Category: Role Playing and Adventure Games

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Richard Garriott GAME DEVELOPER:Origin Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Origin Systems Copyright 1990, Origin Systems Worlds of Ultima: Savage Empire is the first release in the short-lived World of Ultima series that was designed as spin-offs from Origin’s lucrative Ultima games. Each game would take you, the Avatar from…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Richard Garriott GAME DEVELOPER:Origin Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Origin Systems Copyright 1991, Origin Systems Second and unfortunately last in Origin’s funWorlds of Ultima series, Martian Dreams is a great Jules Vernes-inspired Victorian adventure that combines the great Ultima VI engine with interesting characters and setting. The premise is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Pete James & Anthony Taglione GAME DEVELOPER:Mindscape GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1992, Mindscape Sequel to underrated Legend (a.k.a. Empire), Worlds of Legend continues the predecessor’s storyline and great gameplay, with several enhancements. The real-time play (where you see other parties marching on the map and the passage…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Coktel Vision GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1994, Coktel Vision Coktel ended its line of puzzle games on a mildly disappointing note, with a game that is too confusing, too open-ended, with puzzles so wacky (i.e. illogical) that they would require an unusual brain or…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Moonlight Games GAME PUBLISHER:Merit Studios Copyright 1995, Merit Studios Wolfsbane is an atmospheric game with a neat premise that foreshadows Sierra’s outstanding Gabriel Knight 2: You are a medieval merchant who was bitten by a werewolf and must find a way to remove the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Chuck Kroegel & Paul Murray GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1986, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) A real “oldie but goodie” from SSI, this solid RPG goes beyond its CGA, run-from-floppy limitation with solid attention to detail, huge game world, and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Paragon Software GAME PUBLISHER:Paragon Software Copyright 1988, Paragon Software The third Paragon game is set in a fantasy world of wizards vying for power. It’s based on pretty much the same primitive engine used in Alien Fires 2199 AD, but this time gameplay is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Greg Malone GAME DEVELOPER:Origin Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Origin Systems Copyright 1988, Origin Systems Sequel to the below-average Moebius, this game features vastly improved arcade-style combat and traditional RPG elements, set in the intriguing Chinese lore filled with demons and warlords. You play a lowly fisherman recruited by…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:T. K. Yoshimura GAME DEVELOPER:Arsys GAME PUBLISHER:Brderbund Copyright 1989, Arsys A little-known Japanese import similar to Psychic War (also from Br?derbund) in the cute anime style and console-influenced gameplay, Wibarm is notable for a wide variety of gameplay options. In this futuristic sci-fi game, you control…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Hannes Seifert & Christoph Soukup GAME DEVELOPER:Flair GAME PUBLISHER:NEO Software Copyright 1994, NEO Software Yet another solid Amiga RPG that failed to make a splash on the PC, Whale’s Voyage recounts the voyages of the Whale, a curiously-named spacecraft, as its crew make a frantic effort…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Joseph Kluytmans GAME DEVELOPER:Coktel Vision GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1993, Coktel Vision The charming zaniness of Coktel’s Goblinscontinues in Ween: The Prophecy, a game filled with wacky characters and sporting an improved interface. Unfortunately, the puzzles are often too obscure to all but die-hard puzzlers. The…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Capstone GAME PUBLISHER:Capstone Copyright 1993, Capstone Wayne’s World is a faithful adaptation of the wacky ’80 movie of the same name that predates Beavis & Butthead today. Help the bumbling duo set up a pizza delivery business and claim their 15 minutes of fame.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mike Woodroffe GAME DEVELOPER:Horrorsoft GAME PUBLISHER:Accolade Copyright 1992, Accolade Waxworks is an excellent, yet overlooked, first-person horror RPG from the makers of blockbuster Elvira series. The plot (which is detailed in the superbly written storybook that came with the game) could well have been concocted by…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Robert Clardy GAME DEVELOPER:Synergistic Software GAME PUBLISHER:Virgin Interactive Copyright 1993, Virgin Interactive This solid World Builder game that was to be Synergistic’s last was sadly among the least-known RPGs of all time. Lead a party of four adventurers charged with the task of rescuing the kingdom…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mastertronic GAME PUBLISHER:Mastertronic Copyright 1987, Mastertronic The last Mastertronic adventure game disappointingly abandons the innovative icon-based interface used in Kobyashi Naruand Shard of Inovarin favor of words menu that you must scroll down relentlessly to find words you need to construct the sentence. Other…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Robert Clardy GAME DEVELOPER:Synergistic Software GAME PUBLISHER:Virgin Interactive Copyright 1991, Virgin Interactive The sequel to Spirit of the Excalibur boasts improvements over its predecessor in every respect: the strategic elements (involving army placement and assigning errands to knights) are more complex, the plot more interesting, and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Thomas Holmes & Chris Stratka GAME DEVELOPER:Dreamforge Intertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1994, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Veil of Darkness is a familiar sight for players of The Summoning, as both games share a common top-down 3/4 approach to the adventure and the world…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Thomas Carbone & William Leslie III GAME DEVELOPER:Omnitrend GAME PUBLISHER:Omnitrend Copyright 1990, Omnitrend M. Evan Brooks’ review and MobyGames rap sheet say it all about this last entry in the Universe series: ” A detailed simulation of space exploration and trading. Multi-faceted and very deep, its…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:William Leslie III GAME DEVELOPER:Omnitrend GAME PUBLISHER:Omnitrend Copyright 1989, Omnitrend M. Evan Brooks‘ review says it all about Universe 1: “A detailed simulation of space exploration and trading. Multi-faceted and very deep, its playability suffered from documentation which was hard to interpret as well as an…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Thomas Carbone GAME DEVELOPER:Omnitrend GAME PUBLISHER:Omnitrend Copyright 1989, Omnitrend M. Evan Brooks‘ review says it all about Universe 1: “A detailed simulation of space exploration and trading. Multi-faceted and very deep, its playability suffered from documentation which was hard to interpret as well as an unforgiving…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Core Design GAME PUBLISHER:Core Design Copyright 1994, Core Design Universe is a decent sci-fi adventure that features some interesting gadget-oriented puzzles, although the banal plot and bad writing sink the game to obscurity. Nevertheless, Core Design’s second effort in the adventure genre is a…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Pete Hallesy GAME DEVELOPER:ICOM Simulations GAME PUBLISHER:ICOM Simulations Copyright 1987, ICOM Simulations This is a little better than Shadowgate but not by much– you still die a lot, and most puzzles are illogical. It is essentially Shadowgate with a new setting and better plot: after regaining…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Neal Hallford GAME DEVELOPER:New World Computing GAME PUBLISHER:New World Computing Copyright 1990, New World Computing Tunnels and Trolls is a cut above most high-profile RPGs because it shines in two of the most important elements of RPG: plot and writing. From the first dozens of introductory…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Clipper Software GAME PUBLISHER:US Gold Copyright 1997, US Gold Loosely based on characters from Alexandre Dumas classic novel, Touch?: The Adventures of the Fifth Musketeer details the exploits of Geoffroi le Brun as he attempts to prove his worth to the famous French regiment.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Al Lowe GAME DEVELOPER:Sierra On-Line GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1996, Sierra On-Line A cartoon adventure that might as well be called “Sierra’s Lost CD Game” due to the quick disappearance from store shelves months after its release, Torin’s Passage is a diversion for Al Lowe (better…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Richard Hare GAME DEVELOPER:Burst GAME PUBLISHER:Virgin Interactive Copyright 1997, Virgin Interactive A great but overlooked cartoon adventure, Toonstruck is a modern-day Who Framed Roger Rabbit? story where a likable cartoonist (played convincingly by Christopher Lloyd) gets trapped into a cartoon world of his creation and must…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Chris Roberts GAME DEVELOPER:Origin Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Origin Systems Copyright 1989, Origin Systems Perhaps best described as “light Ultima”, Times of Lore is a pleasant RPG set in the land of Albareth. You play either a Knight, a Barbarian, or a Valkyrie on a quest to search…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1994, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) A solid dungeon romp from SSI that’s sadly forgotten, Thunderscape focuses more on puzzles and exploration than on detailed statistics– making it appealing to newbie RPGers and casual gamers…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ivan Manley GAME DEVELOPER:Synergistic Software GAME PUBLISHER:Accolade Copyright 1991, Accolade In one of the best “spy” games ever made (but then, there haven’t been that many…), you are a NATO spy who is tasked with recovering stolen NATO defense plans, earning money and skills in the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Konami GAME PUBLISHER:Konami Copyright 1991, Konami Theme Park Mystery is a weird but curiously appealing adventure game set in the mysterious world of gypsies, magic and supernatural powers where nothing is quite what it seems. Your routine life is disrupted forever when you use…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Adrian Chmielarz GAME DEVELOPER:Metropolis GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1995, Union Logic Software Publishing Teen Agent is a huge adventure game in which a teenager is picked to solve the mystery of the disappearing gold. Captured by two men in dark glasses and long coats, you are sent…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Berlyn GAME DEVELOPER:Interplay GAME PUBLISHER:Activision Copyright 1986, Michael Berlyn One of the quirkiest and most underrated adventure games ever, Tass Times in Tonetown is a fun romp in an psychadelic / punkrock alternate reality that could have been conceived by Timothy Leary. You job: visit…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Gary Smith GAME DEVELOPER:Origin Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Origin Systems Copyright 1989, Origin Systems One of Origin’s sub-par RPGs, Tangled Tales is a small, “light” RPG that tries too hard to introduce the genre to new gamers through dumbed-down combat, simplified statistics, and mundane plot. However, it’s still…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Doug Church & Warren Spector GAME DEVELOPER:Looking