Classic Personal Computer (PC) Games

Author: admin

  • Balance of Power (1985 edition)

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Chris Crawford GAME DEVELOPER:Mindscape GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1985, Chris Crawford Balance of Power is among the first political simulation that emphasizes diplomacy and politics over outright aggression. When he first released this seminal game in 1984, Crawford single-handedly established the political simulation genre and left a…

  • Balance of Power (1990 edition)

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Chris Crawford GAME DEVELOPER:Chris Crawford GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1989, Chris Crawford This update of Chris Crawford’s seminal Balance of Power for Windows 1.0 features up-to-date information, 18 new countries (bringing the total to 80), and “multipolar level” in which countries can go to war of their…

  • Balance of The Planet

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Chris Crawford GAME DEVELOPER:Chris Crawford GAME PUBLISHER:Chris Crawford Copyright 1990, Chris Crawford As policymaker, you must achieve a precarious balance in this game between the needs of growing industries and natural ecology through adjusting various environment-related policies. Until Maxis’ SimEarth, this was the ONLY game of…

  • Ball Game, The

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Electronic Zoo GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Zoo Copyright 1991, Electronic Zoo The Ball Game is a fun isometric puzzle game that is best played against your friends (or foes). Gameplay is a unique blend of checkers, scrabble, and the Japanese game of Go, with many creative…

  • Bandit Kings of Ancient China

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Kou Shibusawa GAME DEVELOPER:KOEI GAME PUBLISHER:KOEI Copyright 1989, KOEI Close to 600 years after the events chronicled in KOEI’s better-known Romance of The Three Kingdoms,the weak royal court inspired the rise of legendary bandits who proclaimed themselves kings. This game is best described as a more…

  • Bar Games

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Accolade GAME PUBLISHER:Accolade Copyright 1989, Accolade This is a fun collection of five bar games: Liar’s Dice, Wet ‘n Wild, Last Call, Air Hockey, and Pick-up Artist. Includes both single and tournament play. While some games rely more on reflexes than strategy, others do…

  • Barbarian

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Palace Software GAME PUBLISHER:Palace Software Copyright 1988, Palace Software This is actually a game I played the original of on the Amiga when Palace Software were churning out similar titles and, not meaning to offend any PC fans, the Amiga version is a lot…

  • Barbarian 2

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Palace Software GAME PUBLISHER:Palace Software Copyright 1989, Palace Software A marked improvement over the original, Barbarian 2 features vibrant EGA graphics (although the drawn characters still move like broken marionettes), and the ability to play as either the Barbarian or the Princess (no doubt…

  • Bargon Attack

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Coktel Vision GAME PUBLISHER:Coktel Vision Copyright 1990, Coktel Vision In one of Coktel Vision’s lesser known adventure game, you are tasked with liberating the earth from captivity under the eccentric alien race Bargon. The game was evidently inspired by “B” science fiction series (Dr.…

  • Batman Forever

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Probe Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Acclaim Entertainment Copyright 1996, DC Comics This is a platform game based on the hit movie of the same name. Batman Forever uses Acclaim’s Mortal Kombat engine, which started to show its age in 1996 but is still capable of delivering…

  • Batman: The Caped Crusader

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jon Ritman & Jonathan Smith GAME DEVELOPER:OCEAN GAME PUBLISHER:Data East Copyright 1988, Data East Batman: The Caped Crusader is the second of 3 games from OCEAN featuring the hooded hero (after 3D and before The Movie), with 2 separate scenarios and the action laid out in…

  • Batman: The Movie

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jon O’ Brien & Mike Lamb GAME DEVELOPER:OCEAN GAME PUBLISHER:Data East Copyright 1990, OCEAN Everyone’s favorite hooded vigilante is back, but he’s not better than ever. Or, more precisely, his previous outing with OCEAN. You’re out on a five-level mission to –what else– rid Gotham City…

