Category: Role Playing and Adventure Games

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mike Verdu GAME DEVELOPER:Legend Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Legend Entertainment Copyright 1994, Legend Entertainment Companions of Xanth is a charming game based on Piers Anthony’s “Demons Don’t Dream,” in which two humans compete for a prize without knowing that two demons are using them as tools in their…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mindscape GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1987, Mindscape A revolutionary RPG that is largely forgotten, The Colony pioneers many concepts that are now familiar to most RPGers: fully rotational 3D gameworld, real-time action, digitized sound effects, and mouse-controlled movement. Your task in this sci-fi RPG is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:NEO Software GAME PUBLISHER:NEO Software Copyright 1994, NEO Software The Clue! is an original mix of adventure and strategy. You are Matt Stuvysant, a young criminal wannabe trying to strike it rich in London… through robbery. Adventure elements include talking to other people for…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Michael E. Moore & Michael Legg GAME DEVELOPER:Westwood Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1988, Westwood Studios Circuit’s Edge is an atmospheric, well-written game based on “When Gravity Fails,” an excellent sci-fi series by George Effinger about the Budayeen– a small corner of Morocco notorious for violence, sex,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Roger Zelazny & Jane Lindskold GAME DEVELOPER:Dreamforge Intertainment GAME PUBLISHER:IntraCorp Copyright 1996, Dreamforge Intertainment Before the phenomenal Sanitarium, Dreamforge designed this sci-fi adventure that’s sadly not better known despite getting good reviews. Based on the works of seminal sci-fi master Roger Zelazny, you are a chronomaster–…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Blue Byte GAME PUBLISHER:Blue Byte Copyright 1996, Blue Byte Chewy is a fun but sadly unknown cartoon adventure in the style of LucasArts’ classic Day of the Tentacle but with plenty of charms on its own. You play Chewy, a cute little alien (and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Philippe Ulrich GAME DEVELOPER:Exxos GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1989, Exxos A true cult classic, this is an original, weird adventure in the best tradition of Exxos (maker of the equally weird Captain Blood and Purple Saturn Day). I gave up trying to summarize the wacky plot– suffice…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Marc Miller GAME DEVELOPER:Microplay GAME PUBLISHER:Microplay Copyright 1992, Microplay This sadly overlooked RPG is part of MicroProse’s brief foray into the genre. Although the setting is typical fantasy world, the plot is anything but typical: as a king of the Five Realms, you must disguise yourself…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Anthony Crowther GAME DEVELOPER:Mindscape GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1992, FTL Software A big sci-fi hit on the Amiga and Atari ST that went unnoticed on the PC, Captiveis one of the best sci-fi RPGs ever.. on par with Karl Buiter’s Hard Novain epic scope and refined gameplay…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Philippe Ulrich GAME DEVELOPER:Exxos GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1988, Exxos Don’t let the disappointing 1994 CD-ROM sequel of this game fool you– Captain Blood became an instant classic when it was first released for the Atari ST. Similar to many other sci-fi classics such as Elite and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Josh Mandel GAME DEVELOPER:Legend Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Legend Entertainment Copyright 1997, Legend Entertainment A wonderful adventure on all counts and one of the most humorous games I’ve ever played, Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon, like Spider Robinson’s gentle sci-fi novels it was based on, is chock full of devilish…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Stormfront Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Discovery Copyright 1998, Discovery From the makers of underrated fantasy strategy Stronghold comes this excellent adventure game that, similar to Discovery’s earlier Connections, provides as much educational value as entertainment. Arriving in Istanbul at a friend’s request only to find that…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Take 2 Interactive GAME PUBLISHER:GameTek Copyright 1995, GameTek This solid underdog based on pen & paper RPG of the title is one of the few truly replayable adventures: each pair of agents you can select have different supernatural skills, which lead to different puzzle…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Tim Haywood & David Taylor GAME DEVELOPER:Merit Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Merit Studios Copyright 1996, Merit Studios This cartoon adventure is sadly little known because Eidos cancelled its plan to distribute the game in the U.S… probably due to poor sales in Europe, which is probably due to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Psygnosis GAME PUBLISHER:Psygnosis Copyright 1995, Psygnosis Blue Iceis a strangely compelling puzzle adventure was released only in a few European countries, and then quickly disappeared from the market. The game is perhaps best described as a cross between surrealist painters Salvador Dali and Rene…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jim Walls GAME DEVELOPER:Tsunami Media GAME PUBLISHER:Tsunami Media Copyright 1993, Tsunami Media Unarguably the best game from the group of renegade ex-Sierra employees that made up Tsunami, Blue Force is an excellent police adventure by none other than Jim Walls, of Police Quest fame. Despite easy…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mirrorsoft GAME PUBLISHER:Mirrorsoft Copyright 1991, Mirrorsoft This PC