Author: admin
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Pool Shark
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mirage GAME PUBLISHER:Gremlin Copyright 1999, Gremlin Tim Chown of Games Domain says it all about this excellent and highly underrated pool game from Mirage/Gremlin: “Pool Shark features a dozen or more pool halls in which you can play, each with a distinct appearance and…
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Mind Games Entertainment Pack for Windows
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ren Wu GAME DEVELOPER:Oxford Softworks GAME PUBLISHER:New World Computing Copyright 1995, Oxford Softworks Mind Games Entertainment Pack for Windows is a great collection of 10 classic board games from Oxford Softworks. This is essentially a 1995 update of the company’s earlier Intelligent Strategy Games 10 package.…
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Wing Commander: Unknown Enemy
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Alex Barnfield & Jakub Majewski GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Alex Barnfield & Jakub Majewski Unknown Enemy is a fanmade conversion mod for Wing Commander: Secret Ops, and an excellent example of what dedicated fans are capable of. Set in the Union of Border Worlds…
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Corporate Pursuit
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:MAUS GAME PUBLISHER:MAUS Copyright 1996, MAUS Corporate Pursuit is an average business simulation that tries to simulate the IT industry, but does not quite succeed due to dubious economic/pricing engine, and balan gameplay. Your role is Marketing Manager a high-tech company, responsible for the…
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Scrabble for Windows
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Virgin Interactive GAME PUBLISHER:Virgin Interactive Copyright 1994, Virgin Interactive Scrabble for Windows is a great Windows 3.1 update of previous Scrabble games that Mastertronic (which later was acquired by Virgin and became “Virgin Mastertronic” label) had been developing since 1987 under license from Hasbro,…
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Delvion Star Interceptor
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Vincent Panades GAME DEVELOPER:Digital Dreams Multimedia GAME PUBLISHER:Digital Dreams Multimedia Copyright 1995, Digital Dreams Multimedia Delvion Star Interceptor is a great horizontal shooter game that manages to convey a good illusion of depth with 2D graphics. The premise is typical sci-fi fare, but the gameplay is…
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Eurosoccer
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Flair GAME PUBLISHER:Flair Copyright 1992, Flair Eurosoccer is a subpar football game from Flair. The game lets you manage one of Europe’s best clubs in either friendly match or a tournament mode. A comprehensive list of teams and players aside, there is really not…
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Space Adventure
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Knowledge Adventure GAME PUBLISHER:Knowledge Adventure Copyright 1992, Knowledge Adventure Space Adventure is a fun multimedia edutainment title from Knowledge Adventure about astronomy. Driven by the same engine as the company’s first product, Knowledge Adventure, Space Adventure is subdivided into 4 sections: a view of…
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Street Fighting Man
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:S. Ison GAME DEVELOPER:Mastertronic GAME PUBLISHER:IBM Copyright 1989, IBM One of the rarest games from IBM, Street Fighting Man is also one of the company’s best releases. The game casts you as Nick, a brawny dude who must journey to the rough areas in 5 U.S.…
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Freddy’s Rescue Roundup
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:D. P. Leabo & A. V. Strietzel GAME DEVELOPER:IBM GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1984, IBM Freddy’s Rescue Roundup is a fun Lode Runner-style 2D platformer from IBM, developed in 1984 and released into the public domain in 1985. The game is reminiscent of the Spectrum computer’s classic…
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Homeworld: Cataclysm
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Gyori GAME DEVELOPER:Relic Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 2000, Relic Entertainment The original Homeworld was the first game to take the successful format of real-time-strategy seen in Command and Conquer and transfer it to the depths of interstellar space. Featuring gorgeous graphics, realistic space combat,…
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Power Spike Pro Beach Volleyball
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Carapace GAME PUBLISHER:Infogrames Copyright 2001, Carapace Power Spike Pro Beach Volleyball is a decent beach volleyball game from French developer Carapace that has all the bells and whistles and official endorsement of a sport association, but unfortunately none of the charm or personality of…
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Cross Country Canada
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Didatech GAME PUBLISHER:Didatech Copyright 1991, Didatech One of the best edutainment titles ever made, Cross Country Canada is an excellent game for kids aged 4-9 designed to teach them about the geography of Canada. You goal in the game is to take various delivery…
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See the USA
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Compu-Teach GAME PUBLISHER:Compu-Teach Copyright 1987, Compu-Teach See the USA is a solid early geography program designed to teach kids the names and locations of major US cities, capitals, and states. The program is quite straightforward: the game tells you the origin and destination city/state,…
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Thinking Games 2
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Compedia GAME PUBLISHER:Compedia Copyright 1993, Compedia Thinking Games 2 is a great collection of mini-games designed to teach kids about world geography and different cultures. There are many ways to learn while having fun in this game. Kids can solve dozens of jigsaw puzzles…
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Merlin’s Math
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Europress GAME PUBLISHER:Europress Copyright 1992, Europress Merlin’s Math is a decent math program designed to teach young kids the basics of algebra. Designed mainly as a promotional product for Penguin chocolate, the game is much shorter than a typical edutainment title, although it does…