  • Battle Bugs

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dennis Caswell GAME DEVELOPER:Dynamix GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1993, Dynamix Dynamix entered the wargaming arena with this surprising gem, sporting off-the-wall humor and original premise: as commander of an army of ants and other insects, lead your troops to victory over the enemy (another insect tribe).…

  • Battle Chess 2: Chinese Chess

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Interplay GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1989, Interplay Too bad many people are discouraged to play this game because they think Chinese Chess is either not interesting or too difficult to learn. Nothing can be further from the truth! Chinese Chess is easy to learn, especially…

  • Battle Command

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:D.C. Ward GAME DEVELOPER:Realtime Games GAME PUBLISHER:OCEAN Copyright 1990, Realtime Games Battle Command was the followup to the classic 3D war simulation Carrier Command that put you in charge of an advanced aircraft carrier. In Battle Command you command a tank. Unlike its excellent predecessor, Battle…

  • Battle of Antietam

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Landrey & Chuck Kroegel GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1987, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Battle of Antietam is the third Civil War game after Shiloh and Rebel Charge at Chickamauga by Chuck Kroegel & David Landrey, who also designed…

  • Battlehawks 1942

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Lawrence Holland & Noah Falstein GAME DEVELOPER:LucasFilm Games GAME PUBLISHER:LucasFilm Games Copyright 1988, LucasFilm Games Ohh boy this was my first flight sim. Back then, I didnt even have a joystick, but this one really made me buy one. The whole premise for this game is…

  • Battles in Time

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bruce Williams Zaccagnino GAME DEVELOPER:Quantum Quality Productions (QQP) GAME PUBLISHER:Quantum Quality Productions (QQP) Copyright 1995, Quantum Quality Productions (QQP) This abstract wargame, like The Pure Wargame after it, was obviously “rushed out the door” long before it was ready: the game was full of bugs, uninspiring…

  • Battles of Destiny

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ken Lightner GAME DEVELOPER:Holistic Design GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1992, Holistic Design Like its former publisher QQP, Holistic Design is an underdog in the PC gaming industry. Battles of Destiny was their first game that definitely paves the its excellent descendant Emperor of the Fading Suns. In…

  • Battles of Napoleon

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Landrey & Chuck Kroegel GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1989, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Released in 1991, this is a very realistic war game on the most famous battles of Napoleon’s career — the game comes with Borodino, Waterloo,…

  • BattleTech 1: The Crescent Hawk’s Inception

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Brett W. Sperry GAME DEVELOPER:Westwood Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1989, Infocom As the first and only RPG based on the well-known FASA giant robots universe (Battletech 2, not developed by Westwood, isn’t an RPG but a turn-based tactical strategy game), The Crescent Hawk’s Inception does not…

  • Beauty and The Beast

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Infogrames GAME PUBLISHER:Disney Copyright 1994, Disney This is a good collection of educational games for kids based on the Disney movie of the same name. The games are typical, e.g. memory and matching games, but the colorful motif and great animations add a nice…

  • Beer! War

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Marc Seekamp GAME DEVELOPER:Anonymous GAME PUBLISHER:Anonymous Copyright 1997, Marc Seekamp Company’s blurb gets right to the point: “Beer! War is an economic simulation about breweries. You take control of a company and try to get the monopoly of beer production. But beware: there are nine opponents…

  • Below The Root

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Zilpha Snyder & Dale Disharoon GAME DEVELOPER:Telarium GAME PUBLISHER:Windham Classics Copyright 1984, Telarium I discovered this game on a Commodore 64 site about 13 years after its release, but I sure am glad I did! Below the Root is an epic fantasy adventure with some RPG…

  • Beneath a Steel Sky

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Charles Cecil & Dave Cummins GAME DEVELOPER:Revolution GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1994, Revolution Revolution followed up on the heels of underrated fantasy adventure Lure of The Temptress with this excellent cyberpunk adventure that to this day ranks among the best cyberpunk games ever made. Beneath a Steel…

