Author: admin

  • F-14 Fleet Defender Gold

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1994, MicroProse Now this is it. This is one member of the 1994/95-ruling triumvirate of flight simulators (the other two being TFX and Tornado, both also featured on this site). F-14 Defender is a simulation of the F-14 Tomcat, and…

  • F-16 Fighting Falcon

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Digital Integration GAME PUBLISHER:Interactive Magic Copyright 1997, Digital Integration This is a Falcon flight sim from the same people who brought Hind and Apache Longbow into the world. The graphics engine from Hind was souped-up, and a later patch brought 3DFX support (which is…

  • F-16: Combat Pilot

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dave Marshall GAME DEVELOPER:Digital Integration GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 1989, Digital Integration Digital Integration’s first sim that was published by Electronic Arts still stands the test of time as an accurate simulation of F-16 Falcon (given the hardware limits of its time). Outstanding campaign and training…

  • Faces: Tris 3

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Alexei Pajitnov GAME DEVELOPER:Spectrum Holobyte GAME PUBLISHER:Spectrum Holobyte Copyright 1993, Spectrum Holobyte Facesis similar to Wordtrisin its assemble-falling-pieces-into-a-recognizable-item concept: your task is to assemble different parts of a face properly (e.g. nose above mouth, etc.) to make it disappear. Assembling a “perfect” face (i.e. all parts…

  • Faery Tale Adventure

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Joiner GAME DEVELOPER:MicroIllusions GAME PUBLISHER:MicroIllusions Copyright 1988, MicroIllusions Faery Tale Adventure is the PC version of the Amiga classic that is unfortunately much worse than the Amiga version due to poorly implemented graphics, and bad scrolling. That probably explained why the game never sold well…

  • Fahrenheit 451

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Len Neufeld & Byron Preiss GAME DEVELOPER:Telarium GAME PUBLISHER:Telarium Copyright 1986, Telarium I can imagine the Telarium executives brainstorming for this one. A bunch of overweight business men, they smoke their cigars and play with their watch fobs and plot the oppression of good and honest…

  • Fantasy Empires

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Denis Dyack & Rick Goertz GAME DEVELOPER:Silicon Knights GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1993, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Definitely one of the best fantasy games ever made, Fantasy Empires is an incredibly addictive fantasy strategy game that combines real-time tactical combat, numerous strategic options, and…

  • Fantasy General

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dan Cermak GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1996, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Of all SSI’s releases in the “5-star” series based on the acclaimed engine of Panzer General, Fantasy General is my most favorite and one of the most underrated.…

  • Fascination

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Tomahawk GAME PUBLISHER:Coktel Vision Copyright 1991, Coktel Vision Fascination is, thank goodness, the last game in Coktel / Tomahawk’s short-lived line of risque, mature-themed adventures that began with Emmanuelle. Aside from its eye-catching “mature” label, the game is a rather mundane story about a…

  • Fast Break

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Accolade GAME PUBLISHER:Accolade Copyright 1987, Accolade A cutting-edge basketball game in 1987, Fast Break was touted by Accolade as “the first 3-on-3, full-court basketball game that lets you select and run both the offense and defense.” Indeed, the game offers a lot more options…

  • Fatal Fury 3

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:SNK GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1995, SNK There aren’t many good fighting games for PC, in fact, I could count them with my fingers! there are only four of them (no, not Mortal Kombat). SSF2T, OMF, SS2, and finally, Fatal Fury 3. Fatal Fury offers…

  • Fates of Twinion, The

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Sierra On-Line GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1993, Sierra On-Line Designed as an on-line multiplayer game, Shadow of Yserbius and Fates of Twinion unfortunately faded into oblivion with the demise of INN, Sierra’s on-line gaming service. Stripped off its multiplayer features, they are still decent…

  • Fear

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Chuan-Tze Teo GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1994, Chuan-Tze Teo Fear opens with an intriguing premise: you must overcome your phobias. The game’s strengths lie in well-designed puzzles relating to different phobias that can be solved in any order. Each time you conquer a phobia, you…

