Category: Others

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Brian Rice GAME DEVELOPER:Merit Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Merit Studios Copyright 1993, Brian Rice At the Zoo and Dinos are Forever are two more entries in Brian Rice’s prolific Electric Crayon series. Like other entries, these programs are electronic coloring books that feature lots of attractive pictures for…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Brian Rice GAME DEVELOPER:Merit Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Merit Studios Copyright 1988, Brian Rice At the Zoo and Dinos are Forever are two more entries in Brian Rice’s prolific Electric Crayon series. Like other entries, these programs are electronic coloring books that feature lots of attractive pictures for…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Box Office GAME PUBLISHER:Box Office Copyright 1988, Box Office Alf’s Party Kit is a fun collection of mini applications and games that are designed, as the name suggests, to help kids print invitations and banners for parties and have fun playing mini party games…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Vision Software GAME PUBLISHER:Vision Software Copyright 1988, Vision Software Alf’s World of Words is a companion title to Vision Software’s Alf’s Thinking Skills, an excellent edutainment game starring one of America’s most famous children TV characters. Like Alf’s Thinking Skills, AWoW was designed for…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Black Box GAME PUBLISHER:Black Box Copyright 1995, Black Box Beyond the Nine Dragons is an excellent travel guide on CD-ROM that introduces Southeast Asian countries that lie along the Mekong river: Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The game includes thousands of lines of…

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, Hermit’s Secret, and Castle Elsinore are three early pieces of IF from Temple Software that are of very little value except for its age . Hermit’s Secretis very similar to Colossal Cave:…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Chris Newall GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Chris Newall Chimaera is a fun text adventure that accomplishes a feat that very few – if any – adventure games can claim: offers a coherent and complete adventure with infinite replayability. Think of treasure-hunting adventures like Zork…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Knowledge Adventure GAME PUBLISHER:Knowledge Adventure Copyright 1995, Knowledge Adventure Spider-Man Cartoon Maker is a fun Windows 95 application that brings Spider-Man and his universe to life on your computer screen. Designed primarily for kids, the program is easy to use, and the possibilities are…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Gene Portwood & Lauren Elliott GAME DEVELOPER:Brderbund GAME PUBLISHER:Brderbund Copyright 1994, Brderbund Undoubtedly the most successful edutainment franchises, the Where in [xxx] is Carmen Sandiego? is Br?derbund’s flagship series that has spawned numerous sequels, TV shows, and even board games. Premiered in 1985 with Where in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Gene Portwood & Lauren Elliott GAME DEVELOPER:Brderbund GAME PUBLISHER:Brderbund Copyright 1992, Brderbund Undoubtedly the most successful edutainment franchises, the Where in [xxx] is Carmen Sandiego? is Br?derbund’s flagship series that has spawned numerous sequels, TV shows, and even board games. Premiered in 1985 with Where in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dane Bigham GAME DEVELOPER:Brderbund GAME PUBLISHER:Brderbund Copyright 1993, Brderbund Undoubtedly the most successful edutainment franchises, the Where in [xxx] is Carmen Sandiego? is Br?derbund’s flagship series that has spawned numerous sequels, TV shows, and even board games. Premiered in 1985 with Where in the World is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Gene Portwood & Lauren Elliott GAME DEVELOPER:Brderbund GAME PUBLISHER:Brderbund Copyright 1991, Brderbund Undoubtedly the most successful edutainment franchises, the Where in [xxx] is Carmen Sandiego? is Br?derbund’s flagship series that has spawned numerous sequels, TV shows, and even board games. Premiered in 1985 with Where in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Gene Portwood & Lauren Elliott GAME DEVELOPER:Brderbund GAME PUBLISHER:Brderbund Copyright 1989, Brderbund Undoubtedly the most successful edutainment franchises, the Where in [xxx] is Carmen Sandiego? is Br?derbund’s flagship series that has spawned numerous sequels, TV shows, and even board games. Premiered in 1985 with Where in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Gene Portwood & Lauren Elliott GAME DEVELOPER:Brderbund GAME PUBLISHER:Brderbund Copyright 1990, Brderbund Undoubtedly the most successful edutainment franchises, the Where in [xxx] is Carmen Sandiego? is Br?derbund’s flagship series that has spawned numerous sequels, TV shows, and even board games. Premiered in 1985 with Where in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Gene Portwood & Lauren Elliott GAME DEVELOPER:Brderbund GAME PUBLISHER:Brderbund Copyright 1991, Brderbund Undoubtedly the most successful edutainment franchises, the Where in [xxx] is Carmen Sandiego? is Br?derbund’s flagship series that has spawned numerous sequels, TV shows, and even board games. Premiered in 1985 with Where in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Kim Walls GAME DEVELOPER:Brderbund GAME PUBLISHER:Brderbund Copyright 1993, Brderbund Undoubtedly the most