstacles. You control Oliver through mouse and keyboard and you move around in various places such as the dog gang's home, New York streets and Jenny's mansion. You must score 1000 points to get to next levels. You score points by collecting hot dogs on the street and by catching flying dog biscuits. | ||
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| Robocop | Data East Corporation / Data East USA, Inc. | [top] | |
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Patrolman Alex Murphy was killed on the streets of Detroit. The major corporation there, Omni Consumer Products (OCP) saw an opportunity to sell a new kind of law enforcement officer to the troubled city. They took what was left of Murphy, encased it in titanium armor, wiped his memory and created RoboCop. Now it's up to RoboCop to clean the streets of Detroit and eliminate the one responsible for his murder, Clarence Boddicker. But it looks like Clarence might not be the kingpin of this town. Based on the 1987 movie of the same name, this allows the player to control RoboCop. The majority of the game is a side scroller. RoboCop can punch unarmed citizens and shoot armed citizens. He can move left, right and duck but can not jump. Different weapons can be picked up from enemies, and power-ups to restore health and/or energy. Following levels, RoboCop will have to match a criminal's face to the proper mugshot and engage in a first-person shooting bonus round. | ||
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| Targhan | Silmarils / Gainstar Software Ltd. | [top] | |
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A straightforward platform game with a simple kill-the-evil-foozle plot, Targhan recalls Psygnosis' earlier Barbarian but with better graphics and more difficult monsters. Overall, it's a standard side-scrolling affair that has some nice graphical effects and VERY difficult gameplay that would come to characterize every subsequent Silmarils game. Although the game boasts of "more than 120 landscapes and 40 different characters," repetitive levels and cardboard-cutout characters make it feel a lot smaller. Plus, the fact that you can only save the game at specific "save points" is a curious console-game quirk that only adds to the frustration level. Although the animations of most monsters are good to amazing, you will be too preoccupied with finding the next save point to notice them. In short, don't try this one unless you consider yourself an arcade veteran. | ||
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| Wibarm | Arsys Software, Inc. | [top] | |
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Wibarm is an action game with RPG elements, and several gameplay modes. The player controls a robot who can also transform into a tank or a flying spacecraft; each form has its own strengths and weaknesses. Similarly to Thexder, the player guides the transformable robot through side-scrolling levels, shooting at enemies and trying to stay alive. However, when the robot enters a building, the game transforms into one of the earlier examples of a 3D, third-person perspective shooter. The levels culminate in boss battles, which take place on separate top-down areas. The player is given a considerable freedom as to which locations to visit first. Collecting power units increases the robot's power. If a particular boss encounter proves to be too difficult, the player can explore other areas, level up, and return to the boss stronger than before, giving the game an RPG angle. | ||
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Kids
| Barre l'intrus | Carraz editions | [top] | |
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The purpose of this software program is to develop the child's logic, by letting him discover an intruder out of a selection of four objects. | ||
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| Fisher-Price I Can Remember | GameTek Inc. | [top] | |
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This is a card-based game of memory where the object is to flip over pairs of cards and find pairs that match. If an unmatched pair is flipped then they get flipped back and the player must remember that data for their next turn. The game has 3 levels, with each having progressively more cards (12, 16, or 20). The cards contain pictures of Fisher-Price toys. Finding matches removes the cards from the screen which then reveals parts of a larger Fisher-Price item. The game allows a player to play alone, or it allows 2-player competitive play. Further, it also allows human vs. computer competition, where the computer player is named "Electro". | ||
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| Fisher-Price My Grand Piano | GameTek Inc. / Fisher-Price | [top] | |
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Play and sing the Fischer-Price way with this colorful and very grand piano. You're mom can't say that THIS is an outside toy. Now you can play over thirty different songs without reading a note of music. Just listen to a song. Then play each note along with the computer and listen as the computer plays it back to you. That's making music. When you get really good and can play all the tunes you've learned, you can even make up your own. Based on the popular Fisher-Price toy, My Grand Piano brings the enjoyment of music to young children of all ages. It's an easy and entertaining introduction to the theory of the piano and the classic songs of childhood - it's also a terrific way for the novice player to build confidence at the computer keyboard. | ||
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| Fun School 2: For the Over-8s | Database Educational Software | [top] | |
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This is an educational game part of the Fun School series with this version aimed at the over eights. Parents can choose a difficulty level for each game and also enter their own words to use. There are eight activities for a child to play consist of the following. Build a Bridge: A square sits underneath a bridge and it must be filled with various shapes and placed in the correct position to hold the bridge up. Passage of Guardians: The child controls a robot and moves him down various passages and attempt to get past the various guardians. When a guardian is touched, it reveals a word with the letters mixed up and the child has to type the correct word to move past. Unicorn: A robot has to save an unicorn from a burning forest by moving three objects in front of it around a winding path. The robot can only carry one object at a time and certain objects cannot be left alone with each other while the robot is away. Logic Doors: A robot needs to move around a maze of rooms with various coloured and striped doors by using the correct matching keys it finds. The robot can only carry two keys at a time so keys will need to be dropped in order to progress. Souvenirs: The robot needs to visit a certain amount of countries in Western Europe and needs to buy a souvenir in them as proof with just £30. After choosing a country on the map, three souvenirs appear each costing a different amount in the countries currency. A exchange rate is provided for each country. Code Boxes: A code appears on a box and you have to decipher it to guess how many objects are in the box. There are a various amount of boxes to try with the same code solution. Mystery Machine: The robot needs to operate the machine in the correct sequence but the instructions are in various codes. Once a code is worked out for each word the child enters the letters to receive the machine operating instructions. Escape: Completing each of the seven activities gives the child a keyword and these are needed for a robot to escape from another maze of rooms. Only certain doors can be entered and after progressing through a certain number, the computer will ask for a keyword. Give the computer all seven words and the robot has escaped. | ||
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| Fun School 2: For the Under-6s | Database Educational Software | [top] | |
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This is an educational game part of the Fun School series with this version aimed at the under sixes. Parents can choose a difficulty level for each game and also enter their own words to use. There are eight activities for a child to play and these consist of: Shape Snap - Two shapes appear and the child must say whether the shapes are the same or no. Teddy Count: A certain amount of Teddies move about the screen and the child must say how many are on the screen. Find the Mole: There are five mole hills and the child selects one. If the child is wrong then the computer will say if the actual number is bigger or smaller. Write a Letter: Here the child can move the teddy about the screen and type any letter and can also type words. Colour Train: A coloured train moves along the rails and the child has to stop it at the matching coloured station to drop off and pick up passengers. The train changes colour once it starts moving again. Spell a Word: A picture of an object appears and the child must type in the word. Pick a Letter: A letter is on screen and the child must move a Teddy over the alphabet and select the matching letter and move it into a box. Teddy Bear Picnic: The child must move a teddy through a maze to reach a picnic. | ||
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| Jim Henson's Muppets Print Kit | Hi Tech Expressions | [top] | |
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This is a crafts kit software, made for IBM compatible computers with a 5 1/4" disc drive. It offers the opportunity to print signs, banners, greeting cards, posters and masks with Muppet clip art. The kit included 60 illustrations, 20 borders and 7 fonts. | ||
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| Les bases de l'algèbre vol.1 [Fr] | Carraz editions | [top] | |
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Is the sum of the squares equal to the square of the sum? This software leads the user to discover the difference between these two expressions. It is presented in the form of eight modules, the first four offer exercises to overcome the obstacles related to vocabulary, and to the transition from the French language to mathematical language, through a reminder and manipulation of basic knowledge. The next four modules offer real research on the two concepts studied, which are approached from both an algebraic and geometric point of view. During each of the stages, there are help procedures with different aspects (advice, reminders of rules, diagram, comments relating to an error, etc.). At the end of each module, a report is provided and can be saved. The exercises can be repeated if necessary, a random draw providing renewed data each time. | ||
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| Looney Tunes Print Kit | Hi Tech Creations | [top] | |
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Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Honey Bunny, Petunia Pig, Porky Pig, Sylvester, Tweety Bird, and Yosemite Sam. These Looney Tunes characters can be printed on cards, signs, banners, storybooks, masks and puppets with this program - a modified version of Hi Tech's original PrintPower. Pictures and text are placed on documents. Text is represented as blocks to show what it will look like on the document. Picture sizes are shown as rectangles. | ||
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| Math Shop Jr. | Scholastic | [top] | |
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Your students are about to visit the Math Shop Jr. T Mall. But this is no ordinary shopping mall! Here customers browse for yo-yos and shop for gizmos. Your students will fill shoppers' orders by using a variety of basic math skills. Serving customers in the 10 Math Shop Jr. stores will be a fun and ever-changing challenge for your students. Each shop requires a different set of skills, and each customer wants something slightly different. Whether students are counting coins at the Bank or subtracting spiders in the Spider Shop, they will be putting their math skills to work. The longer they work in each store, the more complex the problems will become. Each of the stores provides an interactive environment where students can explore all facets of a given problem. Each problem comes alive with graphics, moving numbers, and values that are calculated in response to students' entries. Because of its interactive features, Math Shop Jr. can be a wonderful discovery tool for many students. In each shop, students are given an invitation to "mess around" with the numbers, trying many possible solutions. The computer automatically does some of the time-consuming calculations, leaving students free to concentrate on analyzing the problem itself. Looking at all of the numbers involved, students can think about how, why, and where a given answer doesn't work, try a different solution, and immediately see the results of the new answer. In the process, they will be performing mental calculations and practicing important estimating skills. You will find Math Shop Jr. to be a useful program for all your students. It can serve as a motivator for students not yet interested in math or an enticing challenge for students who like to test and improve their problem-solving strategies. | ||
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| Playroom, The | Brøderbund Software, Inc. | [top] | |
