Classic Personal Computer (PC) Games

Author: admin

  • Fourside

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Todd Lewis GAME DEVELOPER:SoftDisk Publishing GAME PUBLISHER:SoftDisk Publishing Copyright 1990, SoftDisk Publishing Fourside is a neat little ASCII-based Dominoes variant, released as one of the games on an issue of SoftDisks Big Blue Disk monthly disk magazine. The game plays like Dominoes, except that the Dominoes…

  • School House

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Maverick Software GAME PUBLISHER:Maverick Software Copyright 1988, Maverick Software School House is an excellent edutainment title whose concept was very innovative for its time. Although there are over 30 mini-games spanning a wide range of subjects, they all use the same gameplay set-up: two…

  • Shenanigans

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bob Withers & Stephen O’Dea GAME DEVELOPER:Mark Data Products GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1984, Mark Data Products In mid-1980s, a small company called Mark Data Products released 6 parser-based graphic adventure games similar to early Polarware and Scott Adams titles. While the games are reasonably successful on…

  • Sea Search

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bob Withers & Stephen O’Dea GAME DEVELOPER:Mark Data Products GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1984, Mark Data Products In mid-1980s, a small company called Mark Data Products released 6 parser-based graphic adventure games similar to early Polarware and Scott Adams titles. While the games are reasonably successful on…

  • Calixto Island

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bob Withers & Ron Krebs GAME DEVELOPER:Mark Data Products GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1984, Mark Data Products In mid-1980s, a small company called Mark Data Products released 6 parser-based graphic adventure games similar to early Polarware and Scott Adams titles. While the games are reasonably successful on…

  • Black Sanctum, The

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bob Withers & Ron Krebs GAME DEVELOPER:Mark Data Products GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1984, Mark Data Products In mid-1980s, a small company called Mark Data Products released 6 parser-based graphic adventure games similar to early Polarware and Scott Adams titles. While the games are reasonably successful on…

  • Trekboer

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bob Withers & Stephen O’Dea GAME DEVELOPER:Mark Data Products GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1985, Mark Data Products In mid-1980s, a small company called Mark Data Products released 6 parser-based graphic adventure games similar to early Polarware and Scott Adams titles. While the games are reasonably successful on…

  • Vortex Factor, The

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bob Withers & Stephen O’Dea GAME DEVELOPER:Mark Data Products GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1985, Mark Data Products In mid-1980s, a small company called Mark Data Products released 6 parser-based graphic adventure games similar to early Polarware and Scott Adams titles. While the games are reasonably successful on…

  • Vantage Master Online

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Nihon Falcom GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Nihon Falcom Vantage Master Online is a fun fantasy wargame from Japan’s Falcom. Like Lord Monarch before it, VMO is a freeware Windows release of Falcom’s console title that was reasonably popular in Japan. Best described as “Fantasy…

  • Linkz

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:VanDerLee GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, VanDerLee Linkz is an excellent PC remake of Kplumber, a very addictive puzzler for Linux. The goal of Linkz is simple: connect all the ends of the pipes to each other to end up with fully closed figures. It…

  • Blobby Volley

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Daniel Skoraszewsky & Silvio Mummert GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Daniel Skoraszewsky & Silvio Mummert Blobby Volley is a fun little Volleyball game by German freeware developers Daniel Skoraszewsky and Silvio Mummert. It is a perfect time waster, simple, very addictive and very fun. The…

  • Neverwinter Nights

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1991, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) This precursor of BioWare’s Neverwinter Nights was an online rpg that was running on AOL for most of the nineties. It uses the same engine as the popular goldbox…

  • Fiddle

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Doug Beeferman GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1992, Doug Beeferman Fiddle is an excellent variant of Tangram, coded by the same designer who designed Cyberbox, a very clever freeware brainteaser. In Fiddle, each level is a collection of pieces which you must slide and rotate to…

  • PixelShips

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Kris Asick GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Kris Asick PixelShips is a fun little side-scrolling shooter from Kris Asick. The objective of the game is simple: collect all 160 small spaceships dubbed “PixelShips” as you go through the levels. The game is harder than it…

  • Star Castle

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mark Sachs GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Mark Sachs Star Castle is an excellent freeware remake of the arcade hit of the same name back in the early 1980s. The plot, from the official Vectrex manual, goes as follows: “You and other experienced intergalactic voyagers…

  • Space Fortress

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Kris Asick GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1999, Kris Asick Space Fortress is a fun and unique action/simulation hybrid set in space. Your goal: “…defend your fortress as long as possible from enemies that endlessly increase in strength and numbers. This is much like an arcade…

  • DarwinBots

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Carlo Comis GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Carlo Comis DarwinBots is no doubt one of the most comprehensive “artificial life” programs ever made. Here are some excerpts from the official site to give you an idea of how complex the program is: “The DarwinBots universe…

  • G-Type

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:CnC Darkside GAME DEVELOPER:Irem GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, CnC Darkside One of the best Japanese freeware shmups I’ve ever played, G-Type is a crazy and the same time admirable fusion between two classics of the genre: R-Type and Gradius. Your ship is the R9 of Irem’s…

