Category: Role Playing and Adventure Games

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Binary Systems GAME DEVELOPER:Binary Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 1989, Binary Systems A great sequel to the classic that spawned the entire space exploration/adventure genre, StarFlight 2 improves upon its predecessor in every respect, with better graphics and more of everything: star systems, alien races, and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Binary Systems GAME DEVELOPER:Binary Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 1986, Binary Systems One of a handful of games that spawned a whole new genre, Starflight is arguably THE best space adventure game ever made. Despite the (initially) lackluster plot (gather a crew and equip a ship…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Victor Helsing & Jim Schwaiger GAME DEVELOPER:Bear Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Human Engineered Software (HESware) Copyright 1983, Bear Systems Oubliette is a great fantasy RPG that dates back to 1983. The game is entirely text, but it does a great job in showing what’s going on around you.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Cliff Bleszinski GAME DEVELOPER:Game Syndicate Productions GAME PUBLISHER:Epic Megagames Copyright 1993, Epic Megagames Second game by Cliff Bleszinski, talented designer who went on to fame and fortune years later with Unreal. In this original, campy adventure game, you are Tyler Norris, a ten year-old who has…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Guido Henkel GAME DEVELOPER:Black Isle Studios GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1999, Black Isle Studios Despite blazing reviews, Interplay’s formidable marketing machine, and many accolades of “1999 RPG of the year,” Planescape: Torment did not achieve the same commercial success of Baldur’s Gate. Perharps some of reasons for…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Epyx GAME PUBLISHER:Epyx Copyright 1984, Epyx The only commercial release of dungeon-crawl classic Rogue, Epyx’ version is 1.45, while Jon Lane’s original release (also on this site) is 1.1. I’m not quite sure what the difference is/are between the two versions, except that Epyx…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Daniel Lawrence GAME DEVELOPER:Avalon Hill GAME PUBLISHER:Avalon Hill Copyright 1985, Avalon Hill An early dungeon-crawl RPG, Avalon Hill’s Telengard is among the first Roguelike games ever made for the PC. Since the original version (for the TRS-80 computer) came out way back in 1982, Telengard should…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Stephen H. Landrum GAME DEVELOPER:Epyx GAME PUBLISHER:Keypunch Copyright 1985, Epyx One of the earliest pioneers in the RPG genre (the first entry Dunjonquest, was released in 1982!), Epyx’ Temples of Apshai Trilogy are semi-fun dungeon hack RPGs with an almost nonexistent plot but high playability quotient.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jukka Paajanen GAME DEVELOPER:JP-Production GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, JP-Production StarFight VI: Gatekeepers is an incredible spaceflight adventure game that saw over 15 months in development. Aside from the amazing fact that this game is freeware, StarFight VI also ranks as one of the largest freeware games…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Edmundo Ruiz-Ghanem GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Edmundo Ruiz-Ghanem An amateur adventure game inspired by LucasArts’ classic Secret of Monkey Island, Treasure of Drunk Island is a noble effort that unfortunatelly falls short due to poor interface. You are Willy, a hapless bloke who’s just…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:MiG Outpost GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1998, MiG Outpost One of the better freeware RPGs with a quality that rival commercial releases, Avalon is an RPG in the classic anime “SD” (stumpy head) style, although it resembles Western comics more than Japanese anime. A village…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Tim Vanlaw & Andrew Goldmann GAME DEVELOPER:Activision GAME PUBLISHER:Activision Copyright 1996, Activision One of the best spy games you’ll ever play, Spycraft is an excellent thriller developed with input from William Colby, a former Director of the CIA, and Oleg Kalugin, a former Major General of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Anne-Marie Huure GAME DEVELOPER:Women Wise GAME PUBLISHER:DreamCatcher Interactive Copyright 2000, Women Wise One of the best games ever made with an Oriental motif, Legend of Lotus Spring (LOLS) is the first release from Women Wise, a new developer whose focus is to create games for the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Glenn Dean GAME DEVELOPER:Soap Bubble Productions GAME PUBLISHER:Piranha Interactive Copyright 1998, Soap Bubble Productions One of the very few Myst-style games I really like, Morpheus is an excellent adventure that plays like a cross between Titanic: Adventures Out Of Time and Phantom of The Opera. This…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Charles Cecil GAME DEVELOPER:Revolution GAME PUBLISHER:UBI Soft Copyright 2000, Revolution Revolution’s latest release is a bold departure from traditional point-and-click adventure games the company is famous for (Beneath a Steel Sky, Broken Sword games). The result is a great spy thriller worthy of a James Bond…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Steve Marley GAME DEVELOPER:TalonSoft GAME PUBLISHER:TalonSoft Copyright 2000, TalonSoft Martian Gothic: Unification is a fun third-person action adventure that feels a bit boring and bland at the start, but evolves into a great rollercoaster of sci-fi fun toward the end. The game is reminiscent — some…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Lumental GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1998, Lumental A cute little console-style RPG that is obviously a thinly-veiled clone of NES hit Dragon Warrior (better known as Dragon Quest in Asia), Warrior Dragon is a competent RPG that casts you as a gallant dragon (yes, a…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ali Atabek GAME DEVELOPER:Mindcraft GAME PUBLISHER:Mindcraft