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Dark Tower
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Bommer GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Michael Bommer Dark Tower is an excellent Java remake of a classic 1981 board game from Milton Bradley of the same name. You should definitely hunt down the original board game if you love innovative toys, because it…
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Joust (Freeware)
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Gerry Quinn GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1998, Gerry Quinn Joust (not to be confused with Atari’s classic arcade game of the same name) is a fun strategy game based on Chess. In the designer’s own words: “In this game each player has a Knight which…
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Starlord (Freeware)
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Keith Cox GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1990, Keith Cox Starlord is a fun early spaceship simulator similar to EGA Trek, but with a much less complex gameplay. You control a spaceship on a long voyage through space, fighting evil Imperial ships, repair and refill your…
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Murder Cruise
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bruce Jaeger GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1990, Bruce Jaeger Murder Cruise is a fun little murder mystery game that plays more like a game of Clue Master Detective than an interactive fiction title. Your job as a detective is to arrest the killer on board…
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Wasteland Rebels
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Falcon GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1994, Falcon Wasteland Rebels is a fun little ASCII-based battle simulator based on Japan’s popular Macross (called Robotech in the West) universe. In this Rebellion (your side) vs. the Ranzei (enemy side) galactic conflict, the gameplay is deceptively simple: you…
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War Encounter
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ben Crossman GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1999, Ben Crossman War Encounter and Starship Tactical Combat Simulator are two excellent fanmade space combat games set in the Star Trek universe. STCS is more of a tactical simulation while War Encounter an action game similar to the…
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Starship Tactical Combat Simulator
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dan Rock GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1999, Dan Rock War Encounter and Starship Tactical Combat Simulator are two excellent fanmade space combat games set in the Star Trek universe. STCS is more of a tactical simulation while War Encounter an action game similar to the…
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Atomic
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Philippe Lesire GAME DEVELOPER:Thalion GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Philippe Lesire Atomic is a faithful remake of Thalion’s classic Atomix. The gameplay and levels are identical – just cosmetically upgraded with SVGA graphics and a Windows interface. If you have never played Atomix before, the idea is…
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Foxtrot Delta
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Claire Garrett GAME DEVELOPER:Reckon GAME PUBLISHER:Reckon Copyright 1990, Reckon Foxtrot Delta is a fun and unique edutainment game that teaches kids about Australia geography and history, as well as medical facts about major diseases. The game casts you as a doctor/pilot working for Australia’s Royal Flying…
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Automotive Conservation
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, MSM International Automotive Conservation is an interesting but far too simplistic computer board game designed to promote auto maintenance. Up to 4 players take turns rolling die and move their cars around the gameboard, paying fees to other players…
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Baron Baldric: A Grave Overture
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Lindsay Whipp GAME DEVELOPER:Animation FX GAME PUBLISHER:Manaccom Copyright 1993, Animation FX Baron Baldric: A Grave Overture is a fun – and very rare – shareware platformer ported to the PC from the Amiga in 1992. Although the game is by no means a classic, it is…
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Mystic Towers
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Lindsay Whipp GAME DEVELOPER:Animation FX GAME PUBLISHER:Apogee Copyright 1994, Animation FX One of my most favorite Apogee games, Mystic Towers is a charming game that combines action, puzzle, and even a bit of strategy into an engrossing whole. Information from Lon Matero’s excellent fanpage says it…
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Ata: Extracts from the American Civil War
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Kimmo Vihola & Timo Vihola GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Kimmo Vihola & Timo Vihola Ata: Extracts from the American Civil War is an excellent freeware remake of Infogrames’ classic North & South humorous wargame. Like North & South, Ata is a two-player turn-based strategy…
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SDL Paradroid
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Andrew Braybrook GAME DEVELOPER:Hewson GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Anonymous SDL Paradroid is an excellent fanmade Windows remake of Paradroid, a classic Commodore 64 game that was released for the Atari ST and Amiga, but never for the PC. The plot of this masterpiece goes as follows:…
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Wild West World
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Werner Krahe & Jen Onnen GAME DEVELOPER:Software 2000 GAME PUBLISHER:Software 2000 Copyright 1992, Software 2000 Wild West World is a fun, original, and detailed strategy game set in the USA’s famed Gold Rush period. Designed by the same designers as The Manager, one of the most…
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Manhole: CD-ROM Masterpiece Edition, The
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rand Miller & Robyn Miller GAME DEVELOPER:Cyan GAME PUBLISHER:Cyan Copyright 1994, Cyan The Manhole: CD-ROM Masterpiece Edition is an outstanding CD-ROM version of The Manhole, the Miller brothers’ classic educatainment title first released in 1988. Like its 1988 original, TMCME is a masterpiece program that exemplifies…
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Till Death Makes a Monk-Fish Out Of Me!
