Category: Others

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Angelsoft GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1984, Angelsoft Arguably Angelsoft’s best game (alongside Stephen King’s “The Mist”), High Stakes casts you as intrepid gambler Steven Scott who finds himself on countless misadventures one after another. The author of the book it is based on is Dick…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mastertronic GAME PUBLISHER:Mastertronic Copyright 1989, Mastertronic A huge and well-written adventure that’s arguably Mastertronic’s best adventure game, Demon’s Tomb recalls Infocom’s Infidel in that you play an archeologist who must save his findings for posterity. In the second half, though, you will play his…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Brian Fargo GAME DEVELOPER:Mastertronic GAME PUBLISHER:Mastertronic Copyright 1987, Mastertronic The first adventure game Mastertronic released is one of the most difficult adventures ever, with its extremely unforgiving puzzles and frequent deaths. For killing the king’s guards, you have been sentenced to the Demon’s Forge, a deadly…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Alan Grant GAME DEVELOPER:Palace Software GAME PUBLISHER:Palace Software Copyright 1990, Palace Software This is a highly original game that unfortunately gets bogged down with extreme non-linearity. You are a superhero who has the special ability to take control of most people you meet by typing “BECOME…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Christopher E. Forman GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1996, Christopher E. Forman Delusions is one of the few well-written “virtual reality” games. Anyone who fondly remembers the VR sequences in Legend’s Gateway games should definitely sink their teeth into this one. Although the plot could have…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Dell Corporation GAME PUBLISHER:Dell Corporation Copyright 1987, Dell Corporation This is just one of the many versions of MS-DOS 3.30 available. Most of them are exactly the same. This version of DOS (3.30) was very popular among IBM-XT users.

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:ARC Software GAME PUBLISHER:ARC Software Copyright 1990, ARC Software Easily the best astronomy software ever until its later versions and Maris’ Redshift 3, Dance of the Planets was recommended by my astronomy professor. It’s a surprisingly versatile program, given its small size, that is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Graham Nelson GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1995, Graham Nelson This is the finest work of IF which I have played since Trinity, bar none. Curses is perhaps the most “literate” work of IF to come along in years. I really cannot say enough good things…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Philip Mitchell GAME DEVELOPER:Beam International GAME PUBLISHER:Melbourne House Copyright 1988, Melbourne House Beam’s The Tolkien Trilogy closes on a positive note with this solid adventure that is both longer and more complex than its predecessors. The game follows the adventures of Frodo and his band of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Digital Research GAME PUBLISHER:Digital Research Copyright 1982, Digital Research CP/M-86 is the IBM-PC version of the popular business operating system popular during the early 80’s. Many programs were made for this operating system, but sadly – few games. CP/M, for the most part, lacked…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Judith Pintar GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1997, Judith Pintar For those of you too young to understand what kind of game the title implies, I’ll just give it away: Cosmoserve is a very clever game that makes fun of Compuserve, the on-line provider giant of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Christy Marx GAME DEVELOPER:Sierra On-Line GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1991, Sierra On-Line Christy Marx’ debut as game designer for Sierra is a fun adventure set in Arthurian lore. As none other than King Arthur himself, you must search far and wide for the Holy Grail, which…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jim Walls GAME DEVELOPER:Sierra On-Line GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1992, Sierra On-Line Sierra’s only installment in a much-hyped series, Codename: ICEMAN is a fun adventure that combines political intrigue, submarine simulation, and even romance into an enjoyable romp that is worthy of a spy flick. You…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Gareth Rees GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1995, Gareth Rees One of my most favorite IF games of all time, Christminster is a thoroughly entertaining features some of the best NPCs ever coded in a game, and memorable atmosphere and puzzles. You start out with a…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Corey Cole GAME DEVELOPER:Sierra On-Line GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1991, Sierra On-Line Definitely a true classic, this game belongs on every puzzle lover’s shelf and every kid’s desk. Designed by Corey Cole (of Quest for Glory fame), this game is the best example of “edutainment” —…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Temple Software GAME PUBLISHER:Temple Software Copyright 1982, Temple Software The Phantom’s Revenge and Castle Elsinore are two early piece of IF that are of very little value except for its age . The Phantom’s Revenge is riddled with below-average writing, inane puzzles, and inflexible…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Reckon GAME PUBLISHER:PC Globe Copyright 1991, PC Globe Bushbuck Charms, Viking Ships and Voodoo Eggs and Gumboots Australia are among the best Carmen Sandiego “clones” after Br?derbund popularized the “edutainment” concept with this series. In Bushbuck Charms, you must race either against the clock…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Douglas Adams GAME DEVELOPER:Infocom GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1987, Infocom In my opinion the best parody game ever made, Bureaucracy is a hilarious game written by Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy creator Douglas Adams. The plot is simple enough: you have just moved to a new town…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rod Smith & William Mataga GAME DEVELOPER:Synapse Software GAME PUBLISHER:Brderbund Copyright 1985, Synapse Software One of the very best and most unique interactive fiction titles ever made are 4 “interactive novel” titles from Synapse Software that are extremely hard to find nowadays. Each game is designed…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Interplay GAME PUBLISHER:Activision Copyright 1985, Interplay One of the earliest and still the best murder mysteries ever made, Borrowed Time is a gripping story set in 1939. You play Sam Barlow, Private Eye, who must save his life from a death threat while investigating…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Marc Blank GAME DEVELOPER:Infocom GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1987, Infocom The only spy game from Infocom, Border Zone is a “compartmentalized” game similar to Shogun, although the chapters don’t have to be played in order. The premise is classic spy intrigue that will be familiar to Raymond…

