Author: admin
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Weapon, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Sean Barrett GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Sean Barrett The Weapon is a fun one-room game that is strongly reminiscent of Andrew Plotkin’s classic Spider and Web. Both games require an extensive use of gadgets, both games have one non-player character who is your nemesis.…
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Ribbons
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:J.D. Berry GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, J.D. Berry Ribbons is, similar to Ian Finley’s Exhibition, an interesting puzzle-less story centering on four exhibits at an art show. Duncan Steven’s review for SPAG says it all: “As in Exhibition, you’re in an art gallery, checking…
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A Jack Kerouac Romnibus
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ralph Lombreglia & Kate Bernhardt GAME DEVELOPER:Mind in Motion GAME PUBLISHER:Penguin Electronic Copyright 1995, Penguin Electronic Jack Kerouac, icon of the Beat Generation, novelist and poet, is one of the most influential writers of the twentieth-century. Not surprisingly, his thoughts have had a growing impact on…
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Anchorhead
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Gentry GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1998, Michael Gentry Anchorhead is an excellent horror IF in the tradition of Infocom’s much-loved The Lurking Horror. Although not as scary as that classic, Anchorhead has more than enough atmosphere and unnerving plot twists to glue horror fans…
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Undo
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Neil DeMause GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1995, Neil DeMause One of the first “experimental” IF of the modern day, Undo is a very short, very strange game with a simple premise: you’re playing an adventure game on a corrupted disk. All you need to do…
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Light: Shelby’s Addendum, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Colm McCarthy GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1995, Colm McCarthy The Light: Shelby’s Addendum is a well-written, “dark” sci-fi game that is unfortunately bogged down with poor puzzle design (especially the annoying do-or-die timed puzzle early in the game). Gareth Rees’ review for SPAG says it…
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Wedding, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Neil Brown GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1996, Neil Brown The Wedding is a charming and funny game that emphasizes character interaction over abstract puzzles. The plot: your friend Malcolm disappears just before his wedding, and you suspect foul play. It’s of course up to you…
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Zero Sum Game
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Cody Sandifer GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1997, Cody Sandifer Zero Sum Game is in my opinion one of the most underrated games of the IFComp. It’s a fun, original, and well-designed game that deserves better than the 11th place in the competition. The capsule review…
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Begin 2: A Tactical Starship Simulation
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Tom Nelson & Mike Higgins GAME DEVELOPER:Clockwork GAME PUBLISHER:Clockwork Copyright 1991, Clockwork Begin 2 is a classic shareware space combat simulation set in the Star Trek universe. Inspired by the Starfleet Battles board game (which was also an inspiration for Interplay’s Starfleet Command), Begin 2 is…
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Noctis
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Alessandro Ghignola GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Alexander Noctis is a wonderful space exploration program that lets you explore a vast, fictional galaxy at will. Think Elite minus the plot and combat, or Microsoft Space Simulator minus technical details, and you’ll have a rough idea…
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SEGA Swirl
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Scott Hawkins GAME DEVELOPER:Tremor Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, SEGA It’s pretty rare that something truly interesting or innovative is done by a major game company, and it’s almost unheard of when that new development is made totally free to gamers, but that’s exactly what Sega’s…
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Bruce Lee (Remake)
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ron Fortier & Mark Rosten GAME DEVELOPER:Datasoft GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Mark Rosten This is an amazing remake of the Commodore 64 version of Datasoft’s famous Bruce Lee game, which was released for PC in 1984. Say goodbye to ugly 4-color CGA palette of the PC…
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Chuckie Egg: The Next Batch
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Nigel Alderton & John Blythe GAME DEVELOPER:A&F Software GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, John Blythe First released in 1985 by A&F Software, Chuckie Egg is one of the most revered Spectrum games ever made, although it was unfortunately never made for the PC. The goal, which is…
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Burps, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Stuart Collier & Andy Hewitt GAME DEVELOPER:Ultimate Play the Game GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Stuart Collier & Andy Hewitt The Burps is an excellent, very faithful fanmade remake of Atic Atac, one of the best games ever made for the Spectrum computer by Ultimate Play The…
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Operational Art of War: A Century of Warfare, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Norm Koger GAME DEVELOPER:Talonsoft GAME PUBLISHER:Talonsoft Copyright 2000, Talonsoft As with the Campaign series, Talonsoft’s Operational Art of War is also a story of releases, re-releases, scenario packs, special editions….Personally, I don’t like this marketing approach, as you can never be sure to have the definitive…
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Great Naval Battles 4
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Divide by Zero GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1995, Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI) A disappointing fourth entry in SSI’s Great Naval Battles series. M. Evan Brooks, veteran wargame reviewer, says it all in his capsule review of the game: “The series returned to…
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One on One (Irving vs. Bird)
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Eric Hammond GAME DEVELOPER:Electronic Arts GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 1983, Eric Hammond Oldie basketball game based on the televised “one-on-one” basketball exhibitions of the 60’s, featuring Julius Irving and Larry Bird. One of EA’s first games, the C64 version was one of the biggest hits in…
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One on One (Jordan vs. Bird)
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Garth Hitchens & Mark Madland GAME DEVELOPER:Electronic Arts GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 1988, Garth Hitchens & Mark Madland Follow-up to One on One from 1983. Another basketball game based on the televised “one-on-one” basketball exhibitions of the 60’s, this time featuring Larry Bird and Michael Jordan.…
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Fallacy of Dawn
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Robb Sherwin GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Robb Sherwin Fallacy of Dawn is a great game from Robb Sherwin, designer of A Crimson Spring, my most favorite underdog of the 6th Annual Interactive Fiction Competition, and is undoubtedly his best yet. Like his previous games,…