  • Feeble Files, The

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Simon Woodroffe GAME DEVELOPER:Adventuresoft GAME PUBLISHER:Adventuresoft Copyright 1996, Adventuresoft From the creators of sleeper hit Simon the Sorcerer comes this truly epic adventure game that redefines the term “value for the money.” Every CD in this 4-CD game jammed packed (and I mean packed) with puzzles,…

  • Fellowship of The Ring, The

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Beam International GAME PUBLISHER:Melbourne House Copyright 1986, Melbourne House After the excellent The Hobbit, Beam Software disappointed its fans with this subpar adventure that has almost incomprehensible puzzles, grammatical errors, and an overall drop in quality. It feels almost as if The Hobbit‘s designers…

  • Fiendish Freddy’s Big Top O’Fun

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Chris Gray GAME DEVELOPER:Gray Matter GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1989, Gray Matter A fun collection of circus games by Chris Gray (of Infiltrator fame), Fiendish Freddy includes many subgames, based on familiar circus highlights including high diving, juggling, trapeze, tightrope walking, and human cannonball. Fiendish Freddy in…

  • Fields of Glory

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jim Bambra & Adrian Earle GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1993, MicroProse This is a wonderful tactical miniature wargame set in the Napoleonic era– with excellent animations of units that predates Sid Meier’s Gettysburg. Take control of either France or Britain and see if you can…

  • Fifty Mission Crush

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Gray GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1984, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) “A tactical recreation of the bomber offensive against Germany during World War II. Realistic, but dull; superseded by B-17 Flying Fortress and Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe in…

  • Final Battle

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:PSS GAME PUBLISHER:Mirrorsoft Copyright 1991, PSS A decent PC conversion of the Amiga hit game and sequel to Legend of The Sword, Final Battle features an interesting plot (you start the game as a prisoner of evil wizard Suzar, imprisoned alone in a dank…

  • Fire King

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Stephen Lewis & Stephen Hwang GAME DEVELOPER:Micro Forte GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Studies Group (SSG) Copyright 1990, Strategic Studies Group (SSG) Fire King is a clone of the arcade classic Gauntlet. The game can best be described as an action/rpg hybrid, one of the first arcade games offering…

  • Fire Power

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Silent Software GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1988, Silent Software Fire Power is a fun “capture the flag” variant that requires careful planning as well as high dexterity. Instead of your legs, you control a tank, looking at the action from a top-down perspective. Starting from…

  • First Expedition

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Steve Engelstad GAME DEVELOPER:Interstel GAME PUBLISHER:Interstel Copyright 1985, Interstel First Expedition is an interesting and surprisingly complex (given its age) simulation of naval exploration that includes many realistic features such as weather and wind effects. Set in a fictional alternate universe that is basically Earth with…

  • First Over Germany

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Gray GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1989, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) “A tactical simulation of the Bomber Offensive against Germany during World War II, it was relatively detailed. However, gameplay became somewhat tedious.” [excerpt from M. Evan Brooks’ Homepage]…

  • Fist Fight

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Sunstar GAME PUBLISHER:Sunstar Copyright 1995, Sunstar Fist Fight is a fun side-scrolling arcade game that features some cool martial arts moves despite bland graphics and dumb enemies. One or two players (male and female) can join forces to fight the evil Chinese warlords in…

  • Flight Commander 2

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Charles Moylan GAME DEVELOPER:Big Time Software GAME PUBLISHER:Avalon Hill Copyright 1995, Avalon Hill Excerpt from Games Domain review: “Flight Commander 2 is an excellent tactical level air combat simulation by Big Time Software, distributed by Avalon Hill. Unlike a flight simulator, FC2 uses a turn-based “board…