  • Berlin 1948

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Stefan Graf GAME DEVELOPER:Time Warp GAME PUBLISHER:Rainbow Arts Copyright 1990, Time Warp Time Warp’s second game that is more of a role-playing game than traditional adventure, Berlin 1948 is still an immensely interesting game set in Cold War Berlin. Your job: scour the city in order…

  • Betrayal at Krondor

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Cutter GAME DEVELOPER:Dynamix GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1993, Dynamix One of the best RPGs ever made, Betrayal at Krondor is a classic example of games that get rave reviews yet do poorly in stores (at least until it was re-released on CD-ROM). Flat “paper-doll” digitized…

  • Beverly Hillbillies, The

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Robert Clardy GAME DEVELOPER:Synergistic Software GAME PUBLISHER:IntraCorp Copyright 1993, IntraCorp Synergistic’s last game before it was bought out by Sierra On-Line is a fun tongue-in-cheek adventure set in the wild west. Based on the campy TV sitcom of the same name, The Beverly Hillbillies the game’s…

  • Beyond The Titanic

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Scott Miller GAME DEVELOPER:Apogee GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1986, Apogee Scott Miller’s Beyond The Titanic and Supernova are two atmospheric, well-written IF that have sadly been ignored by the gaming public, perhaps due to the fact that their publisher Apogee is better known as an action game…

  • Big Game Fishing

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Simulmondo GAME PUBLISHER:Simulmondo Copyright 1991, Simulmondo Big Game Fishing is a fun arcade-oriented fishing game by Simulmondo that focuses as much on financial realities of fishing as the sport itself. There is a simple but reasonably realistic plot: you are a businessman who is…

  • Big One, The

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mike Moskowitz GAME DEVELOPER:Swifte International GAME PUBLISHER:Swifte International Copyright 1994, Swifte International Big One, The is an innovative (and only?) game that simulates the effects of an earthquake hitting Los Angeles area. It is your job as mayor to restore order to the city with public…

  • Big Red Adventure

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Dynabyte GAME PUBLISHER:Dynabyte Copyright 1994, Dynabyte A fun follow-up of sorts to Dynabyte’s earlier underdog Nippon Safes Inc., Big Red Adventure once again puts you in control of 3 resourceful cri– erm– individuals as they plan to steal the Tsar’s crown in the Kremlin…

  • Big Red Racing

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Domark GAME PUBLISHER:Domark Copyright 1995, Domark One of the few games that really provide the most bang for your buck, Big Red Racing delivers furious arcade racing on 24 tracks, each with 2 vehicles to choose from– for a total of 48 vehicles that…

  • Big Three, The

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Stephen Jones GAME DEVELOPER:SDJ Enterprises GAME PUBLISHER:SDJ Enterprises Copyright 1989, SDJ Enterprises The Big Three is a grand strategic-level wargame set in World War II that covers the entire Europe, Northern Africa, and Eastern Russia. You can play as one of the “Big Three” (US, UK,…

  • Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Capstone GAME PUBLISHER:Capstone Copyright 1990, Capstone This is a fun game featuring the Bill & Ted characters of Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in the 1989 movie by Nelson Entertainment. As Bill and Ted, you’re going to the same whacked-out, time-warped trip through human…

  • Billionaire

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Game ON GAME PUBLISHER:Game ON Copyright 1999, Game ON Billionaire is one of the better Monopoly clones. You can buy properties and establish your own chain of companies, and make your opponents pay enormous rents. You can take loans and invest in the stock…

  • BioForge

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Eric Hyman & Richard Garriott GAME DEVELOPER:Origin Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Origin Systems Copyright 1995, Origin Systems Bioforge is an action/adventure game that tries to do a lot, and only succeeds at some of it. Also it is at times ridiculously difficult, and combat can be a frenzied,…

  • Black Knight: Marine Strike Fighter

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:FormGen GAME PUBLISHER:FormGen Copyright 1994, FormGen This is a simulator of the F/A-18 Hornet aircraft. The Flight model is relaxed, so its easy to get into. The graphics are VGA, but they won’t surprise you a bit. There are several scenarios and a campaign…