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Hockey League Simulator 2
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Bethesda Softworks GAME PUBLISHER:Bethesda Softworks Copyright 1992, Bethesda Softworks One of the best hockey simulations ever made, Bethesda Softwork’s Hockey League Simulator 2 allows you to design and manage your own customized league, or create current or classic leagues from the past. There are…
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Lemonade Stand
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bob Jamison & Dosius GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Dosius Lemonade Stand is a faithful PC remake (coded in BASIC!) of a classic game of economics that pioneered the genre of business sims when Apple first included it for free with its first computers –…
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Freeride Earth
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:GraphitX GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, GraphitX Freeride Earth is an excellent, albeit very limited, 3D snowboarding game from a French outfit GraphitX, who is looking for publisher for their games. First released in 1999, the current version (3.0) is a marked improvement over the…
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BMF
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Imagination GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1997, Imagination BMF is a fun freeware combat game from Imagination, a now-defunct Finnish developer. Formerly released as shareware, the game is made freeware in 2000 along with other Imagination games. The game is similar to Assault Trooper and Cannon…
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AllFive 2000
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Bongosoft GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Bongosoft Possibly the best Yahtzee game ever made for the PC, AllFive 2000 is an excellentand free! game from UK developer Bongosoft. If you have never played Yahtzee before, the rules of this luck-and-skill gambling game are similar to…
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Chico And I Ran
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:J.D. Berry GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, J.D. Berry Chico And I Ran is a rollicking, very funny game that parodies famous American pop culture. Steven Howards excellent review is much better than I could ever write, so Ill just quote him here: “J.D. Berry’s…
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Wings of Glory
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bill Baldwin GAME DEVELOPER:Origin Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Origin Systems Copyright 1995, Origin Systems Last and best in Origin?s short-lived line of historical flight sims based on the Strike Commander engine, Wings of Glory is an excellent WWI flight sim that is considerably better than the fun-but-flawed WW2…
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Getaway Entertainment 6 Pack for Windows
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Epyx GAME PUBLISHER:Epyx Copyright 1992, Epyx Notable for being the last game from Epyx before the company folded, Getaway Entertainment 6 Pack for Windows is a fun collection of parlor/card games that much better than 1987s very ugly black-and-white-only precursor, Getaway Entertainment Pack. It…
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Business Simulator
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Reality Technologies GAME PUBLISHER:Reality Technologies Copyright 1987, Reality Technologies Business Simulator is an excellent business simulation from Reality Technologies, maker of our Hall of Belated Fame inductee What They Dont Teach You At Harvard Business School. While WTDTYAHBS (ack ;)) simulates the sport management…
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Chex Quest 3
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Digital Caf? GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1998, Digital Caf? This is an unfinished beta version of Chex Quest 3, the last in a series of DOOM-style promotional games included inside selected Chex serial boxes. Read my review of the earlier Chex Quest games if you…
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Jacks or Better to Murder, Aces to Win
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:J.D. Berry GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1999, J.D. Berry My vote for the best game name ever devised award, Jacks or Better to Murder, Aces to Win is a fresh and original game from J.D. Berry, one of my favorite underdog IF designers of our…
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2005: A Game of Macroeconomics
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:N. Gregory Mankiw GAME DEVELOPER:Anonymous GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Worth Publishing 2005: A Game of Macroeconomics is an excellent free game that achieves what many expensive releases have tried and failed: teach basic concepts of macroeconomics in an accessible and fun package. Designed by N. Gregory…
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Oregon Trail Deluxe
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Don Rawitsch & Wayne Studor GAME DEVELOPER:MECC GAME PUBLISHER:MECC Copyright 1992, MECC Probably the least known entry in MECCs famous Oregon Trail series that is now up to the fourth edition, Oregon Trail Deluxe is a solid VGA remake of the 1988 original Oregon Trail release…
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Fireworks 2
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Blackwell GAME DEVELOPER:Virtually Real GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Virtually Real Fireworks 2 is an excellent sequel to Fireworks, a fun freeware arcade gem from Virtually Real. As in the first game, you control a barrel on wheels which can shoot fireworks, detonate them, and jump.…
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Super Munchers
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Greg Copley GAME DEVELOPER:MECC GAME PUBLISHER:MECC Copyright 1991, MECC Another excellent entry in MECC’s “Muncher” series of educational games, Super Munchers is a fun Jeopardy clone featuring cute graphics and fun arcade-influenced gameplay. You basically control Muncher, a Pac-Man relative. You must “munch” the correct answers…
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Tale of Peter Rabbit
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Knowledge Adventure GAME PUBLISHER:Knowledge Adventure Copyright 1993, Knowledge Adventure Tale of Peter Rabbit is a decent interactive storybook for kids based on a classic tale that unfortunately isn’t very interactive, although it has excellent illustrations that bring the story to life. The format is…
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Ian Botham’s Cricket
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Celebrity GAME PUBLISHER:Celebrity Copyright 1992, Celebrity A decent cricket game by Celebrity Software featuring one of the world’s most popular cricket player, Ian Botham’s Cricket offers good graphics and gameplay but is bogged down by a cumbersome interface (not to be confused with a…
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Scottish Open
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jon Hilliard GAME DEVELOPER:Core Design GAME PUBLISHER:Core Design Copyright 1995, Core Design Scottish Open is a decent golf game from Core Design. The first entry in the short-lived “Core Sports” label, the game offers armchair golfers a chance to compete in one of the world’s oldest…
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Second Conflict
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jerry Galloway GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1991, Jerry Galloway Second Conflict is a fun “beer & pretzel” style game of galactic warfare for Windows, and one of the first shareware strategy games that are worth the registration costs. Sequel to Galactic Conflict, the game was…
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What Are You Doing Today, Charlie Brown?