  • Axis & Allies: Iron Blitz Edition

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bill Levay GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1999, Avalon Hill Iron Blitz Edition is THE proper computer version that does justice to the classic board wargame, released years after the disappointing (and very buggy) first release by MicroProse. Wargamer.com says it all about what makes this…

  • Risk II

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John White GAME DEVELOPER:Deep Red Games GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 2000, Hasbro Interactive Risk II is an excellent example of how a computerized version of a popular boardgame should be done: keeping the original elements intact while adding elements that are only possible on the computer. In…

  • Sid Meier’s SimGolf

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Sid Meier & Will Wright GAME DEVELOPER:Firaxis GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 2002, Firaxis Good movies are made by good directors, not big-name studios (although certainly the studios’ deep pockets are necessary to fund ambitious projects). Hence, blockbusters from Disney, Miramax, Universal or any other studio would…

  • 3D Pinball Express

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:COSMI GAME PUBLISHER:Webfoot Technologies Copyright 1999, COSMI 3D Pinball Express is a so-so pinball game from COSMI that is apparently one of the worst pinball games ever released, at least according to pinball expert Martin Mathis’ review: “Multi-table bargain bin package with four themes,…

  • Mental Blocks

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Accolade GAME PUBLISHER:Accolade Copyright 1989, Accolade Mental Blocks is essentially Tetris in 3D, similar to a better-known and superior game called Blockout. This is one of the rarest Accolade games, because the company was sued and later forced to pull the game from the…

  • Leeds United

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:CDS GAME PUBLISHER:CDS Copyright 1992, CDS Leeds United is an appallingly bad football management game from German developer CDS. Like numerous games of this ilk, the game depicts the rise (and fall?) of an English team in their struggle up the highly competitive ladder.…

  • SEGA Worldwide Soccer

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:SEGA GAME PUBLISHER:SEGA Copyright 1997, SEGA Sega Worldwide Soccer (WWS) was, in X’mas 1996, one of the best selling games for the Sega’s “golden boy”, the CD-32 bit Saturn. Reasons? It was the first *really* good 3D soccer game to be released on any…

  • GunViper

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Nagahashi GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Nagahashi Yet another jaw-dropping, drop-dead gorgeous 3D shooter from Japan, GunViper takes the freeware ‘scene’ to the next level with true 3D weapons. You no longer fire flat, 2D laser beams, but full 3D bullets and rockets that spin…

  • Operation Cleaner

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Nyman GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, John Nyman Operation Cleaner is a unique and compelling business simulation game that puts you in control of a demolition firm. Your job: make money by successfully demolishing the target building without destroying anything else in the vicinity.…

  • Tanks 3D

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Sergei Vasilyev GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Sergei Vasilyev As the name implies, Tanks 3D is a 3D tank action game in the same vein as Atari’s classic Combat arcade hit. What makes the game special is that it supports multiplayer play via the Internet,…

  • Kunio-tachi no Banka

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Technos Japan GAME PUBLISHER:Technos Japan Copyright 1994, Technos Japan Kunio-tachi No Banka (something like “Requiem for Kunio’s Gang” in English) is yet another excellent beat ’em up starring Kunio and Riki, famous video game duo most popular in the west as protagonists in River…

  • Toxic Bunny

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Celestial GAME PUBLISHER:Celestial Copyright 1997, Celestial Toxic Bunny is a fun platformer from Celestial, a small developer based in South Africa. The game plays like a psychedelic version of Epic Megagames’ Jazz Jackrabbit. You control a bunny named Toxic who has been transformed from…

  • Battle Commander

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:GeoMind Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:GeoMind Entertainment Copyright 1999, GeoMind Entertainment Battle Commander is an above-average real-time strategy game from Korea that looks and plays very similar to Command & Conquer, down to graphical style of buildings and even the menus. Like Westwood’s classic, Battle Commander…

  • Bluewater Hunter

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Zombie GAME PUBLISHER:Encore Copyright 1999, Zombie Sponsored by “Body Glove” brand of bodysuit, Bluewater Hunter is an interesting underwater hunting game that immerses you in the dangerous world of freediving. Your goal is to hunt the world’s largest trophy gamefish in 6 dive locations,…

  • Ozzie and the Quantum Playwright

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dean Sullivan GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Dean Sullivan Ozzie and the Quantum Playwright is an extremely short amateur adventure game that unfortunately doesn’t offer nearly as much gameplay as its high production value may suggest. The game’s plot is quite interesting: thanks to a…

  • Nuclear War 3: Ground Zero

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Markus Backman GAME DEVELOPER:RC Software GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, RC Software Nuclear War 3: Ground Zero is an excellent fanmade remake of New World Computing’s Nuclear War. The game is the third installment in RC Software’s line of Nuclear War remakes that dates from 1997. Game…

  • Revolt of Don’s Knights

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Emerald Software GAME PUBLISHER:Emerald Software Copyright 1997, Emerald Software Revolt of Don’s Knights is an awful first-person RPG that lacks the depth and charm of more well-known RPGs (Eye of the Beholder 1 and 2 come to mind). The plot is not earth-shattering, but…