conversion of an Amiga dungeon romp didn’t fare as well as the Amiga version, despite its being an excellent RPG that allows 2 players to play simultaneously. Innovative spells, cool monsters, good interface, and pleasant graphics…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mindcraft GAME PUBLISHER:Mindcraft Copyright 1993, Mindcraft Based on the same engine as Magic Candle 3, Bloodstone is IMHO a much better game than its better-known cousin (Magic Candle 1 is a true classic but the sequels were disappointing). Magic Candle fans will feel right…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Laura Kambo & John Antinori GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1993, MicroProse After Microplay ceased operation, their creative talents were assembled into MicroProse the parent company. From the team that designed Challenge of the Five Realms comes this interesting horror/futuristic RPG/adventure based on the same engine.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Illymani Designs GAME PUBLISHER:RAW Entertainment Copyright 1995, RAW Entertainment Blind Justice is a post-modern RPG in which you play an unwilling shapeshifter on a lam. In this world, your soul reverts back into previous lives with each new form you gain. The government suspects…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jim Walls & David Leary GAME DEVELOPER:Westwood Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Westwood Studios Copyright 1998, Westwood Studios Blade Runner is a faithful recreation of the cyberpunk classic movie of the same name. Those looking for a traditional inventory-based adventure will be disappointed with simplified gameplay that only requires…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Eric Hyman & Richard Garriott GAME DEVELOPER:Origin Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Origin Systems Copyright 1995, Origin Systems Bioforge is an action/adventure game that tries to do a lot, and only succeeds at some of it. Also it is at times ridiculously difficult, and combat can be a frenzied,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Dynabyte GAME PUBLISHER:Dynabyte Copyright 1994, Dynabyte A fun follow-up of sorts to Dynabyte’s earlier underdog Nippon Safes Inc., Big Red Adventure once again puts you in control of 3 resourceful cri– erm– individuals as they plan to steal the Tsar’s crown in the Kremlin…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Robert Clardy GAME DEVELOPER:Synergistic Software GAME PUBLISHER:IntraCorp Copyright 1993, IntraCorp Synergistic’s last game before it was bought out by Sierra On-Line is a fun tongue-in-cheek adventure set in the wild west. Based on the campy TV sitcom of the same name, The Beverly Hillbillies the game’s…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Cutter GAME DEVELOPER:Dynamix GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1993, Dynamix One of the best RPGs ever made, Betrayal at Krondor is a classic example of games that get rave reviews yet do poorly in stores (at least until it was re-released on CD-ROM). Flat “paper-doll” digitized…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Stefan Graf GAME DEVELOPER:Time Warp GAME PUBLISHER:Rainbow Arts Copyright 1990, Time Warp Time Warp’s second game that is more of a role-playing game than traditional adventure, Berlin 1948 is still an immensely interesting game set in Cold War Berlin. Your job: scour the city in order…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Charles Cecil & Dave Cummins GAME DEVELOPER:Revolution GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1994, Revolution Revolution followed up on the heels of underrated fantasy adventure Lure of The Temptress with this excellent cyberpunk adventure that to this day ranks among the best cyberpunk games ever made. Beneath a Steel…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Zilpha Snyder & Dale Disharoon GAME DEVELOPER:Telarium GAME PUBLISHER:Windham Classics Copyright 1984, Telarium I discovered this game on a Commodore 64 site about 13 years after its release, but I sure am glad I did! Below the Root is an epic fantasy adventure with some RPG…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Brett W. Sperry GAME DEVELOPER:Westwood Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Infocom Copyright 1989, Infocom As the first and only RPG based on the well-known FASA giant robots universe (Battletech 2, not developed by Westwood, isn’t an RPG but a turn-based tactical strategy game), The Crescent Hawk’s Inception does not…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Coktel Vision GAME PUBLISHER:Coktel Vision Copyright 1990, Coktel Vision In one of Coktel Vision’s lesser known adventure game, you are tasked with liberating the earth from captivity under the eccentric alien race Bargon. The game was evidently inspired by “B” science fiction series (Dr.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Vincent Carrella GAME DEVELOPER:Pulse Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Acclaim Entertainment Copyright 1996, Pulse Entertainment No doubt one of the most unique and disturbing an adventure ever, Bad Mojo‘s premise is refreshingly original: you are a misanthropic, selfish young man who’s turned into a cockroach by the powers that…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Chris Roberts GAME DEVELOPER:Origin Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Origin Systems Copyright 1990, Origin Systems Bad Blood may well have been Origin’s first RPG that tried to appeal to the action crowd by offering action-based gameplay and minimal statistics. It didn’t quite succeed on that count mainly because the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Computer’s Dream GAME PUBLISHER:UBI Soft Copyright 1992, Computer’s Dream The follow-up to Konami’s underrated B.A.T. 1 improves upon its predecessor in every respect, including a more intelligible plot that actually *develops* into an interesting pan-galactic drama. However, as in the first game you