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This is an educational game which is set in the locale of a child's bedroom. Almost everything on the screen can be clicked on, and the child will be rewarded by games, activities, or at least an amusing animation. In this first of what eventually became a trilogy of games including The Treehouse and The Backyard, children are encouraged to use the mouse by the wide range of interactivity with items on the screen. Games and activities encourage creativity, the learning of numbers, and letters, and the development of critical thinking. The game consists of 6 activities. Clock: The child can learn what you usually do at specific hours. Each hour is colorfully illustrated - e.g. with a picture of a sleeping mouse or a breakfast. It can also teach the difference between AM and PM. Mascot: The mascot consists of 3 parts - head, torso and legs. Clicking each part changes it. The child will enjoy making mascots with the head of an elephant, torso of a dragon and legs of a sorceress. There is also a button here which makes a random mascot when pressed. Board game: Your typical board game. There are squares which send the player forward and squares which send him backwards. An innovative element here is that each time 3 dice are rolled instead of 1. The player has to choose one of them. This teaches logical thinking and strategy. The child will determine which move will make him go farthest. Sticker book: The child is presented a scene. Above the scene there are letters - clicking each letter brings up a sticker; e.g. 'c' shows a cauldron, 'f' shows a fairy and 'w' is wizard. Clicking the sticker allows you to put it in a scene. There are two scenes: Fairyland and Street, each with their own set of stickers. This activity teaches letters. Counting toy: The child can choose an object and number of objects. If you click on a mouse, you have an exercise: the child is shown a number of objects. The objective is to count the objects and choose a number. If the answer is correct, the child is rewarded with an animation. There are 4 difficulty levels which are set by a switch on the right. This activity obviously teaches counting and numbers. Typing toy: A small computer with a keyboard. The child can type letters on this keyboard. If you click on a mouse, you have an exercise. The child chooses a word and types it on a keyboard. If the answer is correct, an animation is shown. You can also select "surprise word" - it's a random word each time. An enhanced cd-rom version with VGA graphics was later released in 1993. | ||
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| Super Solvers: Midnight Rescue! | The Learning Company | [top] | |
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The Master of Mischief is planning on making Shady Glen School disappear! He has invented disappearing paint, and turned five paint brushes into robots to paint the school at midnight. The Master of Mischief himself is disguised as a robot, and it is your job to find him. Hidden throughout the school are clues which reveal his whereabouts. Robots are placed in the school to slow your progress, some of which may even contain clues themselves. You carry a camera with you to take a picture and examine dangerous robots closer. The game is part of several of the Learning Company's later releases including their "Super Solvers Super Learning Collection" and "Super Solvers Reading Ages 9-12". In 1995, the game was re-released on CD-ROM. | ||
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| Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego? | Brøderbund Software, Inc. | [top] | |
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Carmen Sandiego and her gang are loose once again, and it is your job to capture her! This time round you not only have to find where she is, but also when she is. Traveling to various locations, you need to assemble clues by questioning witnesses and searching locations to close in and capture Carmen Sandiego. Included with the game is The New America Desk Encyclopedia to help make clues more meaningful (and act as a form of copy protection!). This game was made into a game show on PBS from 1996 to 1998. Lynne Thigpen ("Ella Farmer" from "The District") played The Chief. In 1997, a new version, heavily influenced by the game show, was released by Brøderbund as simply Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?. In 1999, the game was retitled Carmen Sandiego's Great Chase Through Time under The Learning Company. | ||
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| Win, Lose or Draw Junior | Softie Inc. / Hi-Tech Expressions Inc. | [top] | |
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This is the children's version for ages 8 - 15 of the popular game show. The game requires artistic skills and an ability to think laterally. A player on a team draws something on the big game board, and their other team member 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, or 'cabin fever' as a rickety building next to a man with a thermometer in his mouth. In this computerized implementation, the game is played as 3 teams, with one team drawing, while the other two teams try to correctly guess the answer. Categories are people, places, and things. If one of the two teams correctly guess the answer, the drawing and the correct guessing team both receive a point. The goal is to receive 3 points in all three categories, and that team is victorious. The drawing phase of the game is handled by the computer, so the player's task is simply to guess the meaning of the picture by thinking laterally. Each round allows 60 seconds to guess the answer, and if a player guesses incorrectly, they can not guess again until the other team has made an attempt. | ||
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Adult
| Planet Of Lust | Free Spirit Software | [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 parser has a very limited vocabulary, and expects only the *exact* VERB + NOUN command that the designers have in mind. Your goal is to thwart "the evil Doctor Dildo". You start off on the same ship as the first game Sex Vixens From Space and run into the same stereotypical, sex-starved women. To add insult to injury, the entire Brad Stallion trilogy has very atrocious writing (which urges you, Brad Stallion, to have sex with women whenever it possibly can), inane puzzles, and very "cheap" use of sex as an excuse for a game. | ||
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| Rance: Hikari's Quest | Alice Soft / HGTP | [top] | |
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The story is pretty simple - Hikari ("Light"), the red haired girl that you see in an opening clip, has been kidnapped. And Rance get the mission from his boss (the bald guy) to investigate the case. Rance is something like a detective in this story. This also turns the whole game more into a detective like exploring than into rpg or more less rpg/strategy to which the gamers of the latter games of the series are used. Rance isn't alone in his job he has a helper - 16 year old Sill helps him. She actually is Rance's slave. She was from a rich family but alter got kidnapped by some bandit and the sold in an auction. The one who bought her was Rance of course. Now with her help you (Rance) have to solve this mystery, bring Hikari back and pay back the one's that are at fault. In 2008, the game was made freeware. An English fan translation was made in 2011.
See also: Rance: Hikari o Motomete [J] |
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Role-Playing Games
| Ancient Land of Ys / Ys: The Vanished Omens | Nihon Falcom Corp. / Kyodai Software Marketing, Inc. | [top] | |
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In this game, the player takes the role of Adol (Aron in the English-language Sega Master System version) Christin, a red-haired adventurer and expert swordsman. One day he encounter a fortune teller who sends him on a quest to find information about the six books of Ys. It appears that there was once an ancient land called Ys, whose secret was sealed in those six books. Before long Adol learns that the six books were all stolen by the evil wizard Dark Fact (Dulk Dekt in the Sega Master System version, Malificus in the English-language computer versions). It is Adol's task to defeat the villain and discover the secret of Ys! Ys: The Vanished Omens is an action role-playing game with its own trademark combat system: instead of pressing the "attack" button, the protagonist simply runs into the enemies he encounters. More damage is inflicted upon the enemies if Adol charges at them from the back or from the sides - a head-to-head collision might result in the hero's death if the monster is stronger than him. The player gains gold and experience points for defeating foes; once enough experience has been accumulated, Adol levels up and becomes stronger. The hero can buy and equip swords, armor, shields, and other accessories. | ||
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| Bloodwych | Image Works | [top] | |
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The land of Trazere was once ruled by the powerful and benevolent organization of mages known as Bloodwych. Governed by the Grand Dragon, the Bloodwych supervised over the balance in the land, protecting it from evil and driving it to prosperity. However, the second-in-command of Bloodwych, named Zendick, turned against his group, banished his opponents to the astral plane, and began working on a mad plan - summon the ultimate evil, the Lord of Entropy. The player controls the champion of Trazere, whose ultimate goal is to stop Zendick and restore peace in the country. Bloodwych is an RPG in the style of Dungeon Master and Eye of the Beholder, being a 3D first-person maze-like game. This game's distinguishing feature is the two-player split screen support, allowing simultaneous playing on one computer. Each player controls a party of four characters. The four basic classes are warrior, mage, adventurer, and thief; however, each class also has sub-classes, which are represented by four different colors. These colors come into play also when the characters learn and combine spells. | ||
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| Cosmic Soldier: Psychic War | Kogado Software Products / Kyodai Software Marketing, Inc. | [top] | |
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The Century Parody is a powerful battleship on its way to the trade station Samar. Shooting out of the KGD Star System in the year 3656 and into the Quila System you will land on to the mysterious trade station and along with your android companion Kayla uncover an ancient mystery. Cosmic Soldier: Psychic War is the sequel to Cosmic Soldier. Like the first game, it is a "dungeon-crawling" RPG where you control your character as he explores the many levels of Samar, encounters Psychic soldiers and fights in mental battles. Unlike the first game, the battles here are action-based, requiring quick reaction and timing. When encountering an enemy character you can shoot him or her with your mind beam and hopefully beat them. You will find clues and objects on your adventure which you can question Kayla with. You can use different psychic powers to fight, explore and defend yourself. Along the way you can also find allies that will want you join you on your quest and you will be able to use these characters as well in your battles. | ||
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| Curse Of The Azure Bonds | Strategic Simulations, Inc. | [top] | |
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Outside of the town of Tilverton, the party of heroes has been ambushed, captured and cursed with five azure markings called "bonds". These bonds have dangerous magical powers that can take control of the heroes at the most inopportune times. They must now search for the source of the bonds, and free themselves from the curse. The second in the Gold Box series of role-playing games, this is a sequel to Pool of Radiance. The gameplay is nearly identical to that of the predecessor and other Gold Box games. Following the AD&D rules of role-playing, the player creates a party of characters (up to the maximum of six). Two new character classes (Paladin and Ranger) are added to the four basic AD&D classes Fighter, Thief, Mage, and Cleric, which were available in Pool of Radiance. Exploration takes place in pseudo-3D environments, from first-person view. Battles (random as well as pre-set) take the player-controlled and enemy party to a top-down battle screen. Commands are issued in turn-based fashion, and the player-controlled characters can freely navigate the battle field. There is also an overview "world map" that allows instant traveling between cities. | ||
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| Death Bringer / Galdregon's Domain | Pandora | [top] | |
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This is a horror role playing game where you can choose your party from a variety of 16 para-normal characters available. With your party you'll investigate a haunted house on a hill. The house is huge and you'll encounter over 100 spooky opponents in a muti-level maze and solve various puzzles in order to find out the mysteries of the haunted house. An automap feature helps you not to loose tracks in the huge dungeons of the game. Innovatice touches include making alchemical formulae (the equivalent of spellcasting in this game), which is done with actual periodic table, and a good variety of ghosts. Overall, an above-average RPG that is not a classic, but does what it does well. | ||
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| Demon's Winter | Strategic Simulations, Inc. | [top] | |
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The land of Ymros was first encountered in Shard of Spring, and it returns in this follow up, which is viewed from above, but has a game-world 32 times the size of its predecessor. Your characters can include Humans, Elves, Dwarves and Trolls, each with different skills as well as generated and varying statistics, and one of 10 different character classes - Barbarian, Wizard and Scholar for Example. You will need to choose the right balance of these for your mission, which involves tracking down Malifon and gain revenge on the damage he has done to Ymros. Combat takes place via close-quarters combat and spell-casting, depending on the character's abilities. Towns can be visited to buy weapons, and you can return to your camp to worship one of the various Gods and receive their gifts such as resurrection and protection. It has also a 'skill/item' menu in which items can be used on other items to solve problems. | ||
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| Don't Go Alone | Sterling Silver Software / Accolade | [top] | |
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This is a horror role playing game where you can choose your party from a variety of 16 para-normal characters available. With your party you'll investigate a haunted house on a hill. The house is huge and you'll encounter over 100 spooky opponents in a muti-level maze and solve various puzzles in order to find out the mysteries of the haunted house. An automap feature helps you not to loose tracks in the huge dungeons of the game. Innovatice touches include making alchemical formulae (the equivalent of spellcasting in this game), which is done with actual periodic table, and a good variety of ghosts. Overall, an above-average RPG that is not a classic, but does what it does well. | ||
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| Dragons of Flame | U.S. Gold Ltd. / Strategic Simulations Inc. | [top] | |