  • Flight of The Amazon Queen

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Passfield & Steven Stamatiadis GAME DEVELOPER:Interactive Binary Illusions GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1995, Interactive Binary Illusion This charming game from a not-so-well-known Australian developer puts you in the shoes of Joe King, freelance pilot hired to escort actress Faye Russell to a photo shoot deep in…

  • Flight of The Intruder

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rod Hyde GAME DEVELOPER:Rowan GAME PUBLISHER:Spectrum Holobyte Copyright 1990, Rowan Flight of the Intruder was yet another sim ahead of its time. This sim features things that we now just take for granted like multiplayer, mission planner, multi-flight missions (with ability to switch plane during mission)…

  • Flight Sim Toolkit

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jonathan Newth GAME DEVELOPER:Simis GAME PUBLISHER:Domark Copyright 1993, Simis Ever wanted to make your flight simulator? Well, this program has everything you need. You can create theatres of operations, model units, etc There are several games built around this, the better being Tornado Squadron and WW2.…

  • Flixmix

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Celeris GAME PUBLISHER:Celeris Copyright 1993, Celeris This early game by Virtual Pool developer is a fun jigsaw puzzle game with a novel concept: each jigsaw piece is animated the way it will be in a completed picture, so you need to synchronize animations as…

  • Floor 13

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Virgin Interactive GAME PUBLISHER:Virgin Interactive Copyright 1991, Virgin Interactive “What the hell are you thinking?! This is a democracy! We can’t just let people who don’t like us walk around without hassling them!” The above quote probably sums up your role in Floor 13…

  • Flying Tigers

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jay Kramer GAME DEVELOPER:Teacy GAME PUBLISHER:Homebrew Software Copyright 1993, Teacy A typical overhead shooter in the spirit of Raiden or 1942, Flying Tigers is quite a terribly piece of a game. With amateur graphics, bad programming technique and aweful level design coupled with amazingly bad controls…

  • Fooblitzsky

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Berlyn & Marc Blank GAME DEVELOPER:Infocom GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1985, Infocom A brief but notable foray into the board game market by the masters of interactive fiction, Fooblitzsky is a novel attempt to use the PC to assist in playing a board game (e.g. roll…

  • Fool’s Errand, The

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Cliff Johnson GAME DEVELOPER:Manley Associates GAME PUBLISHER:Miles Computing Copyright 1989, Cliff Johnson Designed by Cliff Johnson, one of the best puzzle designers ever, the concept behind Fool’s Errand is so original that it defies categorization. Suffice to say that it is part devilish puzzle collection, part…

  • Football Fanatic

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Luis de Barros & Geoffrey Downey GAME DEVELOPER:Thunderbear Software Creations GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1997, Thunderbear Software Creations One of the best (if not THE best) shareware soccer simulations ever made, Football Fanatic rivals the venerable Championship Manager in the sheer number of options in the game,…

  • Forbidden Castle

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Angelsoft GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1985, Angelsoft One of Angelsoft’s better releases, Forbidden Castle is a typical save-the-princess game set in a well-defined fantasy world that is brought to life by detailed descriptions. Puzzles are logical and fun, and some are even original. Most puzzles…

  • Fountain of Dreams

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dave Albert & Robert Hardy GAME DEVELOPER:Electronic Arts GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 1990, Electronic Arts As an intended “sequel” to Interplay’s classic Wasteland, this game falls short of that classic in numerous ways. However, it is a good, solid RPG on its own: interesting plot (you…

  • Fragile Allegiance

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Gremlin GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1997, Gremlin In all respects a greatly revamped version of Amiga classic K240 space strategy game. Similar to its predecessor, this is one of those games that you will love for the rest of your life, one of those games…

  • Framed

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Bryce & Richard Case GAME DEVELOPER:Machination GAME PUBLISHER:Machination Copyright 1995, Machination Framed is a charming side-scrolling action/adventure game that successfully combines arcade and puzzle-solving elements into a satisfying experience (although it was Alone in the Dark series that popularized the action/adventure genre). In this game,…