successful edutainment franchises, the Where in [xxx] is Carmen Sandiego? is Br?derbund’s flagship series that has spawned numerous sequels, TV shows, and even board games. Premiered in 1985 with Where in the World is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Spinnaker GAME PUBLISHER:Spinnaker Copyright 1983, Spinnaker Kindercomp is yet another achievement in Spinnaker’s successful line of edutainment titles. In this fun game designed for kids aged 3 to 8, toddlers will have fun with 6 mini-games that teach a wide range of subjects. Kids…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Leslie Grimm GAME DEVELOPER:Brderbund GAME PUBLISHER:Brderbund Copyright 1993, Brderbund Last in Br?derbund’s superb trilogy of edutainment titles, The Backyard lives up to the high standards set by The Playroom and The Treehouse, also designed by Leslie Grimm. Designed for kids aged 3 to 6, The Backyard…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:International PC Owners Inc. (IPCO) GAME PUBLISHER:International PC Owners Inc. (IPCO) Copyright 1981, International PC Owners Inc. (IPCO) A very primitive early text-only RPG, The Wizard’s Castle is another release by IPCO, the world’s first publication for PC. From MobyGames’ description: “…A long time…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Learning Company, The GAME PUBLISHER:Learning Company, The Copyright 1989, Learning Company, The One of The Learning Company’s early edutainment classics, Reader Rabbit is a fun and timeless game designed to teach 3-7 kids reading and spelling skills. There are four different word games to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Leslie Grimm & Sid Weber GAME DEVELOPER:Learning Company, The GAME PUBLISHER:Learning Company, The Copyright 1987, Learning Company, The From MobyGames’ description: “A dragon has taken over the Castle of Mystikar. To defeat the dragon, you must find the parts to build an enchanted knight which are…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Gary Bedrosian GAME DEVELOPER:Avalon Hill GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1986, Gary Bedrosian Empire of the Over-Mind is an excellent text adventure written by Gary Bedrosian way back in 1979 for the Apple II and Tandy’s TRS-80 computer and published by Avalon Hill. The game was never ported…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Nikita GAME PUBLISHER:Nikita Copyright 1994, Nikita Circus is an excellent collection of edutainment games based on the circus theme. Designed to teach toddlers basic algebra, Circus offers 9 mini-games that span a good range of concepts, from number recognition, counting, to simple calculations. The…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Paul Deal GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1989, Paul Deal One of the most unique text-only games ever made, Fallthru is a fun parser-based RPG that can be played by up to 3 players on the same computer. The game is turn-based: each player has X…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Synergistic Software GAME PUBLISHER:Compu-Teach Copyright 1993, Synergistic Software Code: Europe is a decent edutainment title that looks and feels very similar to Broderbund’s famous Carmen Sandiego games, but much less engaging or original. Cast as a secret agent, your job is to catch the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Interplay GAME PUBLISHER:Activision Copyright 1984, Interplay One of the rarest PC games in existence today, The Tracer Sanction is a fun sci-fi text adventure with graphics designed by Interplay and published by Activision. From a brief review first printed in ZZAP!64: “The Tracer Sanction…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:IBM GAME PUBLISHER:IBM Copyright 1994, IBM One of the best reference/educational CD-ROMs ever created, The Playboy Interview: Three Decades was unfortunately a commercial failure for IBM’s short-lived Multimedia Publishing Studio. Perhaps this is largely attributable to the possibility that too few people think of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Brian Rice GAME DEVELOPER:Merit Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Merit Studios Copyright 1991, Brian Rice World of Nintendo is another entry in an underrated Electric Crayon coloring book series. This is a fun, albeit simple, animated coloring books featuring famous characters from Super Mario series. Designed for toddlers, the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ken Embery GAME DEVELOPER:Dynamix GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1998, Dynamix One of the last titles published under Sierra’s “Discovery Series” brand, Driver’s Education from Dynamix is an excellent edutainment program designed to teach youngsters the basics of safe driving: including the rules of the road, laws,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Peter Nepstad GAME DEVELOPER:Anonymous GAME PUBLISHER:Anonymous Copyright 2002, Peter Nepstad 1893: A World’s Fair Mystery is a well-written, atmospheric, and even educational text adventure reminiscent of Infocom’s Sherlock: Riddle of the Crown Jewels. As the name suggests, it is 1893, and the World’s Columbian Exposition is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Emily Short GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2002, Emily Short Yet another excellent IF title from Emily Short, Savoir-Faire is an absorbing and innovative game that brings the word “old skool” to new level. The brief summary at Baf’s IF Guide says it all: “In 18…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…