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Set in between the SSI's AD&D Dragonlance action games Heroes of the Lance and Shadow Sorcerer. This game follows the tradition of Heroes of the Lance with a side-scrolling, action-oriented view, a breakaway from the standard GoldBox RPGs. Plot-wise, it also takes place between those two games, following closely the novel/game modules written by Weiss/Hickman. You take control of one character at a time, with each hero having different abilities. | ||
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| Drakkhen | Infogrames Europe SA | [top] | |
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The prophecy has been fulfilled. The world shall be ruled by the dragons. On an island far away, their lords prepare for the conquest of the lands. There is only one hope for mankind. The emperor sends out four heroes - warriors and magicians - to solve the puzzle of tears and prevent the invasion of the Drakkhen. This is a role-playing game with a visual presentation that combines 3D landscapes and 2D interiors. The player's party will travel overland on a flat terrain made up of vectors, on which 2D objects are zoomed (The same type of engine was later used in Eternam). The player will encounter monsters and fight them in real-time combat, and discover the palaces of the dragon lords. Indoors, the player has to find a way through the maze of chambers, solving puzzles and defeating the minions of the Drakkhen. Party members are depicted in four status windows on the left side of the screen, thus allowing to see their current status and equipment at once. | ||
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| Dungeon Master | FTL Games | [top] | |
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This is a role-playing game where the player selects four adventurers and descend into the depths of the dungeon. The gameplay is reminiscent of the 3D dungeon crawl type of role-playing games popularized by Wizardry and The Bard's Tale. However, unlike these games, Dungeon Master features real-time combat, which requires the player to click on the opponent in order to execute an attack. Another notable aspect of the game is its growth system: instead of gathering experience points and leveling up, characters improve by repeatedly using the same action. Spellcasting involves selecting and combining symbols, which can be arranged as rune sequences. The game also allows the player to directly interact with objects in the game world through a point-and-click interface. A fan-made remake in 2001, Dungeon Master Java with high-resolution graphics that simulate a 3D environment. Monsters are also completely free to wander. | ||
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| Faery Tale Adventure: Book I, The | MicroIllusions | [top] | |
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Once upon a time, the people of Holm lived happily and peacefully, protected by a powerful talisman. But one day, their land was attacked, and the talisman stolen. A brave warrior went out to investigate the talisman's disappearance, but returned mortally wounded. Before he died, he told his three sons that the talisman was stolen by the evil Necromancer, and must be retrieved at all costs. The Faery Tale Adventure is a role-playing game in which the player can assume control of any of the three brothers - Julian, Philip, or Kevin. Each of the three has his own strengths: Julian is the archetypal melee fighter, Philip has high luck and intelligence, while Kevin is known for his kindness. Should the player fail while controlling one of the brothers, the next one will replace him. Each brother will be revived a few times when vanquished by an enemy, until his luck runs out, at which point he will die permanently. Much of the gameplay is dedicated to exploring the large world, interacting with non-playable characters and building up the brothers' combat abilities by participating in battles. The fastest-growing parameter is bravery, which is comparable to experience points and strength combined. Each defeated enemy yields bravery points; as it grows, so does the hero's vitality (maximum hit points), albeit at a slower rate. Combat system is rather simple and is done in action style, with the player pressing a key or a mouse button while navigating the protagonist towards or away from the enemy. Predating Ultima V, the game has a day and night cycle, and the main character has to eat and rest. The Faery Tale Adventure is notable for having a very vast world, usually considered the largest ever created for a video game at the time of its release. Players can explore approximately 17,000 screens of terrain. The world is also interconnected, i.e. there are no transitions between different types of areas. Items can be dropped by enemies as well as found anywhere in the game's world. There is also NPC interaction and quests the protagonist can undertake. | ||
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| Hillsfar | Westwood Associates / Strategic Simulations, Inc. | [top] | |
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Play a would-be hero in the city of Hillsfar, where action and adventure await the daring adventurer. Join the local guild and complete missions from the guild master in a quest for glory and gold! Hillsfar is a single-hero role-playing game (in comparison to other Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing games, where the player usually controls a group of characters). A combination of first person perspective (when traveling in the city of Hillsfar) and third person perspective (usually in some action-style mini-quests) viewpoints. As a would-be-hero, four classes are available in a randomly generated mission-based plot: fighter, thief, cleric, or magic-user. Each class to a certain extent, have different assigned quests given by each respective guild. In Hillsfar, gameplay usually consists of various mini-games that are needed to complete the quests or missions provided at the local guild by the guild master. These mini-games (and their viewpoints) include: Fighting in the arena (Third Person); Competing at the archery range (First Person); Exploring buildings or mazes (Top-down); Riding a horse outside Hillsfar while avoiding obstacles (Third Person/Side-Scrolling); Locking picking doors and chests (First Person). Unlike most role-playing games, there aren't any randomly generated monsters to battle. In Hillsfar, combat only occurs in the arena. | ||
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| Keef The Thief | Naughty Dog Inc. / Electronic Arts | [top] | |
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This is a hilarious parody about a young thief that goes around town pillaging the place. If he's not delving in dungeons and killing killer chickens, he's at the tavern where cups runneth over, patrons falleth over or adventurers babbleth over and over. That's not the worst; EVERY piece of treasure this kid finds always has nasty little traps in them. You are Keef, outcast and exiled by the Elders of your town into the wastelands after their failings in teaching you to avert your mischievous behaviour. You start in a jungle facing the town of Same Mercon. Like all role-playing games, you begin with a set amount of hit points and attributes which accumulate after doing battle with the nasties in the vicinity (ranging from Drunken Orcs to Headless Chickens), gold is also to be had after such skirmishes. The developers later went on to much success with the Crash Bandicoot games for Playstation. | ||
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| Knights of Legend | ORIGIN Systems, Inc. | [top] | |
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Knights of Legend is set in the fantasy land of Ashtalarea. The evil Pildar has captured the ruler of the land, known as the Duke, and a warrior named Seggallion, who has fought and defeated Pildar in the past. The player controls a party of adventurers whose quest is to rescue the prisoners, and eventually vanquish Pildar. The player can create a party of adventurers, choosing between the traditional races of humans, dwarves, and elves, as well as a new race called Keldar, who possesses the power of flight. The game world is explored from top-down perspective. Turn-based combat takes place on separate screens. The combat system in the game is quite complex, including various types of attacks, parrying and dodging, as well as the possibility of targeting individual body parts of enemies. The player also selects commands for a defensive round, trying to anticipate the opponent's move. | ||
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| Legacy of the Ancients | Quest Software, Inc. / Electronic Arts, Inc. | [top] | |
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You are a simple shepherd in the world of Tarmalon who one day discovers a panic-driven dying man by the roadside who carries a strange leather bound scroll and a golden bracelet. This begins the adventure in the race against time to destroy the evil scroll and those who wish to kill you to take its power for their own uses. This role-playing game uses the same game engine as Questron. Your journey takes you through overlands, dungeons, towns, castles, oceans, pirate caves and inter-galactic museums to finally face the real threat to the world of Tarmalon. You will have to fight using weapons and magic, gamble, and trade items. Your character is rated for dexterity, strength, charm, endurance and intelligence - skillful play will maximize these. | ||
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| Legends of Murder: Volume 1 - Stonedale Castle | James Schmalz / Softdisk Publishing | [top] | |
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Legends of Murder is a fantasy/role-playing/murder mystery game. In Volume 1 of the series you, Inspector, have been summoned to a small castle near the harbor city of Erdwyn to investigate the murder of the King. Hired by the advisor of the deceased King, an elf named Ash, you set foot in the castle after a long journey across the sea, and the game begins. The ultimate purpose in the game is to discover the murderer of the King. The character is walking on a tiny map sized in 1/5 of the screen, and when he comes inside new room, the description is written. There are numerous riddles and puzzles to solve along the way, as well as many people to meet and places to explore. It is very important that you talk to everyone you encounter, search all rooms of the castle you enter, and make note of what you learn for later reference. The Inspector (of Fighter/Mage class) has a number of personal attributes, common for RPGs, which affect the play of the game. Spells must be learned from special books. The higher a character's level, the more powerful the spell he can learn. | ||
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| Magic Candle: Volume 1, The | Mindcraft Software, Inc. | [top] | |
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The Magic Candle is best described as an Ultima clone. Its a top-down party-driven RPG. The plot revolves around you (Lukas) and your party of intrepid adventurers, whose task it is to seal the demon Dreax within the Magic Candle (which is burning down, and when it does, he gets released). The game has 3 difficulty levels (changing the number of 'days' you get to complete the game in.) A lot of traveling, dungeon-crawling, town-exploring, and especially, lots of conversing with NPCs. | ||
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| Mars Saga / Mines of Titan | Westwood Studios / Infocom | [top] | |
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Mines of Titan is a remake, or update, of the Commodore 64 game Mars Saga. Mines of Titan is lengthier, with some new storylines, a few more creatures and a few details like colors are different. And of course the game's location is moved from Mars to Titan. Still the cities and maps looks the same. This is a role-playing adventure, set in the year 2261, well into the era of mankind's colonization the inner Solar System. The game takes place entirely on a barely terraformed Titan, the largest moon of the gas giant Saturn, at the edge of frontier space. You are charismatic 22-year-old astronaut Tom Jetland, who has crashed on Titan after bullet-sized rocks from the Rings of Saturn pierced your ship's hull, and were forced to eject your payload and now have no means of transport off the world. In order to raise money, Jetland (or whatever you choose to name him; Tom Jetland is merely the default name for the protagonist) must search for, recruit, create and control a party of characters ready for exploration and combat. You develop yourself and your characters by improving their natural attributes and by adding and training in over twenty new skills which will aid in both your central quest and various side missions. Success depends upon competence in battle with various creatures and human foes alike; exploration of underground colonies and mining settlements; using your characters' skills to their best advantage; utilising a wide array of weaponry and aid acquired from merchants; and most importantly tracking down the clues to solve the mysteries of Titan. For only by uncovering a vast conspiracy and learning the fate of the disappeared Proscenium Colony (presumably named after the Proscenium "archway" of a theatrical stage) will you be able to raise enough credits to pay for safe passage off Titan. | ||
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| Prophecy | Activision, Inc. | [top] | |
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You have just left the peaceful town of CrissCross to defeat the evil Krellane and his powerful Empire. The residents of the town have survived for years by hiding from the empire but rumors have surfaced that the soldiers of the empire are nearing. You have heard that only the hero of the Prophecy could prevail against the Empire, and you embark on your quest to fulfill that prophecy. Prophecy: The Fall of Trinadon is a role-playing game in which the player controls a single character, navigating him through top-down environments. Combat is action-oriented: the player has to physically control the hero as he uses melee weapons, bows, and magical spells. Beside regular enemies, the hero also has to fight powerful bosses. | ||
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| Star Saga: Two - The Clathran Menace | MasterPlay / MasterPlay Publishing Corporation | [top] | |