  • Freakin’ Funky Fuzzballs

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Sir-Tech GAME PUBLISHER:Sir-Tech Copyright 1992, Sir-Tech In a strange but fortuitous departure from its stable of RPG classics, Sir-Tech released this enjoyable puzzle game that’s best described as Diggers meets Pacman: your job in each level is to clear path to discover keys that…

  • Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Al Lowe & Josh Mandel GAME DEVELOPER:Sierra On-Line GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1993, Al Lowe Yee-haw! Experience life in the wild, wild west in this adventure co-designed by jokesters Al Lowe and Josh Mandel. As the title suggests, you are a gunman-turned-pharmacist who will soon find…

  • Frederick Pohl’s Gateway

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mike Verdu & Glen Dahlgren GAME DEVELOPER:Legend Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1992, Legend Entertainment One of the best sci-fi games I’ve ever played, this game follows Pohl’s classic: you play a “prospector” – one of the brave souls who volunteer to pilot alien crafts to unknown…

  • Free D.C.!

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Kellyn Beck GAME DEVELOPER:Cineplay Interactive GAME PUBLISHER:Cineplay Interactive Copyright 1991, Cineplay Interactive In one of the most disappointing execution of a good game concept, Free D.C.! tries to be too many things at once but falls flat on its face with banal plot, frustrating and out-of-place…

  • Free Enterpri$e

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Tsunami Media GAME PUBLISHER:Tsunami Media Copyright 1996, Tsunami Media Free Enterpri$e is a unique business simulation that is largely unknown despite good reviews (Strategy Plus magazine calls it “a SimBoss kinda game”). It is essentially a “tactical-level” business operations game where you control every…

  • Frontier: Elite 2

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Braben GAME DEVELOPER:Frontier Developments GAME PUBLISHER:GameTek Copyright 1993, Frontier Developments This long-awaited sequel to Elite casts you as the grandchild of captain Jameson, the protagonist of Elite. The goal is still to become Elite by killing as many other ships as possible, but you now…

  • Frontier: First Encounters

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Braben GAME DEVELOPER:Frontier Developments GAME PUBLISHER:GameTek Copyright 1995, Frontier Developments Despite being recalled from the shelves due to numerous bugs, this last incarnation of Elite still got a large following of very dedicated followers. FFE (also known as Elite 3) sports new ships, items, missions,…

  • Fun Seeker’s Guide, The

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Sierra On-Line GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1991, Sierra On-Line A fun “traveller’s guide” program about tourist attractions in Sierra’s neighborhood in California, the Fun Seeker’s Guide provides a well-written, intimate, and humorous look at some of the world’s least-known tourist attractions, including the Sierra building…

  • Futures Game, The

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Cavlogix Corp. GAME PUBLISHER:Cavlogix Corp. Copyright 1998, Cavlogix Corp. Similar to Spectrader+ , The Futures Game uses historical prices, news stories, and a realistic model to create challenging commodities markets. You can execute different commodities transactions in six different types of commodity futures contracts,…

  • Fuzzy’s World of Miniature Space Golf

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Pixel Painters GAME PUBLISHER:Pixel Painters Copyright 1995, Pixel Painters Undoubtedly one of the best, if not THE best, minigolf games ever, Fuzzy’s World is set in a wacky space setting, where courses are scattered on various planets. The courses are presented in excellent isometric…

  • Galactic Gladiators

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Tom Reamy GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1984, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Galactic Gladiators is a fun galactic sports game from SSI that unfortunately didn’t do well in stores. More akin to a wargame than a sports game, Galactic Gladiators…

  • Galleons of Glory

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Lauren Elliott & Gene Portwood GAME DEVELOPER:Brderbund GAME PUBLISHER:Brderbund Copyright 1990, Brderbund This is a fun, “light” strategy game similar in concept to The Oregon Trail that puts you in command of the Spanish galleon setting sail to find the New World. One of the best…