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…

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…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ian Finley GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1997, Ian Finley This superb science-fiction game casts you as a research scientist who woke up with amnesia. This overused premise quickly develops into a deep and engaging plot that involves mad scientists, science gone wrong, and even psychic…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Brderbund GAME PUBLISHER:Brderbund Copyright 1988, Anonymous Fanta Vision is an excellent graphics application that allows you to design your own movies by drawing pictures, animating them, and adding sound. The program was very sophisticated for its time (1988), considering the range of options it…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bob Bates GAME DEVELOPER:Infocom GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1990, Infocom Bob Bates’ last game for Infocom before he founded Legend Entertainment is interactive fiction at its best. As Infocom’s last IF, the game also featured their best parser ever (too bad it was never to see the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Thomas Disch GAME DEVELOPER:Electronic Arts GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 1986, Thomas Disch This is a lengthy and complex IF based on an intriguing premise: waking up one day, you suddently find yourself having an amnesia, with no recollection of who you are. Along the way, you…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Crichton GAME DEVELOPER:Telarium GAME PUBLISHER:Telarium Copyright 1984, Telarium As an agent of the NSRT (National Satellite Resources Technology), you happen to be the first witness of the sad fate suffered by all members of an archeological expedition sent to uncover the fabled Lost City of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Berlyn GAME DEVELOPER:Accolade GAME PUBLISHER:Accolade Copyright 1990, Accolade Designed by Michael Berlyn (of Infocom’s Infidel and Polarware’s Oo-Topos fame), this is a bizarre text-parser/graphical adventure game with a cliche premise: after being sucked into your TV by a powerful alien, it is up to you…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Game Crafters GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1992, Game Crafters The Adventures of Maddog Williams is a great shareware graphical adventure in the style of Sierra’s early King’s Quest (i.e. text parser with graphics). As genius inventor Maddog Williams, journey far and wide across the kingdom…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Roberta Williams GAME DEVELOPER:Sierra On-Line GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1986, Sierra On-Line Matthew Murray said it all in his review of this terrible PC version of Sierra’s (then On-Line Systems) Wizard And The Princess. I’m quoting it verbatim here as a proof that I’m not alone…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:IBM GAME PUBLISHER:IBM Copyright 1983, IBM One of oldest education games ever made remains to this day one of the most well-executed: Adventures in Math teaches algebra in a treasure-hunting premise, putting you inside a castle where math problems must be solved to open…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Compedia GAME PUBLISHER:Compedia Copyright 1992, Compedia Advanced Thinking Skills is a fun edutainment / puzzle game released as an entrant in Compedia’s short-lived Top Class series. The game is a collection of five mini-puzzle games commonly used on psychometric exams and IQ test: Odd…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Steve Meretzky GAME DEVELOPER:Infocom GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1985, Infocom Often billed as Infocom’s first serious science fiction (a fact that probably explains its poor sales record), A Mind Forever Voyaging ranks with Trinity as my most favorite Infocom games, and one of the best games I…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Adam Cadre GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Adam Cadre In the niche genre long dominated by extremely challenging epics such as Graham Nelson’s Curses and clever games such as Andrew Plotkin’s Spider and Web, 9:05 is a refreshing breather. Anything I can say about the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ian Andrew & Paul Gregory GAME DEVELOPER:Incentive GAME PUBLISHER:Domark Copyright 1991, Incentive One of Incentive’s final product before changing its business into producing virtual realities is easily one of the best– if not THE best– game-creation program ever made. It lets you create believable 3D games…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Jewett GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1986, David Jewett Skullduggery is a decent IF game that offers a novel combination of ASCII graphics and text, but unfortunately bogged down with a simplistic parser. Carls succinct review says it all about this so-so underdog that doesnt…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Lovelock GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1994, David Lovelock Logical Games and Puzzles is a great collection of math puzzles coded by David Lovelock, math professor at University of Arizona. The package includes such classroom classics as Factor Game, Hurkle, and Coin Swap, but also…