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The second entry in Masterplay's Star Saga, combination of science fiction role-playing with a strategy board game. Gameplay allows for up to six players, who assume the role of pre-created characters (dossiers are provided in the game package) - a true merging of computerized and non-computerized RPG elements. The package also includes a fold-out poster map that acts as the game board, six colored stones for player markers, and a stack of game text booklets, which minimizes the number of game disks. | ||
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| Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula | Binary Systems / Electronic Arts, Inc. | [top] | |
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Following the events of the first Starflight, the galaxy is at relative peace. The balance of power is disrupted when the Spemin, usually a minor nuisance, suddenly gain technological superiority and begin a campaign of expansionism. Through investigation, Interstel determines that the Spemin technology is not their own and that they have obtained it from somewhere on the other side of a flux (wormhole). Interstel commissions a force to visit this area, called the Cloud Nebula, and find a way to nullify the Spemin technology. Starflight 2 is a space exploration game that contains much of the interface from its predecessor. This includes crew management, ship improvement, resource collection, planet landings, alien diplomacy and exploration of a new galaxy. Much of the gameplay takes place via a standard interface that allows access to ship stations. Landing on a planet however will shift to an overhead view and the player manually controls his rover while searching for objects of interest. New to Starflight 2 is trading, alien races will now buy and sell unique items at different prices, it is no longer necessary to return to the Interstel starport to sell resources. As mentioned, the galaxy itself and the alien races that inhabit it are also new. New technologies exist for the player such as Blasto Pods (torpedoes); a devastating weapon, and Jump Pods; which will transport anywhere on the starmap. | ||
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| Tangled Tales | ORIGIN Systems, Inc. | [top] | |
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You're a wizard's apprentice whose Master has taken access to your spells. To get them back, you need to complete three quests. Create your character by assigning points to Strength, Intelligence, Speed and Charisma, before setting off. This role-playing title is specifically aimed at younger people and non-hardcore roleplaying gamers. The screen display is split into a text window, a graphical window and a movement window. A comical mish-mash of characters ranging from knights to surfers await, each with their own part in solving your quests. You must learn new spells and fight when required, also recruiting people and spending money at many stages of the adventure, which takes in over 100 screens. | ||
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| Vampyr: Talisman of Invocation | [top] | ||
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Created by two high-school students, Vampyr: Talisman of Invocation is a freeware role-playing game heavily influenced by Ultima games. The hero must save the fantasy world of Quilinor from a grave danger. The player travels through Quilinor fighting goblins, giants, zombies, and other assorted monsters while emptying the pockets of innocent civilians, getting treasure from dungeons, and picking locks off castles doors. Visually and in terms of basic gameplay, the game is very similar to Ultima V, though with much simpler gameplay mechanics and interaction possibilities. The hero travels over the top-down world map, enters towns marked as icons, and engages in free-movement tile-based combat that occurs on special screens, against enemies who are visible on the map before contact is initiated. Character creation, however, has little to do with Ultima: the player assigns the more traditional AD&D-like attributes to the protagonist, and also chooses skills, which range from combat proficiencies to lockpicking. | ||
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| Windwalker | ORIGIN Systems, Inc. | [top] | |
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The sequel to Moebius, Windwalker combines role-playing with side-view beat 'em up gameplay. You are accompanied by Moebius on a quest to master the martial arts. Hostile persons including thieves, guards and assassins will be encountered; you fight them in real time using moves such as cartwheels and flying kicks. This can be played either as a continuous battle, or with short breaks to catch your composure. The role-playing elements eschew the Ultima-style plan view in favor of a pseudo-3D system. Deism and Shamanism are just some of the included magic disciplines. Magical vehicles help you get around the 100 landscapes more quickly, although you spend much time on foot. The game takes place in a fully active universe of characters such as villagers and giant beetles, all getting about their business within a day/night cycle and variable weather. | ||
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Platformers
| Artura | Sentient Software Inc. / Arcadia Systems, Inc. | [top] | |
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Artura is a side-scrolling platform game. The game semi-utilizes the mythology of King Arthur in that you play as Artura, son of the Pendragon. Your goal is rescue Nimue, apprentice to Merdyn, from your evil half-sister Morgause. You will battle numerous horrible creatures such as spiders and bats with your axe and avoid deadly traps while attempting to gain access to Morgause's castle. You will also search for 6 runes, which contain spells, that you must find in order to free Nimue. Artura contains 4 maze-like levels that are so complicated that poster sized map of the levels is included with the game. | ||
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| Avoid the Noid | California Merchandising Concepts, Inc. / ShareData, Inc. | [top] | |
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This is an advertisement tie-in for Domino's Pizza. You are a pizza delivery boy who must deliver a pizza to Doom Industries while the creature Noid (who was a claymation character used in television commercials) is set to prevent him from achieving this goal. You must deliver the pizza to the top floor in 30 minutes or less, or the customer will get a discount and you will lose your job. On the way however, you are faced with all sort of traps, and other things that will block your way. There are floods that require you to time your movements right to avoid getting drowned, there are ice fields that are slippery and other such gimmicks to make advancement interesting and challenging. Also, Noid sprinkled a few minigames, such as whack the mole and a few others, to make the game more diverse. Graphically the game is better than expected but in the vein of other late 80s era. However, the game is still very playable in its diversity and gameplay ploys. Were it not for the advertisement that it is, maybe it would have had a better chance at being a recognized classic. | ||
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| Baal | Psygnosis Limited / Psyclapse | [top] | |
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Baal has stolen a war machine and you must get it back before it’s too late. That’s why you‘ve been given a team of 5 warriors and have been sent to Baal’s hideout. Naturally you’ll face many of his monsters there, while trying to get through the underground maze of platforms. Luckily, you have the technological superiority on your side, so you can go out there and blast the life out of those icky, slimy, gooey, alien underground monsters! | ||
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| Barbarian | Psygnosis Limited / Melbourne House | [top] | |
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In this game you play the role of a barbarian who must navigate his way through dangerous dungeons. The game is played from a third person side scrolling perspective and also has platform jumping parts to it. The barbarian is controlled by using left and right on the joystick to move and up and down is used to scroll through the various commands at the bottom of the screen. When a command is highlighted pressing fire will perform that action thus saving on extra buttons being needed to play. There are two weapons at your disposal. A sword which you start the game with and later a bow which is handy for long range attacks. There are many traps to avoid and various monsters who have different attack patterns. | ||
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| Bong Bong | Lee T.K. / Yonsei COMSCI | [top] | |
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One of the very first games developed in South Korea, while completely devoid of any "specific" local flavor. By genre, it is a fairly peaceful and not too difficult platformer with elements of logic, clearly created under the influence of Lode Runner. The text is only in the menu - and in English. You have to play for a defenseless (that is, unable to defend) squirrel, which needs to be prepared for supplies. The task at each of the levels, always represented by a single screen, is to collect all the available bonuses-fruits (their type differs depending on the stage, it can be berries, carrots, bananas, watermelon slices, and so on). The location consists of platforms, in some places connected by stairs, along which the rodent can go down and up; he can also jump. By default, there are two types of dangers: sharp nails that must be jumped over, and hostile caterpillars, moving, however, along strictly defined horizontal trajectories and not inclined to purposefully pursue the protagonist; collision with both leads to death. Finally, in each location there are also pink circles with a "?" not required for pickup: they can contain both a bonus that gives extra points, and an evil snake that begins to crawl across the entire available territory (but relatively easy to avoid). As soon as all the food is picked up, the next level is loaded, already with other fruits. There is a time limit - but relatively sparing. Graphics - only CGA, and very "poor" and lackluster. It is not very difficult to play, especially after understanding the limits of movement of opponents, there are no difficult jumps, and given the actual absence of violence, this platformer is quite suitable for children. In addition, Bong Bong has great historical value as the earliest representative of electronic entertainment in its country. | ||
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| Chuckie Egg | M.C. Lothlorien Ltd / Pick & Choose Ltd. | [top] | |
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Chuckie Egg was made in the school summer holidays when developer Nigel Alderton was about sixteen or seventeen years old and originally released for ZX Spectrum in 1983. In the game you play Hen House Harry who has to collect 12 (a dozen) eggs from each level, while avoiding the ducklings. The levels each occupy a single screen, and are made up of platforms, ladders and lifts (or elevators), and are thus similar to those in classic platform game Donkey Kong. Corn can also be collected, which stops the time limit from ticking down and also stops the bonus, collected when the level is completed, from decreasing. The ducklings also eat the corn, however. There are only 8 distinct levels. The ninth level is a copy of level 1, the tenth is a copy of level 2, and so on. However, on the second time around the ducklings that can use the platforms and ladders are replaced by the Mother Duck, who can fly around the level going through the platforms and ladders. On the third time around, you have to face both the Mother Duck and the ducklings, and similarly on subsequent goes round, when there are more ducklings. This game is often credited alongside Miner 2049er and Lode Runner with helping develop and popularize the platform game, and has gone on to be a cult classic with a number of unofficial retro remakes appearing online. In 2021, a fan-made remake by Langford Productions was released with updated graphics, a Spectrum graphics mode and a special "Chuckie in the dark" mode and two brand new screen layouts. | ||
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| El Capitán Trueno [Sp] | Dinamic Software | [top] | |
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Captain Thunder is the name of a famous Spanish comic book which tells the ongoing story of the eponymous 12th-century hero. This is the first game dealing with the character, released to all of the Spanish-speaking world's most vital computing platforms at the time: ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, MSX and MS-DOS; all ports except for the PC version contain two different segments, the first a calmer adventure portion followed by some frenetic arcade action. The final mission is to rescue Sigrid, Trueno's beloved, from the monastery of his friend Abbot Estanislao de Castiglione. Along the way, the Capitán will have to face giant spiders, skeleton soldiers, enormous rats and a plethora of imaginative creatures such as the Abbot transformed into a demonic goat. The Capitán strives to triumph over all these opponents with the assistance of his friends sturdy Goliath, who though immobile can lash out with meaty fists and jump in place to cause earthquakes, and nimble Crispín, a man who can shimmy up a rope of any length. | ||
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| Eye of Horus | Denton Designs / FanFare | [top] | |
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As a mystical shaman, go through a pyramid in ancient Egypt to get the magical eye of horus. In a cool twist, by pressing the up arrow you turn into a birdy and can search through the levels. Just press the down arrow and voila! Human again. Many traps try to trick you. | ||
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| Fantasy World Dizzy | The Oliver Twins / Codemasters | [top] | |
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The game is considered the third in the Dizzy series and even was developed under the name Dizzy 3, because the third game in the series Fast Food Dizzy was not an adventure game and deviated from the Dizzy format. The game was the first to include the Yolkfolk; Daisy, Denzil, Dozy, Dylan and Grand Dizzy. Daisy has got lost in the fantasy world of the title. Dizzy sets off to rescue her, braving dragons, rats and alligators along the way. The lands are littered with coins, and as well as completing the main task you should aim to collect as many of these as possible. There are puzzles on most screens, involving collecting objects such as keys, food and water buckets, and using them on doors, flames and such. Unlike the first two games, dialogue boxes between Dizzy and various other characters are included, giving the game a sense of character and humor as well as guiding you through the puzzles somewhat. It could be the best game of the series. In 2007 a faithful remake was made by Peter Teal, administrator of the fan site Theo's Grotto, using the Dizzy AGE engine. | ||
