Category: Others

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…

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…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Berlyn & Jerry Wolper GAME DEVELOPER:Infocom GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1984, Infocom Matthew Murray’s short review of this underrated Infocom game: “An adventure game with an objective much different than that of typical adventure games, Cutthroats was a treasure hunt of a unique sort, as the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dave Anderson & Liz Cyr-Jones GAME DEVELOPER:Infocom GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1987, Infocom Matthew Murray’s review says it all about this fun, “light” adventure game from Infocom: “Though it could be viewed as simply another treasure hunt game from Infocom, Hollywood Hijinx stood out from the others,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Steve Meretzky GAME DEVELOPER:Infocom GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1987, Infocom Stationfall is an excellent sequel to classic Planetfall, although it does not have the same charm as its predecessor. The game is set 5 years after the events in Planetfall. Sent in a shuttle on a routine…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Berlyn GAME DEVELOPER:Infocom GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1983, Infocom The other “Expert” level sci-fi game from Infocom (the other being Starcross), Suspended is a unique and ambitious text adventure that suffers from an extremely high difficulty level and awkward implementation of simulation-style gameplay. Infocom introduced many…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dave Lebling GAME DEVELOPER:Infocom GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1982, Infocom One of my most favorite sci-fi text adventures, Starcross is yet another masterpiece from Infocom, this time one of their earliest sci-fi releases. In the game, you play a black-hole miner who is captured by a drifting…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Stu Galley & Jim Lawrence GAME DEVELOPER:Infocom GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1986, Infocom You are a famous young American detective who has been invited to Tresyllian Castle by your old friend Tamara Lynd. She is being haunted by the Tresyllian ghost, who seems intent on scaring her…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dave Lebling GAME DEVELOPER:Infocom GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1984, Infocom Infocom’s third murder mystery game no longer puts you in the shoes of a police detective, but a nosy reporter who has been framed with the murder of Veronica Ashcroft, a famous superstar who has been murdered…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Marc Blank GAME DEVELOPER:Infocom GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1982, Infocom Deadline was the first murder mystery game from Infocom and their third game overall (after Zork I and Zork II). Despite the limitations of an early parser and very difficult puzzles that require multiple restores, Deadline in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Stu Galley GAME DEVELOPER:Infocom GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1983, Infocom The year, 1938. The place, Los Angeles. A wealthy but paranoid man has asked you, a police detective, for protection. But despite everything you do, the man is killed. Can you find who killed Freeman Linder? The…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Graham Nelson GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1994, Graham Nelson Balances is a charming little fanmade game based on Infocom’s Enchanter games. From Carl Muckenhoupt’s succinct review: “A small unofficial sequel to Infocom’s Enchanter trilogy, based partly on their sample transcripts and partly on the need…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Berlyn & Marc Blank GAME DEVELOPER:Activision GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1997, Activision Zork: The Undiscovered Underground is a fun Zork game designed by ex-Infocom designers Michael Berlyn and Marc Blank, released as freeware to promote the release of Zork: Grand Inquisitor. The game is set in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Taro Ogawa GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1998, Taro Ogawa A well-deserved 5th place winner in the 1998 Interactive Fiction Competition, Enlightenment is a fun but tough one-room treasure-hunting puzzle fest set in the Zorkian universe. Duncan Stevens’ comprehensive review at SPAG says it all: “Enlightenment…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Nate Cull GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1996, Nate Cull My favorite fanmade Zork game, Frobozz Magic Support is a charming, hilarious, and entertaining short game set in Infocom’s famous gameworld. It seems the entire Frobozz Magic Company tech support staff has disappeared except for you.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Daniel Yu GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1996, Daniel Yu Spiritwrak is an excellent fanmade game set in Infocom’s Zork universe. Featuring spells from the Enchanter trilogy (which appear as prayers in the game) and the quirky humor of Zork trilogy, Spiritwrak casts you as a…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dave Lebling GAME DEVELOPER:Infocom GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1985, Infocom After the somewhat disappointing Sorcerer, Infocom’s Enchanter trilogy ends with a spectacular bang in the name of Spellbreaker. This is everything a fantasy adventure should be: well-written, challenging, and satisfying. The only downside to the game I…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Steve Meretzky GAME DEVELOPER:Infocom GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1984, Infocom Although it is the weakest game in the Enchanter Trilogy, Sorcerer is still a fun game that boasts some of the most memorable puzzles in Infocom canon. The game is set a few years after the events…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Marc Blank GAME DEVELOPER:Infocom GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1983, Infocom Enchanter is the first entry in the Enchanter Trilogy, a series set in the Zork universe, except casting you as a magic user than a clueless adventurer. The premise is typical fantasy fare: you are a novice…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bert Lewis GAME DEVELOPER:Keypunch GAME PUBLISHER:Keypunch Copyright 1986, Bert Lewis Survival in New York City is a marginally above-average interactive fiction title, included in Keypunch’s Swords and Sorcery package. Given Keypunch’s notoriety as the company that kept stealing other people’s games (mostly public domain works released…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Kevin Bales GAME DEVELOPER:Keypunch GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1985, Kevin Bales One of the most memorable ASCII games of the bygone BSS era, Castle Adventure is a fun parser-based maze adventure designed by Kevin Bales, and later released (“stolen” in fact) by Keypunch as part of their…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Deadline Games GAME PUBLISHER:Vision Park Copyright 2001, Deadline Games The most