  • Black Monday

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Earl Long GAME DEVELOPER:StarSoft Development GAME PUBLISHER:Keypunch Copyright 1987, Keypunch Black Monday is a simple stock market simulation that manages to capture some aspects of the real market despite its primitive engine. The goal of the game is simple: amass the most amount of money (and…

  • Blade Runner

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jim Walls & David Leary GAME DEVELOPER:Westwood Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Westwood Studios Copyright 1998, Westwood Studios Blade Runner is a faithful recreation of the cyberpunk classic movie of the same name. Those looking for a traditional inventory-based adventure will be disappointed with simplified gameplay that only requires…

  • Blind Justice

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Illymani Designs GAME PUBLISHER:RAW Entertainment Copyright 1995, RAW Entertainment Blind Justice is a post-modern RPG in which you play an unwilling shapeshifter on a lam. In this world, your soul reverts back into previous lives with each new form you gain. The government suspects…

  • Blitzkrieg: Battle at The Ardennes

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Al Benincasa & Joseph Benincasa GAME DEVELOPER:RAW Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:RAW Entertainment Copyright 1989, RAW Entertainment A conversion of the board game of the same name, this simulation of Battle of the Bulge had a confusing interface and lengthy game mechanics. Although it’s a faithful conversion, the…

  • Blood Bowl

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jervis Johnson & Michael Hiebert GAME DEVELOPER:Destiny Software Productions GAME PUBLISHER:Micro League Copyright 1995, Micro League This is a faithful adaptation of Games Workshop’s board game of the same name. Being probably the only turn-based fantasy football game (think D&D meets Monday Night Football), Blood Bowl…

  • Bloodnet

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Laura Kambo & John Antinori GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1993, MicroProse After Microplay ceased operation, their creative talents were assembled into MicroProse the parent company. From the team that designed Challenge of the Five Realms comes this interesting horror/futuristic RPG/adventure based on the same engine.…

  • Bloodstone

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mindcraft GAME PUBLISHER:Mindcraft Copyright 1993, Mindcraft Based on the same engine as Magic Candle 3, Bloodstone is IMHO a much better game than its better-known cousin (Magic Candle 1 is a true classic but the sequels were disappointing). Magic Candle fans will feel right…

  • Bloodwych

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mirrorsoft GAME PUBLISHER:Mirrorsoft Copyright 1991, Mirrorsoft This PC conversion of an Amiga dungeon romp didn’t fare as well as the Amiga version, despite its being an excellent RPG that allows 2 players to play simultaneously. Innovative spells, cool monsters, good interface, and pleasant graphics…

  • Blue Angels

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rich Banks & Paul Butler GAME DEVELOPER:Artech GAME PUBLISHER:Accolade Copyright 1988, Accolade Although it is really a flight simulation, Blue Angels’ focus on the exciting world of air shows makes it closer to a sports game than a flight sim. Instead of shooting downs MIGs or…

  • Blue Force

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jim Walls GAME DEVELOPER:Tsunami Media GAME PUBLISHER:Tsunami Media Copyright 1993, Tsunami Media Unarguably the best game from the group of renegade ex-Sierra employees that made up Tsunami, Blue Force is an excellent police adventure by none other than Jim Walls, of Police Quest fame. Despite easy…

  • Blue Ice

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Psygnosis GAME PUBLISHER:Psygnosis Copyright 1995, Psygnosis Blue Iceis a strangely compelling puzzle adventure was released only in a few European countries, and then quickly disappeared from the market. The game is perhaps best described as a cross between surrealist painters Salvador Dali and Rene…

  • Blue Max

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    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Peter Adams & Rich Banks GAME DEVELOPER:Artech GAME PUBLISHER:Three-Sixty Pacific Copyright 1991, Artech Blue Max is a fun World War I flight sim that features interesting campaigns with a variety of missions ranging from standard bombing runs to executing aerial maneuvers. The game boasts crisp VGA…