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| Freddy Hardest in South Manhattan | Iron Byte / Dinamic Software | [top] | |
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In the future NYC has become inhospitable and depraved, with thugs lining every street waiting to pounce on ordinary civilians. Thankfully Freddy Hardest is on hand to face up to the baseball bats and knives, in a side-scrolling beat 'em up game. As with any Dinamic title, the difficulty level is set high. A few kicks and punches are available to you, and you have one life with energy which depletes as you get hit, but can be recharged by finding a safe space to stand still. | ||
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| Frightmare | Floppy / Avantage Software | [top] | |
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This is a platform game, where you play as a man who's experiencing a horrible nightmare. And if you die in it, you die for real... Your mission is to survive long enough to wake up. For every room you visit, another 6 minutes goes by, and at 8:12 the alarm clock will ring, and save your life. Your secondary objective is to increase your dream-state. You start with a "bad dream", but by killing monsters, and collecting chalices, you can get much worse dreams, like "horrible dream" or "deadly vision". Your dream-state is displayed in text-form at the top of the screen, and does not affect the game in any other way. This is a horror game, and you will face zombies, bats, ghosts, and other terrifying creatures. If they touch you, you lose one of your five lives. You can collect different items, like guns, crucifixes, clocks, and other stuff. Your inventory can hold up to three items at once. You can kill some enemies with the gun, but many are immune to it. Crucifixes can freeze enemies, and clocks slow them down. The game consists of a huge maze of interconnected rooms. It's easy to get lost, and the game is almost impossible to complete, even if you cheat. So this is for anyone who wants a big challenge. | ||
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| Gonzzalezz | Opera Soft S.A. | [top] | |
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This is a side-scrolling platform game from Spain. The main protagonist is a Mexican stereotype (complete with sombrero and huge mustache), that has an obsession with the traditional siesta. The game is divided in two parts. In the first one, Gonzalez must escape his own nightmare. He moves by executing precise jumps in one big level divided in seven sections, a surreal landscape littered with dangerous objects like flying vacuum-cleaners, disembodied hands, etc. The Q key is the jump button, while the O and P move him left and right respectively. In the second part, Gonzalez must find his hammock while avoiding the dangers of a stereotypical Mexican landscape (Indian tribes, wild animals, etc). Weapons and ammunition are scattered in one large level divided in sections. He can collect or drop these by crouching with the A key and can use them with the SPACE bar. | ||
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| Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Action Game | Tiertex Design Studios / LucasArts, U.S. Gold Ltd. | [top] | |
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As in the movie (and the more-famous graphic adventure), your task is to find the Holy Grail. Before this can be done you must find the Cross of Coronado, a shield and a diary. This makes for a four-level arcade adventure combining climbs, exploration (with several routes through each level, and some traps) and puzzles. Indy is armed with his trusty whip to fight off foes, but can also get involved in hand-to-hand combat. The first level takes place in caves underneath Colorado, before you reach a moving circus train strewn with traps, a Zeppelin which is full of guards and ladders, and then Castle Grunwald in Austria. | ||
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| Knight Force | Titus France SA | [top] | |
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The land Belloth, crossroad between five time periods, was conquered by the evil wizard Red Sabbath. And if that is not enough, he also kidnapped the princess. The player takes the role of a knight who has to set things right. To do so, he needs to complete five levels which represent different time periods. The goal is not only to destroy the wizard clone which occupies the time period, but also to collect seven talismans which are in possession of the wizard's minions. Each collected talisman brings advantages to the hero but only work in the correct time period which may not correspond with the one it is found in. To put them to best use, the player can always pull out of a level and choose another. The challenges are platforming and melee sword-fights against various enemies. The player can perform eight combat moves. | ||
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| Livingstone Supongo 2 / Livingstone II | Opera Soft | [top] | |
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This is the sequel to Livingstone Supongo and has Dr. Livingstone returning to our screens after being rescued in the first game. In this game you must pass 2 worlds, filled with dangerous savage animals, unfriendly natives, a lot of mortal traps, and of course, risk and adventure in pure state. It starts where the first game ended. Your job is to get out of Africa jungles alive, but before that, you must discover ancient treasure hidden in the ruins. Similar to the first game, it allows you to change weapons in your arsenal at any time. The trusty whip and pole, which is used to vault across chasms, are back and more useful than ever. In addition to weapon slots, you also have inventory slots to store and use non-weapon objects you come across (similar to Goody). While much of the game still requires reflexes to succeed, there is a considerable number of adventure-style puzzles to solve. In addition to hostile animals, you must deal with traps and other obstacles. | ||
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| Mambo | Positive | [top] | |
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Mambo, the most intrepid secret agent of the galaxy, has to fulfill a dangerous mission: entering into an enemy base The base is filled with crazy guardians who wouldn't hesitate in shooting against the smallest movement or launching missiles that could constitute a serious danger for humanity. They are not the kind of people anyone would allow to run freely through the streets. Once inside the camp, the first action will consist in cornering the four captains, to snatch each of their codified cards. Simultaneously, it's necessary to find two security computers: one opens the door of the subterranean base and the other allows access to the control room. Finally, you should arrive at this room and activate the missiles with the cards. You will then need to leave the base. | ||
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| Michael Jackson's Moonwalker | Emerald Software Ltd. / U.S. Gold Ltd. | [top] | |
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You play as pop music megastar Michael Jackson who has infiltrated Mr. Big's fortress to rescue dozens of kidnapped children. There are five levels of play, and Michael must rescue all of the children and defeat a boss character to advance to the next level. Players begin the game with three lives and one burst of "dance magic." When Michael activates his dance magic, all of Mr. Big's henchmen who are onscreen are forced to dance along and are destroyed. When he's not dancing, Michael uses energy blasts to defeat the bad guys. When Michael rescues children, they sometimes give him additional dance magic bursts or life energy. Near the end of each round, Bubbles the chimp runs onscreen to assist Michael. If Michael manages to catch Bubbles, he mutates into the powerful Moonwalker, a robot who can fire missiles and lasers at enemies. In the fifth and final round, Michael squares off against Mr. Big and his killing machine. If Michael defeats Mr. Big, he mutates into a robotic spaceship and whisks the children away to safety as Mr. Big's fortress explodes. The game features five Michael Jackson hits as background music, including Bad, Smooth Criminal, and Beat It. Two players can play simultaneously. Player 1's character will be dressed in white. Player 2's character will be dressed in red. It was developed as a tie-in to Michael Jackson's "BAD" album. It was influenced heavily by other fighting games and shooters. Its game play is similar to fighting games like Double Dragon and Renegade, except that there is no hand-to-hand combat in Moonwalker. | ||
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| Obliterator | Psygnosis Limited | [top] | |
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You play Drak, the last of the Obliterators (genetically enhanced machines bio engineered for otherwise impossible missions.) Your mission is to save the Federation from an alien spacecraft. Obliterator is an arcade style platform action game. The game screens are static (instead of scrolling, though you can optionally turn on scrolling transitions between screens.) and can be maze like at times with many locations to search. Armed with a variety of weapons, you have to board the alien spacecraft, disable its weapons, plasma drives and shields, then escape. | ||
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| Prince Of Persia | Jordan Mechner / Broderbund | [top] | |
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In this innovative platform puzzler, Mechner decided the best way to ensure a high level of visual realism for this game was to make extensive films of his brother performing the actions of a platform hero, and from these clips he created sprites for the prince and his foes. This rotoscoping process had been used previously by animators like Disney. Although the game's graphics seemed terribly primitive at first glance, with blocky characters and a world drawn with a forced isometric perspective, one needed only to watch the protagonist take a few steps to be stunned by the fluidity and detail of the animation. The prince, a simple-looking fellow in white, moved with unprecedented elegance as he ran through the dungeons of the evil vizier. The games used the fantasy of 1001 Arabian Nights. There were no power-ups more bizarre than a health potion, no creatures more fantastic than the occasional guard or undead skeleton, and the prince himself was not a superhero but only athletic - he had the ability to grab hold of ledges to avoid a pit too long to leap, a sudden pitfall underfoot or a drop a little too far to survive. When confronted by enemies, he could fall back on his sword skills, but in many cases it was simply best to avoid a fight altogether. You only have an hour to save a princess from the nefarious Grand Vizier, Jafar. So, you must puzzle how to get across each screen in a timely manner or you will be too late. In 2021, a fan-made remake in Unity was released by houssamChab. | ||
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| Rick Dangerous | Core Design Ltd. / Microplay Software | [top] | |
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You play Rick Dangerous, an Indiana Jones type who's on a quest to find the lost Coolu Amazon tribe. However, his plane crashes in the middle of a bunch of crazed Coolus. Hopefully he's up to the challenge of escaping. If he is, he will find himself in the pyramid of Egypt with no easy way past leaders and their minions, and then engulfed in a web of traps in a Nazi base. Rick Dangerous is a platform game across over 100 screens, in which Rick has his gun in one hand, and dynamite sticks in another. You must take a methodical approach to clearing each screen, as there are traps in place which will need memorizing and preempting where possible. Use the dynamite wisely, for enemies you can't get into the purely-horizontal range of your gun. Classic puzzling platform game and one of the first bigger hits by Core Design. Overall, Rick Dangerous is an outstanding platform/puzzle hybrid that follows in the footsteps of the likes of Parker Brothers' classic Montezuma's Revenge. In 2009, a fan-made remake was created using SDL that was ported to Flash and various other systems. | ||
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| Robocop | Ocean Software Ltd. | [top] | |
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Based on the 1987 movie of the same name, Patrolman Alex Murphy was killed on the streets of Detroit. The major corporation there, Omni Consumer Products (OCP) saw an opportunity to sell a new kind of law enforcement officer to the troubled city. They took what was left of Murphy, encased it in titanium armor, wiped his memory and created RoboCop. Now it's up to RoboCop to clean the streets of Detroit and eliminate the one responsible for his murder, Clarence Boddicker. But it looks like Clarence might not be the kingpin of this town. Ocean's version of RoboCop for 8-bit machines loosely adapts the Data East arcade game, with stages inspired by those from the coin-op, but also entirely new gameplay elements. In most levels, RoboCop walks from left to right, shooting his gun at hordes of enemies that intend to kill him with bullets, chainsaws or their fists. Stages include the streets of Detroit (in two parts, based on the first level of the arcade), a drug factory (based on the fourth arcade level), and a junkyard (based on the third coin-op stage). Gun power-ups to collect include a rapid fire model, a three-way shot and a powerful flame cannon. Two levels end with boss fights against RoboCop's chief adversary ED-209. For some reason, ED is impervious to bullets and must be defeated using Robo's fists alone. New challenges from the arcade include hostage scenarios: in these, seen from a first-person perspective, a criminal holds an innocent person. Moving crosshairs and firing precisely, RoboCop must take care to shoot only the criminal, not the civilian. Another new game element requires some quick thinking: in a puzzle mode, a composite sketch of a suspect is presented and must be matched by choosing the correct parts (hair, chin, eyes, etc.) of the face within a tight time limit. | ||