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mike Sousa & Jon Ingold GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Mike Sousa & Jon Ingold Second place winner in the 2002 Interactive Fiction competition, Till Death Makes a Monk-Fish Out of Me is a fun but confusing “black comedy” whose votes were perhaps inflated by…
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Janitor
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Kevin Lynn & Peter Seebach GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Kevin Lynn & Peter Seebach One of my most favorite games in the 2002 IF competition, Janitor is a fun game that offers both interesting puzzles and a unique premise. In this ‘meta-game’ that looks…
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Another Earth, Another Sky
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Paul O’Brian GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Paul O’Brian First-place winner of the 2002 Interactive Fiction Competition, Another Earth, Another Sky is a great sequel to the previous year’s competition entry Earth and Sky. You play Earth, one half of the brother-and-sister costumed superhero duo…
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When Help Collides
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:J.D. Berry GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, J.D. Berry One of my favorite entries in the 2002 IF Competition, When Help Collides placed a disappointing 18th – roughly halfway down the list of entries. The game is almost impossible to describe, so suffice it to…
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Moonlit Tower
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Yoon Ha Lee GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Yoon Ha Lee Moonlit Tower is a fascinating debut IF title by Yoon Ha Lee, a published fantasy author. Steep in Eastern mythos, Moonlit Tower evokes a great atmosphere, a feeling of being part of an Eastern…
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Photograph
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Steve Evans GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Steve Evans My pick for the best story-oriented (a.k.a. Photopia-style) game in the 2002 IF Competition, Photograph is a well-written and thought-provoking short story about – well, someone’s life, but primarily about regret and nostalgia in my opinion.…
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Jane
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Joseph Grzesiak GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Joseph Grzesiak Jane is an ambitious story-oriented IF that deals with one of the most difficult real-life topics: domestic violence. The game is very well written, and covers a comprehensive array of important issues that are relevant to…
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Rent-A-Spy
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Eriksson GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, John Eriksson Rent-A-Spy is a fun puzzle-oriented game, in the same style as The Plant, but not nearly as well implemented. The game boasts many fun espionage puzzles that require the use of James Bond-style high-tech gadgetry and…
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TOOKiE’S SONG
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jessica Knoch GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Jessica Knoch TOOKiE’S SONG is a fun light-hearted adventure in the same vein as previous competitions’ Small World, A Bear’s Night Out, and Mother Loose. The plot: your dog has been abducted by aliens, and so you have…
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Fort Aegea
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Francesco Bova GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Francesco Bova Fort Aegea is the second game in a planned trilogy, set in a fantasy world that feels very much like something out of TSR’s D&D universe. If you love D&D style RPGs, you will feel right…
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Constraints
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Martin Bays GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Martin Bays Along with When Help Collides, Constraints is one of my favorite entries in the 2002 IF Competition that in my opinion deserves a much better finish than the relatively low 21st place. As the title suggests,…
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Treasury of Zan
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Richard Murchy GAME DEVELOPER:R&R Software GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1989, R&R Software 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…
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Winchester’s Nightmare
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Nick Montfort GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1999, Nick Montfor A fun and interesting blend of sci-fi and historical epic genres, with a dash of surrealism thrown in. Duncan Stevens’ short review at Baf’s Guide says it all: “An odd effort–compelling in spots, but often frustrating…
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X: Beyond the Frontier
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:EGOSOFT GAME PUBLISHER:THQ Copyright 1999, EGOSOFT I’d love to be able to recommend this game, honestly I would. This is one of the only space trading sims I’ve seen released outside of the Privateer and Elite series of games, certainly the only one I…
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Semper Fi
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Joe Balkowski GAME DEVELOPER:Stanley Associates GAME PUBLISHER:Interactive Magic Copyright 1998, Stanley Associates Games Domain’s Dean Gordon says it all about this atypical squad-level wargame that does not live up to Stanley Associates’ earlier 5th Fleet, primarily because it is too short and too easy: “The United…
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V2000
From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Braben GAME DEVELOPER:Frontier Developments GAME PUBLISHER:Grolier Interactive Copyright 1998, Frontier Developments V2000 is a commercially underrated sequel to Virus, David Braben’s innovative 3D action game released in 1988. Developed and released 10 years after Virus, V2000 received favorable reviews in game magazines and was one…