Glass Technologies GAME PUBLISHER:Origin Systems Copyright 1994, Origin Systems Looking Glass Technologies’ magnum opus before 1998’s acclaimed Thief was a vast improvement over the earlier classics Ultima Underworld series. One of the most sought-after underdogs of all time, System…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:New World Computing GAME PUBLISHER:New World Computing Copyright 1993, New World Computing Swords of Xeen is an epic RPG designed by a group of die-hard gamers who were granted the use of Xeen engine by NWC. It was included in the Might and Magic…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Steve Meretzky GAME DEVELOPER:Legend Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Legend Entertainment Copyright 1994, Legend Entertainment This is a zany adventure/RPG game designed by none other than Steve Meretzky. Although admittedly not as funny as his Spellcasting series, this game is still chock full of Meretzsky hallmarks: lots of funny…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Thomas J. Holmes & Christopher Straka GAME DEVELOPER:Event Horizon GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1992, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) The Summoningis one of Event Horizon’s best games and among the most neglected RPGs ever. Excellent VGA graphics in 3D isometric view (similar to the later…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Silmarils GAME PUBLISHER:Silmarils Copyright 1990, Silmarils Silmarils’ first sci-fi game offers a good dose of action / adventure mix despite hackneyed plot (your must board the starship StarBlade to prevent the evil Queen Mother insectoid from breeding). The emphasis is more on action this…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Firebird GAME PUBLISHER:Firebird Copyright 1989, Firebird Take control of the starship Enterprise in this conversion of a good Commodore 64 game, which tried too hard to be everything — taken separately, none of the action, strategy, and adventure elements are truly on par with…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Interplay GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1994, Paramount Pictures After resting on their laurels, Interplay is back with an even better and longer sequel to 25th Anniversary called Judgment Rites. Although gameplay remains the same (after all, it’s a prudent “don’t fix it if it ain’t…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Interplay GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1993, Paramount Pictures One of the best Star Trek adventures ever produced, 25th Anniversary has it all: excellent plot (in each of the game’s “episodes”), good puzzles (including multiple solutions that may not yield optimal 100% score), and great graphics.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mindscape GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1989, Mindscape A disappointing game based on the Star Trek movie of the same name, Final Frontier’s quirky combat controls and lack of real interactivity in the plot department sank the game faster than James T. Kirk’s phaser draw. The…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:TRANS Fiction Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Springboard Copyright 1989, Springboard This obscure adventure game is an excellent Star Trek: TNG title that captures all the flavor of the TV series, with cool digitized animations of the cast and object. The game features the excellent “conference” and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael Lindner GAME DEVELOPER:Legend Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Accolade Copyright 1996, Accolade Legend took a brief interlude from the adventure genre to develop the third installment of Star Control for Accolade. Unfortunately, the adventuring part boils down to a lot of clicking through endless dialogues. Still, it has…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Winston Wood & Eric Liebenauer GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1988, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Star Command is a highly underrated space RPG/ strategy game that’s similar to Psi 5 Trading Company in exotic aliens and expansive universe, except it…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Robert Clardy GAME DEVELOPER:Synergistic Software GAME PUBLISHER:Virgin Interactive Copyright 1990, Virgin Interactive Following on the heels of War in the Middle Earth come the second World Builder game from Synergistic Software, this time based on the intriguing legend of King Arthur. Set in the times immediately…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Joe Ybarra GAME DEVELOPER:Asciiware GAME PUBLISHER:Brderbund Copyright 1992, Brderbund The first and only product from Asciiware, a small company formed by the formidable team of ex-EA veterans Joe Ybarra (Starflight) and Karl Buiter (Sentinel Worlds), Spellcraft is, like these designers’ masterpieces, hard to pigeonhole. It is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Gremlin GAME PUBLISHER:Konami Copyright 1991, Gremlin Space Wrecked, as the name suggests, is a sci-fi RPG in which you must investigate an abandoned spaceship and escape unscathed. It has an interesting plot that builds through the various books and monitors scattered in the game,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Paul Neurath GAME DEVELOPER:Origin Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Origin Systems Copyright 1990, Origin Systems While scouting a deserted spacecraft, you witnessed a sudden explosion of your mothership that left you stranded. Aside from this novel plot, Space Rogue features one of the first believable and fun 3D space…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Steve Meretzky GAME DEVELOPER:Boffo Games GAME PUBLISHER:Segasoft Copyright 1997, Boffo Games The Space Bar is a fun space comedy romp by the inimitable Steve Meretzky where you play Alias Node, a cop on a quest to find your partner’s attacker in a seedy space bar. The…