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| Shinobi | SEGA Enterprises Ltd. / SEGA of America, Inc. | [top] | |
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You control a ninja, Shinobi, who must battle his way through each level in search of hostages which must be rescued. You have shurikens, kicks and punches to defend yourself with. As well as the powerful ninja magic which can clear the screen of enemies in one go. Each level is broken down into smaller scenes and hostages are guarded by big blokes who throw swords. Watch out for gun-toting enemy henchmen and ninjas. Reaching the end of each level will find you battling it out with a boss. These range from 8ft giants to helicopter gunships. | ||
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| Stormlord | RazorSoft, Inc. / Hewson Consultants Ltd. | [top] | |
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Badh the queen has imposed a terrible vengeance on the land by kidnapping the fairies. To restore things their rightful way, you must rescue them. As you progress through the levels of platform-adventure action, you will come across fairies which are rescued by touching them. Enemies include Venus Fly Traps, localized acid rain showers and dragons, which can be avoided or shot in the bonus shoot 'em up sections. You will need help to reach some levels; this comes from Mael Dvin the Eagle. After each level there's a bonus game in which tears must be collected for points. | ||
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| Strider | Capcom Co., Ltd. / U.S. Gold Ltd. | [top] | |
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This is a good PC conversion of the arcade hit by Capcom that is best described as futuristic ninja combat. The year is 2089 AD. In Russia, the evil Grand Master Meio has begun his insane plot to take over the universe. A lone figure drops from a stealth glider into Meio's base. He is Hiryu, Super A-Class Strider. His mission is to defeat the Grand Master and put an end to his plotting once and for all. Strider lets the protagonist run, jump, perform acrobatics and climb walls and overhangs. He wields a plasma sword, called a Cypher, through five levels fighting robots and guards, with mid- and end-level bosses. Anachronistic weapons and enemies only make the game more fun, with lots of surprises along the way. Strider is yet another good platform game that went unnoticed by most. The game is also easier than average, which makes it ideal for novice gamers. | ||
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| Super Oswald [Da] | Silverrock | [top] | |
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It all started in his time with Jesper V. Jørgensen in 1988 getting the idea for a simple little platform game, which came to be called OsWald. It is a very clear game where ice flakes descend across the screen in 3 columns. Here you have to jump around with the polar bear OsWald without falling into the water. He even made the graphics for the Amiga version, which Esben Krag Hansen programmed and Mikael Balle made the sound. This happened under the direction of Starvision International, who in addition only made the game MACH in 1987. OsWald was published by Silverrock Productions and ended up on TV in the program Eleva2eren in 1989. For TV, a customized version of the Amiga version was used. There were, among other things. connected to a modem that could do DTMF decoding, thus the viewer who came through the phone lock to the program, able to control the polar bear OsWald via their push button phone. How many today can hardly relate to the concept of landline telephone, then almost 25 years ago you should remind people that you could not use the old dial phones. Technically, a modem would also be able to decode the pulse signal nicely, but it is no longer practical with a round dial to jump around the screen. Where Jesper V. Jørgensen himself helped create the Amiga edition, it was Niels Krogh Mortensen who teased OsWald for Commodore 64. Jens-Christian Huus made the sound and Thomas Villadsen programmed. Thomas knew Uffe Jakobsen (who later helped create Hugo), who helped him with some timing and raster routines. In connection with an exhibition at the Post & Tele Museum, Uffe created a DTMF for joystick adapter so that visitors could play OsWald via a phone in the same way as in the Eleva2eren. To take advantage of the popularity gained on TV, Super OsWald came to the world. The game is pretty much the same except for the addition of OsWaldine, so you could play 2 at a time. | ||
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| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Konami Industry Co. Ltd. / Ultra Software Corporation | [top] | |
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With April O'Neil held hostage by The Shredder's thugs, Bebop and Rocksteady, once again, it's up to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to come to her rescue! Play as all four of the turtle heroes, rescue April, and then rescue your sensei Splinter from Mecha-Turtles clutches than go after The Shredder deep in the bowels of The Technodrome itself. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an action game based on the late eighties/early nineties cartoon series of the same name. Play as Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello and Raphael (one turtle only, but the ability to swap between turtles at any time) as you save your friends and battle The Shredder and his cronies. There are no 'lives', as such - when you lose a turtle, he becomes 'captured', and you cannot use him again until you rescue him from a place hidden in the overworld. Gameplay takes place in two perspectives: a top-down view, which lets you run around and explore buildings, sewers and other places. When entering places from the top-down view, the perspective shifts to a side-scrolling view, where most of the battling takes place. In addition to each turtle's main weapon, sub-weapons (such as shuriken) can be acquired, to use at foes - these have a limited use. | ||
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| Tintin On The Moon | Probe Entertainment / Infogrames | [top] | |
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Hergé's famous cartoon character is brought to life in this multi-stage action game, specifically based around the Tintin comic books - "Destination Moon" and "Explorers on the Moon". In many details the story was similar to the real moon landings, then many years off. A more accurate title for the game would be 'Tintin Gets to the Moon', as reaching it is your challenge. The game is split into two distinct types of sections; the first of these involves guiding the rocket through space. Steer it to avoid contact with asteroids, and to collect eight red spheres. Yellow spheres boost energy, and so should be collected. This is followed by a platform-based battle, as the evil Captain Jurgen has tied up several crew members, planted time bombs, and started several fires. Use your extinguisher on Jurgen and the fires, and touch the bombs and crew members to solve those problems. Turn gravity off to reach the more troublesome bombs. | ||
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| Untouchables, The | Astros Productions / Ocean Software Ltd. | [top] | |
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A select team of goverment investigators were created, led by a young determined federal treasury agent. They would not be bought .They knew no fear. They would risk everything to stop Al Capone's reign of terror when organised crime turned the city into a battlefield.They were...THE UNTOUCHABLES. The game is based on the popular movie starring Kevin Costner and Sean Connery. You play as Elliot Ness and his men, always with hats, fighting bad guys. You play through six levels of varied gameplay that follows the movie plot. First level takes place in warehouse where you have to rush all around trying to collect evidence. This means that you have to collect 10 boxes with letter 'E' that will remain after killing bad guy in green. In the upper-right corner of the screen, there is an arrow that is showing you where the boss is. After you kill one, another appears somewhere on the level. There are 3 kinds of enemies, fast and dangerous, and you should kill the ones in grey from time to time, since they might leave better weapon or energy. You mostly run around jumping and shooting. You play second level under the bridge, laying on the ground and shooting. You can roll right and left, and in the lower part of the screen you see your own view and use it in order to aim at the criminals. Criminals shoot at you, but also throw dynamite and Molotov's, and one is enough to finish you. After you kill them all, you get to the probably most interesting level that takes place on the streets. Hidden behind the corner, holding the double-barrel, you have to fight your way. Enemies come out from corners and windows, and you have to reload after every two shots. Level is in Operation Wolf style. In the subway station you fight against bad guys in the down-side scrolling type of game. This is not that simple because there is a small baby in the cradle that you have to protect too. After that you have to shoot a bad guy holding a hostage. | ||
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| Viaje Al Centro De La Tierra [Sp] | Topo Soft | [top] | |
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In this Jules Verne inspired game you are gonna take a journey to the center of the earth. This game consist of three parts. In the first part you have to solve a puzzle by putting the parts in the correct order. In the second part you control three characters at the same time. Each character carries its own objects and attributes, while they enter the volcano on their way to the center of the earth. They have to pass water cascades, geysers and eventually a lake with a monster. In the third part you, have to choose one of the three ways to get to the surface of the earth. Each route is different and has its own dangers like tigers, carnivorous plants and quick sand. An Extended Version was also released with an additional two parts that were removed due to time constraints. In the fourth part you control one of the three characters who has to navigate a vertically oriented beach filled with giant turtles to reach a raft. The player has to patiently wait for the turtles to move and open up a passage to then pass them quickly. In the fifth part the three characters are riding the raft on a rising mass of lava from the centre of the Earth back up to the surface. Shown from a side view and scrolling vertically the player needs to move the raft left or right to prevent it from colliding with the rock walls. | ||
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Casual Games
| 1st Person Pinball | Cirrus Software / Tynesoft Computer Software | [top] | |
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Tynesoft were almost certainly the first people to try a first person pinball game with this ambitious program. Up to four players could join in, including 2 computer players to show you how it's done. The game can be played from a more traditional overhead-view mode, which makes it easier to tell where the bumpers are in relation to the flippers, and is recommended for learning the game. Most of those bumpers are single-colour and arranged in a straightforward pattern. There are three different gameplay speeds and 2 possible levels of ball bounce. | ||
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| All New Family Feud, The | Softie Inc. / ShareData Inc. | [top] | |
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If you've ever seen the game show you know what the game is like: Two families compete against each other and need to guess the five popular answers to questions like "Name today's top female singer". The amount of people (always a hundred total) who answered the same thing as the family equals the rewarded points. So for example if 20 persons said "Madonna", the family would get 20 points when guessing it. and need to guess the most popular. There are three to five rounds and in the end the family with the most points win. | ||
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| Amarillo Slim's Real Poker: 5 Card Stud | Villa Crespo Software Inc. | [top] | |
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This bears the name of professional gambler 'Amarillo Slim' (Thomas Preston), better known by his 'appearance' in later products of the same developer: Amarillo Slim Dealer's Choice and Amarillo Slim's 7 Card Stud. As could be seen from the title, this presents but one variety of poker, 5 card stud. There are no graphics, as everything including the cards is pictured by text symbols, but the game features friendly interface, extensive help system and such options as 'tutor' and 'odds' aimed at assisting the novice players. Only one of four participants could be human, but there is a possibility to disable one or two extra computer opponents. | ||
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| Arkanoid 2: Revenge of Doh | NovaLogic / Taito Corporation | [top] | |
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This is a direct sequel to the original arcade smash Arkanoid. Along with improved graphic engine, better sound and music, better hardware support and more levels, it also features a built-in editor and allows you to create your own level sets. If you've played the original Arkanoid you'll like this one. The evil Doh, apparently defeated in the first game (don't know if anyone has actually ever got there), has returned and it is up to your flying of your Arkanoid space craft to once again defeat him. The game is almost identical to its predecessor, where the basic idea is to keep the ball bouncing around the screen until all the blocks are gone. The various power ups that some times fall down the screen are essential in getting anywhere in the game and after a few stages you learn to look out for your favorites. | ||
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| Ballistix | Reflections Interactive Limited / Psyclapse | [top] | |
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This is an arcade game in which you have to manipulate a ball in order to score a goal with your opponent. To do this, you will control an arrow that defines a direction, and pressing the fire key will launch a ball from this arrow in the direction the arrow points to; by launching balls at correct angles, you will manipulate the main ball and control the way it moves. Ballistix also keeps certain physics laws (namely gravity and friction), and will present you with varying obstacles in either one or two player mode. | ||