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Individual Software GAME PUBLISHER:Individual Software Copyright 1992, Individual Software What Are You Doing Today, Charlie Brown? is a nice calendar program for Windows that features hundreds of Peanuts comic strips. You can create to-do lists, set reminders for events, and group different kinds of…
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Major League Manager
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Spinnaker GAME PUBLISHER:Spinnaker Copyright 1990, Spinnaker One of the earliest baseball games ever made for PC, Spinnaker’s Major League Manager manages to convey both the excitement of the sport and the coaching challenge with nothing but text and ASCII characters. Similar to EA’s Radio…
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Monument of Mars
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:George Broussard GAME DEVELOPER:Apogee GAME PUBLISHER:Apogee Copyright 1991, Apogee Monument of Mars is a decent little CGA platformer by Apogee released at the same time as Arctic Adventures and Pharaoh’s Tomb, all three of which are based on the same engine. The game is a typical…
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Arctic Adventure
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:George Broussard GAME DEVELOPER:Apogee GAME PUBLISHER:Apogee Copyright 1991, Apogee Arctic Adventure is an early Apogee game designed by George Broussard. The game is similar to Monument of Mars and Pharaoh’s Tomb: an exploratory game that combines elements from different genres. In the game, you have to…
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Fighter Wing
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:GemSoft GAME PUBLISHER:Merit Studios Copyright 1995, GemSoft A decent flight sim from GemSoft that offers good graphics but not much realism or long-term play value. From the description at MobyGames: “Fighter Wing is a flight simulator that instead of concentrating on a single type…
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IBM Basic Quiz
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Scott Miller GAME DEVELOPER:Apogee GAME PUBLISHER:SoftDisk Publishing Copyright 1989, Apogee Another excellent ASCII game by Scott Miller of Apogee game, IBM Basic Quiz was included on Softdisk’s “Big Blue Disk” number 28. Here’s a summary of plot and gameplay from the game’s instructions, which includes a…
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Computer Quiz
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Scott Miller GAME DEVELOPER:Apogee GAME PUBLISHER:SoftDisk Publishing Copyright 1988, Apogee Another excellent ASCII game by Scott Miller of Apogee game, Computer Quiz was included on Softdisk’s “Big Blue Disk” number 21. Here’s a summary of plot and gameplay from the game’s instructions: “Okay, you’ve bought a…
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Astronomy Quiz
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Scott Miller GAME DEVELOPER:Apogee GAME PUBLISHER:SoftDisk Publishing Copyright 1988, Apogee Another excellent ASCII game by Scott Miller of Apogee game, Astronomy Quiz was included on Softdisk’s “Big Blue Disk” number 26. Basically this is a trivia game that tests your knowledge about astronomy. If you like…
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Puzzle Fun-Pak
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Scott Miller GAME DEVELOPER:Apogee GAME PUBLISHER:Apogee Copyright 1989, Apogee In 1989, Apogee released two “Fun-Paks,” Adventure Fun-Pak and Puzzle Fun-Pak, priced at $10 each. Each “pack” contains 4 games that were submitted to Apogee by outside authors, although most of the games were designed by Apogee’s…
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Maze Runner
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Scott Miller GAME DEVELOPER:Apogee GAME PUBLISHER:SoftDisk Publishing Copyright 1988, Apogee Another excellent ASCII game by Scott Miller of Apogee game, Maze Runner was included on Softdisk’s “Big Blue Disk” number 26. Here’s a summary of plot and gameplay from the game’s instructions: “A fabulous treasure, the…
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Meteors
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Scott Miller GAME DEVELOPER:Apogee GAME PUBLISHER:SoftDisk Publishing Copyright 1989, Apogee Another excellent ASCII game by Scott Miller of Apogee game, Meteors was included on Softdisk’s “Big Blue Disk” number 30. Here’s a summary of plot and gameplay from the game’s instructions: “A terrible catastrophe occurred only…