still…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Computer’s Dream GAME PUBLISHER:UBI Soft Copyright 1990, Computer’s Dream One of the best cult classic games ever made, B.A.T. is a fun cyberpunk romp through the underworld of crime and corruption. As agent for B.A.T., an ultrasecret organization serving the Confederation of the Galaxies…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Real World Soft GAME PUBLISHER:Grand Slam Copyright 1993, Real World Soft Armaethis a fun budget adventure game in the style of Sierra’s venerable King’s Quest that delivers far more gameplay than many full-priced games, although at times the “similarity” is so great that you…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Dreamforge Intertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1996, Dreamforge Intertainment Definitely a “return to form” for Dreamforge after a string of disappointing RPGs, Anvil of Dawn is an RPG masterpiece that’s sadly ignored despite winning CGW’s “RPG of the Year” award. In this…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Capstone GAME PUBLISHER:Capstone Copyright 1994, Capstone A fun game for kids based on the Disney movie of the same name, Fievel Goes Westfollows the adventures of a young mouse Fievel as he searches for his family in the New World. Both the interface and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Karsten K?per & Jurie Horneman GAME DEVELOPER:Thalion GAME PUBLISHER:Thalion Copyright 1990, Thalion An Amiga hit that failed miserably on the PC, Amberstar is a novel top-down RPG that combines conventional RPG elements with adventure-game puzzles and ingenious riddles. The hallmarks of Amberstar, other than its excellent…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Frank Wimmer & Susan Wimmer GAME DEVELOPER:Hue Forest Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Hue Forest Entertainment Copyright 1997, Hue Forest Entertainment If I haven’t made clear already, let me say it again: I *don’t* like Myst and the clones of lifeless worlds it inspired. Myst to me is just…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Chris Jones & Doug Vandegrift GAME DEVELOPER:Access Software GAME PUBLISHER:Access Software Copyright 1992, Access Software An underrated “cinematic adventure” by the company famous for Tex Murphy games, Amazon is a fun romp in the style of B-movies in the 50s. As a hapless scientist who willingly…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Phillip Price GAME DEVELOPER:Datasoft GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1991, Datasoft This is yet another Commodore 64 classic that failed to attract a following among PC crowd. An immensely detailed RPG (with various weather effects!) on an epic scale, Alternate Reality, like Might and Magic, integrate science and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Herb Perez GAME DEVELOPER:Stormfront Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1994, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) A fun action-oriented RPG, Al-Qadim puts you in a role of a hapless Arab merchant returning home to wed his beloved, only to find that not all is well in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jurie Horneman & Marcus Pukropski GAME DEVELOPER:Blue Byte GAME PUBLISHER:Blue Byte Copyright 1996, Blue Byte Albion is a severely underrated RPG from the makers of two Thalion hits Amberstar and Ambermoon, which became instant hits on the Amiga but unknown on the PC. The game shines…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jeff Tunnell GAME DEVELOPER:Dynamix GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1993, Dynamix Adventures of Willy Beamish is the last adventure game designed by Dynamix’ founder Jeff Tunnell, the prolific designer of such puzzle classics as The Incredible Machine. You are precocious youngster and resident console-game addict Willy Beamish,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:ISC GAME PUBLISHER:Millennium Copyright 1992, ISC In Robin Hood you must perform many heroic deeds to change the public impression of you from “villain” to “hero.” It’s a cutesy little game where NPCs do follow their own agenda, and are amusing to watch. Despite…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Artgame GAME PUBLISHER:Computer International Entertainment Copyright 1992, Artgame Abandoned Places is a subpar PC conversion of a well-respected Amiga RPG. In this dungeon crawl, you must select four heroes to fight the evil that threatens the land of Kalynthia as they emerge from their…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Hern?n Castillo & Rodrigo Castillo GAME DEVELOPER:Revistronic GAME PUBLISHER:Time Warner Interactive Copyright 1998, Revistronic 3 Skulls of Toltecs is a decent cartoon adventure from media giant Warner Interactive that was curiously pulled even before it hit most store shelves for some unknown reason. In this frontier…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Chuck Bueche GAME DEVELOPER:Origin Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Origin Systems Copyright 1987, Origin Systems In Origin’s first science fiction RPG and a precursor to Space Rogue, you are chosen by the beleaguered resistance on planet XK-120 to lead the revolution against sinister robot oppressors. Restore freedom to the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Marianne Rougeulle & Pascal Arnaud GAME DEVELOPER:Coktel Vision GAME PUBLISHER:Coktel Vision Copyright 1988, Coktel Vision Based on Jules Verne’s classic sci-fi story of the same name, this game faithfully captures the atmosphere and plot of the novel despite simplistic puzzles and banal dialogues. However, there are…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Andrew Greenberg & Robert Woodhead GAME DEVELOPER:Sir-Tech GAME PUBLISHER:Sir-Tech Copyright 1992, Sir-Tech Wizardry I-II-III is an excellent remake of the first three Wizardry games for the Super Nintendo, combined in one “game” that lets you play each of the three titles in any order (with the…