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| Blockout | P.Z.Karen Co. Development Group / California Dreams | [top] | |
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Blockout is a Tetris variant with an added twist: it's in 3D. The player can rotate the blocks in 3D in order to fit them into the pit they are being guided into. Advanced users can play this game with odd three-dimensional pieces, or change the size of the pit, for depth of between 6 and 18 piles, and width and length of between 3 and 7. | ||
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| Bombuzal | Image Works | [top] | |
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Little Bombuzal has to blow up bombs on little islands in this puzzle game. In order to advance to the next level, all bombs need to detonate. There are various sizes of bombs. Bigger ones have such a huge blast radius that Bombuzal cannot trigger them directly - instead, he has to explode smaller bombs first and cause a chain reaction. So as one might imagine, later levels turn into loud blastfests that need to be carefully planned. Besides, later levels introduce all kinds of additional hazards and gimmicks, like ice floors, movable bombs, disappearing ground tiles, and much more. Nobody said being a pyromaniac is easy. A 3D fan remake was released in 2006 by Matt Pilz. | ||
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| Chase on Tom Sawyer's Island, The | Walt Disney Computer Software, Inc. / Hi-Tech Expressions, Inc. | [top] | |
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This Pac-Man inspired maze game is based upon the Tom Sawyer's Island attraction at Disneyland. Players maneuver Tom Sawyer along the island's paths in his quest to gather berries. However, Aunt Polly, Injun Joe, and after the third level, a bear, chase after Tom. He can avoid them by ducking into escape routes such as a water wheel, a teeter-totter, a raft and two caves. If Tom survives all five levels, the player wins. | ||
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| Chess Net | Jack Lerner, Design Track Inc. | [top] | |
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A simple computerized chess game that features the ability to play against another human player on another computer utilizing a Hayes compatible modem. The game comes loaded with all 24 games of the 1990 World Chess Championship. You can load them, watch them play or you can actually stop a game, make a new move, and play against the computer, which takes over for one of the original game opponents. | ||
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| Classic Concentration: 2nd Edition | 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. This sequel features the same interface with even more puzzles to solve. Two players can play against each other, or one person can play against a computer generated opponent. Solve the rebus that lies beneath 25 numbered panels (a rebus is a puzzle in which words are represented by combinations of pictures and individual letters). 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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| Colossus Chess X | CDS Software Ltd | [top] | |
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This is the first 16-bit adaptation of the chess games series by Martin P. Bryant. This fully-fledged program understands all the rules of chess, including underpromotion, the fifty move rule and draws by repetition; it can achieve the king-bishop-knight mate. The new features are a modifiable opening book of 11000 moves, the program also learns new lines of play from playing experience. You can also play against the clock, try a blindfold mode or use the program to solve mating problems. Apart from the standard 2D board there's a 3D one, which can be freely rotated. Four graphical chess piece sets are available, as well as music & speech, and a demonstration mode. | ||
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| Computer Edition of Scrabble Brand Crossword Game, The | Turcan Research Systems Limited / Leisure Genius | [top] | |
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Perhaps the earliest "official" version of Scrabble for the PC. This adaptation of the classic word puzzle game allows up to four players with the option of using computer opponents that can compete at 8 different skill levels. The 20,000 word dictionary can be amended by the player to include words not initially recognized by the computer. Other features include a time clock and an option to save and load games. | ||
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| Cribbage King / Gin King | The Software Toolworks Inc. | [top] | |
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Play the games of Cribbage and Gin against a variety of computer opponents. In Gin King, the only drawback is that you can't arrange your own cards. Otherwise, the game is very accurate and entertaining. You can choose between two styles of gin: gin rummy, in which you can knock (end a hand) with ten or fewer points, and Oklahoma gin, in which you turn up a card from a separate deck and must knock with fewer points than that card indicates. In Cribbage King, the only drawback is that you can't peg your own points on the cribbage board. An especially nice feature, however, will count your points for you or let you count your own. The second option awards any miscounted points to your opponent, though, so be careful. As in Gin King, the different options in Cribbage King really add to the game's appeal. In both games, you can choose from several opponents of varying skills. If you don't know how to play cribbage or gin, the Help menu will teach you. Another option lets you play the same hand several times, looking for the best possible way to play the cards. Graphics are good, with sharp reproductions of the playing cards and a dark green background that looks like a felt tablecloth. The cribbage board is shaded so that the wood looks textured and 3-D. Features include natural language advice, computer vs. computer, Cribbage and Gin variants, duplicate mode, and scenario set-up mode. | ||
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| Enchanted Pinball | K.F.R. Soft / Positive | [top] | |
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In the year 1522 a peace-loving magician discovered, while reading a crystal ball, that the Earth would be destroyed in the 21st century by a wicked man. He invokes the galactic forces and is transported into the 21st century landing inside a pinball machine. The player must help him out so that he can save the Earth. To do that the player must pass the nine tests such as breaking all the rocks, scaring away the evil spirits, activating the energy of the spirit serpent, feeding up a hungry frog, and others - all inside a modified pinball machine. | ||
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| Fast Food | The Codemasters Software Company Limited | [top] | |
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This game featuring the egg character Dizzy is similar to Pac-Man or Boulder Dash, but not quite. The objective is to collect all fast food on the screen: that means, food that is moving fast. While doing so, you will have to avoid the monsters, otherwise you'll get killed. Dizzy is pursued by four mushroom-like monsters: Bonzo, Wizza, Pippa, and Fido. Power-ups and breakable walls add to the complexity of the game. There are 30 levels, increasing in difficulty from very easy to extremely difficult. | ||
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| Fidelity Chessmaster 2100, The | The Software Toolworks, Inc. | [top] | |
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An update/modification to Chessmaster 2000, adding 640x200 graphics for nicer displays, many tutorial and "expert" options, and a plethora of other features too numerous to mention here. | ||
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| Fun House | MicroMosaics Productions Inc. / Hi-Tech Expressions Inc. | [top] | |
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This is a game based on a children's TV game show. The game's object is to test luck and skill at stunts and trivia questions. Two contestants compete against each other to win the stunt and trivia rounds. Then the winner goes to gather prizes in the maze. | ||
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| Hole-In-One Miniature Golf | DigiTek Software | [top] | |
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This provides an overhead view of each hole. The gameplay is controlled entirely with the mouse. You place the ball on the starting pad and click the left mouse button. Once you have placed the ball, "stretch" a line from the ball to the pointer. The direction the line is pointing is the direction the ball will go. The length of the line or the distance between the pointer and the ball is relative to the power on the shot. Once you are satisfied, click the left mouse button to putt the ball. You are allowed to go three shots over par. Any more than that and you will get a penalty stroke and must advance to the next hole (or player). You can also get one stroke penalty for going into a water hazard. Your scorecard will be displayed after the first nine holes but can be viewed at anytime using the Options Menu. After completing the course the scorecard will be displayed again. You can print your scores or exit to continue. The game features five complete 18-hole courses with different themes including a Tutorial Course that walks the player through every aspect of gameplay, a Classics Course which is patterned after the basic traditional miniature golf course, an Intermediate Course that adds more obstacles, elevations and difficulty, an adventurous Fantasy Course with designs ranging from castles to pinball and the Expert Course for those who master the game. The game can be installed on a hard drive. | ||
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| Hollywood Squares | GameTek Inc. | [top] | |
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This is a GameTek conversion of the '80s version of the game show Hollywood Squares. Two contestants play a version of tic-tac-toe, with "celebrities" filling in for the squares. The selected celeb is asked a question, answers it, and the contestant must agree or disagree with their answer. A correct guess captures that square. After three games, the winning contestant picks a key and a car out of two separate pools, hoping to match the two up and win the car. | ||
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| Hotshot | Maxwell Technology, Oxford Mobius / Prism Leisure | [top] | |
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A simple two-player game released to much marketing fanfare, Hotshot places you and another player (either another person or an AI robot) in an arena split down the middle into two save for a hole about half the screen's height for the ball to travel through, with a series of bricks on each side to destroy. The aim of the game is to destroy your own bricks before your opponent can destroy his. This is achieved by catching the small by pointing your suction device at it and holding fire, and then releasing in the needed by letting go of the button. This is easier said than done, as the ball neither moves in a straight line or according to the natural rules of gravity. Should either player be hit with the ball and not catch it properly, they will be knocked down and possession of the ball is passed to the other player. | ||
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| House of Cards | Virgin Mastertronic Ltd. | [top] | |
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This is a compilation of six casino-style single-player-versus-computer card games for DOS. All games can be controlled via mouse, keyboard, or joystick, and all cards are graphically displayed on the screen. Contains: Bridge, Cribbage, Gin Rummy, Hearts, Pinochle, Spades. For each game the player can set a game limit, play demo mode, practice, and show rules or win log. | ||
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| Hoyle Official Book of Games - Volume 1 | Sierra On-Line, Inc. | [top] | |
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Play six different card games (Crazy Eights, Old Maid, Hearts, Gin Rummy, Cribbage, and Klondike Solitaire) against 0-3 computer opponents (as appropriate for each game). There are 18 available computer opponents, including characters from other Sierra games (Colonel Henry Dijon, Shelly LeBlanc, Officer Sonny Bonds, Larry Laffer, King Graham, Roger Wilco and Princess Rosella), Sierra employees (Warren Schwader and Jerry Moore) and their children, and others. The different opponents play the different games at different skill levels, and are broken up into "Serious" and "Not-So-Serious" categories. All the opponents will taunt you (in character) as you play (though you can turn off in-game conversation if it's too distracting). | ||
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| KaleidoKubes | Artworx Software Company Inc. | [top] | |
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This is a puzzle game where players places cubes on a board. The game is meant for two players, either against a human or against the computer, but there is also a practice mode for one player. Each cube is split into four triangles of different colours (blue, green, red, yellow) and to place one on the board the colour of each side has to match the colours of adjacent cubes. Each cube has to connect to at least one other cube. The players earn points for each cube that is placed on the board and the more sides that are connected the more points will be earned. The game is turn based and each player has a limited time (30 or 60 seconds depending on settings) and when it's out the player gets a point penalty and the opponent takes over. For each turn the player has just one cube which can be rotated and if he can't find a solution it's possible to pass. The winner is the player with the highest score when the board is filled or when two consecutive combinations of time running out or passes have been made. | ||
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| Monopoly | Leisure Genius / Virgin Mastertronic International Inc. | [top] | |