addictive edutainment title I have ever played since MECC’s oldie Amazon Trail for DOS, Globetrotter 2 is an outstanding release from Deadline Games of Denmark, published only in selected countries in Europe by…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Vision Software GAME PUBLISHER:Vision Software Copyright 1988, Vision Software Alf’s Thinking Skills is a fun edutainment title for toddlers starring Alf, the beloved alien from a popular ’80s TV show. Similar to most other early childhood programs like The Playroom, Alf Thinking Skills offers…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Compedia GAME PUBLISHER:Compedia Copyright 1993, Compedia Learn about Astronomy, Learn about the Human Body, and Learn the Alphabet are three excellent edutainment titles in Compedia?s underrated ?Top Class? series. Each title combines concise lectures (complete with clear diagrams and illustrations), quizzes, and mini-games into…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Compedia GAME PUBLISHER:Compedia Copyright 1993, Compedia Learn about Astronomy, Learn about the Human Body, and Learn the Alphabet are three excellent edutainment titles in Compedia?s underrated ?Top Class? series. Each title combines concise lectures (complete with clear diagrams and illustrations), quizzes, and mini-games into…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Compedia GAME PUBLISHER:Compedia Copyright 1993, Compedia Learn about Astronomy, Learn about the Human Body, and Learn the Alphabet are three excellent edutainment titles in Compedia?s underrated ?Top Class? series. Each title combines concise lectures (complete with clear diagrams and illustrations), quizzes, and mini-games into…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mitch Kapor GAME DEVELOPER:Lotus GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1998, Lotus Lotus Agenda is arguably not only the best “personal information manager” (PIM) software ever made, but also one of the best applications ever seen on a PC. A DOS program originally marketed by Lotus during the late…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dave Winer GAME DEVELOPER:Symantec GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1987, Symantec ThinkTank is an excellent “outliner” application, a niche genre of applications that were more popular on the Macintosh in the early 1980s. Outliner software allows you to organize your ideas into a complex hierarchy and edit them…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dan Bricklin & Bob Frankston GAME DEVELOPER:Lotus GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1981, Lotus VisiCalc was the very first computer spreadsheet program ever published, co-created by Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston under the name “Software Arts,” their company. In addition to being the first program to feature the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:NielSoft GAME PUBLISHER:NielSoft Copyright 1991, NielSoft Fred’s Backyard is one of the most original text adventures you’ll ever come across. The game makes up for its primitive parser and lackluster writing with funny ASCII graphics, sound effects, and best of all dozens of fun…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:GeoWorks GAME PUBLISHER:GeoWorks Copyright 1993, Breadbox Released in 1993, version 2.0 of GEOS features bug fixes and a new color scheme (predominantly gray instead of dark cyan). Still very much ahead of its time, GeoWorks (now New Deal) improved the OS and bundled applications…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Blasterware GAME PUBLISHER:Blasterware Copyright 1995, Blasterware A Brief History of Time is one of the best CD-ROMs I’ve ever come across, no less because it is based on Stephen Hawking’s groundbreaking book of the same name. One of the few titles from Creative Labs’…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Susan Mahoney GAME DEVELOPER:Mahoney Interactive GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 1993, EA*Kids Pong & Kooky’s Cuckoo Zoo is the last release in EA*Kids’ quality but short-lived product line designed for young children. This preschool title features nice background graphics and animations, recorded speech, and over 15 mini-games…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1999, Anonymous Typing Racer is a fun 3D racing game designed to help improve your typing in a fun and addictive way. In this “rail shooter” (i.e. you don’t have control over your movement), alphabets (or numbers, depending on what…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Romain Victor-Pujebet GAME DEVELOPER:Dada Media GAME PUBLISHER:Organa Copyright 1995, Organa One of the greatest CD-ROMs ever made, The Book of Lulu is a wonderful childrens tale that will move you in the same way as Le Petit Prince (a.k.a. The Little Prince) and Winnie the Pooh…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Alan Snow GAME DEVELOPER:Domestic Funk Productions GAME PUBLISHER:Organa Copyright 1995, Organa One of the best CD-ROMs ever made in any category, P.A.W.S is a very entertaining dog simulation CD-ROM designed for kids based on the prize-winning book (sadly now out of print) How Dogs Really Work…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Douglas Adams & Mark Cowardine GAME DEVELOPER:Voyager Company GAME PUBLISHER:Voyager Company Copyright 1993, Voyager Company We think of Douglas Adams as the author of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy–in other words, as a superb chronicler of other-worldly life forms and one of the funniest people…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Steve Meretzky GAME DEVELOPER:Infocom GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1988, Infocom Planetfall is one of Infocoms most successful game that was updated and re-released as Solid Gold edition in 1988. The entire Solid Gold line was sadly not very well known, perhaps because most people assumed it was…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Steve Meretzky GAME DEVELOPER:Infocom GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1988, Infocom One of the best Infocom games ever made, Leather Goddess of Phobos a big hit when it was first released in 1986. So it is no surprise that it was chosen as one of five games to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Douglas Adams & Steve Meretzky GAME DEVELOPER:Infocom GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1987, Infocom Arguably the best Infocom game ever made, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy was an instant hit when it was first released in 1984. So it is no surprise that it was chosen as one…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Andy Phillips GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1998, Andy Phillips The second game from Andy Phillips is Enemies, a fun modern mystery/horror adventure that has a much more interesting plot than his other games (with the exception of Heroines Mantle, a true modern IF classic). As…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Andy Phillips GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1997, Andy Phillips Heist is a fun, but quite difficult IF title that focuses more on presenting challenging puzzles than on telling an absorbing story. Like Andy Phillips later games (most notably Enemies and Time: All Things Come to…