  • Excelsior Phase One: Lysandia

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Matthew Engle & Daniel Burke GAME DEVELOPER:11th Dimension Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:11th Dimension Entertainment Copyright 1995, 11th Dimension Entertainment Two of the best shareware RPGs being sold today, Excelsior Phase One and Excelsior Phase Two are flashbacks to the RPGs in mid-1980s – the good old days…

  • Excelsior Phase Two: Errondor

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Matthew Engle & Daniel Burke GAME DEVELOPER:11th Dimension Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:11th Dimension Entertainment Copyright 1997, 11th Dimension Entertainment Two of the best shareware RPGs being sold today, Excelsior Phase One and Excelsior Phase Two are flashbacks to the RPGs in mid-1980s – the good old days…

  • Cricket 97

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:James Halprin GAME DEVELOPER:Melbourne House GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 1997, Melbourne House Cricket 97 is a good-looking cricket game designed by Melbourne House of Australia and published worldwide by EA Sports. Since the only exposure to cricket I have ever had was listening to a UK…

  • Engineering Jones and the Time Thieves of DSPea

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Prentice Associates GAME PUBLISHER:Harris Semiconductor Copyright 1991, Harris Semiconductor Engineering Jones and the Time Thieves of DSPea is an early promotional computer game of historical importance: it marked the first time a computer game was used to introduce a new product. In this case,…

  • Kick Off 97

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Steve Screech GAME DEVELOPER:Anco Software GAME PUBLISHER:Maxis Copyright 1997, Anco Software Kick Off ’97 is a disappointing entry in Anco’s solid Kick Off line – a good example of how bad a game can get without a good designer at the helm (in this case: Dino…

  • Little Samson

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Takeru GAME PUBLISHER:Taito Copyright 1992, Takeru One of the most underrated platformers on the NES, Little Samson is an excellent platformer with top-notch gameplay and a lot of replay value. The plot: Emperor Hans has summoned the four owners of Majestic Bells of Power…

  • VR Soccer 96

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Gremlin GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1996, Gremlin VR Soccer ’96 is a good first entry in Gremlin/Interplay’s short-lived “VR Sport” series, launched in 1996 to challenge EA Sports in the lucrative market of sport simulations. The game boasts a plethora of options and features, such…

  • Jumpman Lives!

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dave Sharpless & Randy Glover GAME DEVELOPER:Apogee GAME PUBLISHER:Apogee Copyright 1991, Apogee Jumpman Lives! is an excellent and faithful rewrite of Epyx’s Jumpman and Jumpman Jr., the latter of which was never before made for PC. Written by Dave Sharpless and released as shareware by Apogee,…

  • Paratrooper

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Greg Kuperberg GAME DEVELOPER:Orion Software GAME PUBLISHER:Orion Software Copyright 1982, Orion Software Before Windmill Software and CHAMProgramming, Orion Software was one of the first game developers that specialized in creating PC “clones” of well-known arcade games, usually from the extensive catalogs of Atari, Taito, or William.…

  • PC-Man

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Greg Kuperberg GAME DEVELOPER:Orion Software GAME PUBLISHER:Orion Software Copyright 1982, Orion Software Before Windmill Software and CHAMProgramming, Orion Software was one of the first game developers that specialized in creating PC “clones” of well-known arcade games, usually from the extensive catalogs of Atari, Taito, or William.…

  • J-Bird

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Greg Kuperberg GAME DEVELOPER:Orion Software GAME PUBLISHER:Orion Software Copyright 1983, Orion Software Before Windmill Software and CHAMProgramming, Orion Software was one of the first game developers that specialized in creating PC “clones” of well-known arcade games, usually from the extensive catalogs of Atari, Taito, or William.…

  • Stargate

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:William Electronics GAME PUBLISHER:Atari Games Copyright 1985, William Electronics Stargate, later marketed as Defender II, is a little-known sequel to Defender. The game added a few elements to the Defender gameplay including the inviso, some new enemies, and the stargate. The stargate gave you…

  • Sea Dragon

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Russ Wetmore GAME DEVELOPER:Adventure International GAME PUBLISHER:Adventure International Copyright 1983, Adventure International Sea Dragon is a fun but very difficult underwater shooter from Adventure International. The basic premise is similiar to such arcade hits as Scramble: you are going through a maze of underwater tunnels, trying…

  • Evolution

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jeff Sember & Don Mattrick GAME DEVELOPER:Sydney Development GAME PUBLISHER:Sydney Development Copyright 1983, Sydney Development Evolution is a fun and quirky arcade game from Sydney Development. You start as an amoeba trying to advance up the evolutionary chain to become a human. To do this you…

  • First Person: Marvin Minsky: The Society of Mind

    —

    by

    admin
    in

    From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Voyager Company GAME PUBLISHER:Voyager Company Copyright 1995, Voyager Company First Person: Marvin Minsky – The Society of Mind is a great CD-ROM from Voyager that includes the full text of Marvin Minsky’s groundbreaking book The Society of Mind. For anyone who’s not familiar with…