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This version of the classic board game supports several graphic formats and offers some different options. From 2 to 8 players can play the game, and they can all be computer players if you wish. This allows you to just sit back and watch as the computer takes over. You can choose to play a short game with a specified time limit, or a standard game, and there is a save game feature. All actions are handled entirely by keyboard. Questions appear in the center area of the board (for buying property, for instance). Pressing the first letter of a word from the top bar takes that action (Q for Quit as an example). Player stats can be viewed on the screen. | ||
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| Pictionary: The Game of Quick Draw | Oxford Mobius / Domark Limited | [top] | |
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Based on the board game, the object is guess a word or phrase based on a drawing. There are five categories - Person/Place/Animal, Object, Action, a category of difficult puzzles, and an All Play category. The amount of time to guess an answer can be altered. These drawings are done using a cut-down variant of a paint package, which you can practice with to get your drawing skills up to scratch. You are not limited to freehand drawing - lines, boxes, circles and curves can be drawn, with variable ink colours and line thickness. After each question the game will tell you the answer and ask which player (if any) got the correct answer. Pictionary can be played against the computer, or with multiple players. | ||
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| Pipe Dream / Pipe Mania!! | The Assembly Line / Empire Software, LucasArts, Microsoft Corporation | [top] | |
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Each level of this abstract puzzler challenges the player to set up a network of pipes to allow an unspecified substance known as 'flooz' to flow through as many of those as possible. The pieces are offered in random order, and there are seven different types - straight lines going horizontally or vertically, corners rotating in each of the four directions, and cross-over pieces which carry the flooz straight across horizontally and vertically. Each of these can be entered from either side. When the flooz hits a gap or a piece that the previous piece can't flow into, the pipe is finished. Before the flooz starts flowing from its randomly-selected starting position, the player has several seconds to start placing pieces. They can be put down anywhere. However, a situation that can often occur is there will be a long and complex piping arrangement set up, yet a gap somewhere remains to be filled. Players are able to replace a piece with another in the same square (to make it easier to flow the flooz that way), but for a slight scoring penalty. Bonuses are awarded for looping the flooz through both sides of at least 5 cross-over pieces or passing the flooz through every square on the screen. Later levels have some squares on the grid blocked off, a few gaps in the side-wall (allowing flooz to thread to the other side of the screen). After every four levels, there is a bonus game for points, in which the player can only place the pieces in the lowest open space in each column, similarly to the board game of "Connect 4". Originally on DOS, a Windows 3.x version was later released in 1991. | ||
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| Qix | Taito America Corporation / Taito Corporation | [top] | |
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In this game, popular in arcades in 1981, you guide a marker which must draw rectangles and other weird objects in order to claim your territory, and you can either draw these rectangles fast or slow. Drawing the rectangles using the "slow" method awards you the most points. Once a rectangle has been made, it will be colored in to show that you have claimed your territory. While drawing the rectangles, you need to watch out for Qix (pronounced "kicks"), a series of colored lines that crawl the screen. In addition to Qix, you also need to avoid the Sparks who travel around the border, as well as any lines that you have made, as well as The Fuse, who travels along the line that you are drawing. Once you have claimed enough territory, you proceed to the next level. | ||
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| Skweek | Loriciels | [top] | |
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The Skweeks lived in harmony for centuries, being a naturally peaceful peoples, until Pitark arrived. He ruined their bright pink land by removing the colour, and it was only after he died that they had the opportunity to clean the land up. Your job is to travel through the 99 continents and clean each one in sequence. Skweek can move in each of the four compass directions, and is armed with a simple weapon, whose shots rebound around before they hit one of Pitark's minions, the Schnoreuls - contact with which is instantly fatal. Some squares contain arrows which force you in a particular direction, while there are also blockades to avoid. Bomb squares blow up surrounding squares but give you time to move away from them as they do this, while Shortcut squares allow you to move to another teleport-type square by pushing the joystick in its direction. | ||
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| Super Pac-Man | Namco Limited / Thunder Mountain | [top] | |
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This is a game first in arcades in 1982 in Namco's Pac-Man family, but instead of gobbling up dots, Pac is required to eat fruit and prizes, such as apples, bunches of bananas, doughnuts, hamburgers, fried eggs, ears of corn, sneakers, pieces of cakes, raspberries, limes, cups of coffee, mushrooms, Galaxians, bells, and shamrocks. Most of these items are hidden in passages that have locked doors at either entrance, and in order to unlock the doors, Pac needs to eat the key that is closest to the passage that he wishes to unlock. As usual, ghosts will keep chasing Pac around the maze until he has lost all his lives. However, Pac can enter the warp tunnels at either side of the maze to lose the ghosts quickly. There are two types of power pellets in the maze: green and yellow. Yellow power pellets cause ghosts to turn blue, allowing Pac to eat them for points, whereas green ones cause Pac to enlarge and will also cause the ghosts to become much thinner and wider, allowing him to fly over them. He can also break open the doors without the need of keys. The effects of the pellets, unfortunately, only last for a number of seconds. During the time that he is enlarged, a flashing star will appear besides two boxes that are located in the middle of the maze. The first box will display the current fruit or prize, and the other will display a rotating selection of them. If Pac manages to eat the star when they match there will be a large bonus score. Occasionally, after three or more stages, there will be a bonus stage where Pac automatically gets enlarged. The object of these stages is to eat everything in the maze before the time runs out and, during these stages, there will be no ghosts to pursue him. | ||
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| Titan | Titus France SA | [top] | |
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This is a 2D arcade game / puzzle game hybrid. For some reason, mad professors of the future tend to invent strange entertainment games in which every participant dies. Professor Hybrys’ variant is called Titan and involves a ball, a control unit and 80 labyrinths. Your objective is either to destroy all destructible blocks in each level by hitting them with the sphere, or to pilot it to the exit. The black ball is beyond your control; it will bounce straight or diagonally through the labyrinth with constant speed. You move the control unit, a small box, with you are to position in a way that the ball bounces off it in the desired direction. You can also catch the sphere by quickly moving over it, and then release it in a direction of your choice. The labyrinths not only contain harmless, destructible blocks, but also increasingly difficult hazards. If the sphere or your control unit hit a skull symbol, one of your nine lives is lost. Teleporters exchange the position of you and the ball, wall pieces can be pushed around or destroyed by your unit, floor tiles will grow into walls when you pass over them too often. The high game speed can be slowed down by holding the space key – a very useful option in tricky situations. Titan mixes an arcade game foundation (requiring quick reflexes and good nerves) with puzzle game elements (requiring logical thinking to beat the complex levels). The challenge is to control the sphere accurately, yet indirectly. | ||
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| Toobin' | Atari Games Corporation / Domark Ltd. | [top] | |
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Its time to put on your swimsuit, drop a coin down the coin slot and take a trip down the roaring rivers in the pursuit of treasures, spare patches for your tubes, as well as soda cans and six packs to fire at your enemies along the river.... Toobin' is a great conversion of Atari's arcade classic from 1988. Typical arcade fun, and the premise is quite original and could be considered a "sport" title due to the setting (water amusement park), and the fact that it's a race in disguise. As usual, the PC conversion is miles away from the arcade game technically, but gameplay is nearly the same. The major difference: Just one joystick - while the arcade game used two to control both arms of your Toob Dude individually. You rotate your tyre left or right, and drift as the current sends you, making sure to avoid the banks of the river, and the dividing lines in the middle. Hazards include crocodiles, stray logs and branches, and fishermen - you are armed with a limited supply of tin cans to take care of these. There are gates to slide through on the way down - these give you a points bonus. Each level has a strict time limit to adhere to, although there's a kickin' party at the end if you succeed. | ||
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| TrianGO | P.Z.Karen Co. Development Group, Magic Partners / California Dreams | [top] | |
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This is a variation of the board game Go that is played on a hexagon-shaped board. The board is composed of 21 lines which cross to form triangles. The lines intersect to create 55 points where players can place their stones. The game is available for up to four players who take turns placing stones on the board. The aim is to capture the stones of the opponents by creating triangles. A triangle is created when three stones are positioned so that they can be connected with straight lines. All of the stones that are located within the triangle can then be captured if the player chooses to. When making a capture, both the player's own stones and those of the opponents are removed from the board. The player's own stones can be brought back into play while the opponents' are permanently out. To win the game the player has to become the last one still able to make a move (due to still having stones left). | ||
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| Trivial Pursuit | Horn Abbot Ltd. / Virgin Mastertronic | [top] | |
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One of the first games made under the new "Leisure Genius" label after Virgin took over Mastertronic to form the "Virgin Mastertronic" division, Trivial Pursuit continues Mastertronic's line of famous boardgames translations... Including their notorious lack of quality. Although fans of the board game will be overjoyed at a chance to play the game if no friends are in sight, their hopes of a faithful conversion will be cruelly dashed when they find that there is no way to type in answer to the questions. That's right - the whole ingenious point of the game, the one highlight that distinguishes true scholars from trivia junkies, has been reduced to a ridiculously simple concept of answering either "yes" or "no" to the answer the computer provides ("is your answer correct?", it nonchalantly asks). Although every other aspect of the game (down to the colorful wheel) is meticulously modeled, and you can play against up to 3 other human players, the challenge is basically nonexistent. | ||
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| Welltris | Doka, Sphere Inc. / Spectrum Holobyte, Inc. | [top] | |
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This is the first Tetris sequel, and designed by Alexey Pajitnov (the creator of Tetris) with Andrei Sgenov. It has the same gameplay concept as Tetris; simply all the player has to do is to rotate and maneuver the falling pieces into a proper position in order to form complete layers in the rectangular playground. But Welltris changes this rectangular arena into a four sided well with grid-like walls and bottom where the falling pieces can be moved from wall to wall within the well. Form the pieces into solid rows either horizontally or vertically on the bottom of the well. It billed itself as Tetris in three dimensions. | ||
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| Wheel of Fortune Junior Edition | Rare Ltd. / GameTek Inc., I.J.E. 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. New features were added as technologies advanced, from CGA to VGA and digitized voices of Vanna White in the 1991 Deluxe Edition. Each new version features more questions than the last, although they disappointingly border on the easy side and tend to be from only a few categories (e.g. people's names, common nouns). Since this is the Junior Edition of the franchise, the puzzles are geared to be solvable for a younger audience. | ||
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| Wheel of Fortune: Golden Edition | Softie Inc. / GameTek Inc. | [top] | |
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A very basic translation of the popular game show Wheel Of Fortune, where you guess letters until you can guess the phrase. This CGA version has three old-school rounds of Wheel of Fortune (where the puzzles are simply "Phrase", "Title", "Person", etc.) and then a bonus round. You can compete against 2 computer players or up to three people can play against each other. This is a re-release of the 1987 game Wheel of Fortune, with an extra one thousand new puzzles. | ||
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| Win, Lose or Draw: Second Edition | Softie Inc. / Hi-Tech Expressions Inc. | [top] | |
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This is the second edition of the computer version of 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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