Copyright 1991, Mindcraft The last in The Magic Candle trilogy that begins with a bang and ends with a whimper, The Magic Candle III is the case of “more of the same” using a somewhat improved game engine over the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ali Atabek GAME DEVELOPER:Mindcraft GAME PUBLISHER:Mindcraft Copyright 1990, Mindcraft An ambitious RPG that is a step backward from the classic predecessor, The Magic Candle II: The Four and Forty boasts improved graphics, steamlined interface, and a bigger gameworld without the play balance or fun nuances of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ali Atabek GAME DEVELOPER:Mindcraft GAME PUBLISHER:Mindcraft Copyright 1989, Mindcraft One of the best RPGs ever made, The Magic Candle is an incredible, highly underrated masterpiece that put Mindcraft on the map. Ater producing a few respectable RPGs for SSI (e.g. Rings of Zilfin), Ali Atabek’s first…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Coktel Vision GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1993, Coktel Vision Inca II: Wiracocha is a superior sequel to Inca in every aspect, not least because some difficult action sequences can now be skipped. The plot picks up right after Inca left off: El Dorado (hero…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Coktel Vision GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1993, Coktel Vision One of the weirdest adventure games ever — but perhaps not so strange given Coktel Vision’s reputation– Inca is a pseudo-historical adventure game that is best described as Jules Verne meets Aztec culture. The plot…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Tim Purves GAME DEVELOPER:Microdeal GAME PUBLISHER:Microdeal Copyright 1988, Microdeal A very interesting Gauntlet clone, Time Bandit offers fun arcade action but also has some puzzle, action adventure, and even some simple text-adventure elements scattered over the 16 lands and over 240 levels. The game description from…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Koichi Mori GAME DEVELOPER:Softedge GAME PUBLISHER:Yano Electric Copyright 1995, Softedge One of the most unique and thought-provoking games ever made, Cosmology of Kyoto is a fascinating tale of religion, history, and superstition that ranks among the least-known underdogs of all time. The game is set in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:BrainBank GAME PUBLISHER:CBS Copyright 1983, Brainbank Two interesting murder mystery games that plays similar to the popular Host Your Own Murder board game, CBS’ Felony and Mystery by the Dozen are each a collection of 12 murder cases for up to 8 players. The…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bruce Carver GAME DEVELOPER:Access Software GAME PUBLISHER:Access Software Copyright 1989, Access Software The first game in the Tex Murphy series is a great sci-fi adventure with some (gasp) action elements. Technically, Mean Streets was very innovative game for its time, featuring 256 color VGA graphics, digitized…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Brent Erickson & Chris Jones GAME DEVELOPER:Access Software GAME PUBLISHER:Access Software Copyright 1991, Access Software Sequel to cult classic Mean Streets, the second of Access’ Tex Murphy games is an interesting point-and-click detective adventure set in 21st century San Francisco. As with the first game, the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Ariolasoft GAME PUBLISHER:Ariolasoft Copyright 1985, Ariolasoft A fascinating political thriller based on best-selling Frederic Forsyth novel of the same name, The Fourth Protocol is a good game that is bogged down by cumbersome interface and a very slow pace that makes it very boring…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Silicon Knights GAME PUBLISHER:Activision Copyright 1996, Crystal Dynamics Arguably the closest RPG for the PC to ever rival console classic Legend of Zelda in gameplay and sheer addictiveness, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain from Stormfront Studios/Crystal Dynamics is highly underrated game that sold moderately…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Robert R?hlmann & Ben Harrison GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1992, Ben Harrison Angband is another of the more modern, more popular Rougelike games. It is the heir to Dungeons of Moria, another popular dungeon hack. Angband is based on the world of Tolkeins Middle-Earth, of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Stefan Zwanzger & Thomas Wagner GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Stefan Zwanzger & Thomas Wagner A great amateur game that is an obvious spoof of LucasArts’ Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Udoiana Raunes stars the bumbling archeologist professor of the same name who must…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Allen GAME DEVELOPER:Artifact Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:IPC Software Copyright 2000, Artifact Entertainment Originally billed as Mordor II: Darkness Awakening, Demise is a worthy successor to highly underrated Mordor: The Depths of Dejenol, and sports improvements over its predecessor in every respect. Simply put, the game is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Artifact Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:IPC Software Copyright 1998, Artifact Entertainment One of the very best shareware RPGs ever made, with very high production value and longevity that rivals the best commercial games, Mordor: The Depths of Dejenol is an epic fantasy RPG in the best…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Warren Cheung GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Freeware Slash’em (or Super Lotsa Added Stuff Hack – Extended Magic) is one of the latest progeny of Rogue, the game just about every other game has to admit is at least marginally tied to (or Colossal Caves).…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Phillip Reed GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Phillip Reed One of the best amateur adventure games I’ve ever played and possibly the funniest pop-culture spoof since Legend’s underrated Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon, Larry Vales: Traffic Division is a brainchild of Phillip J. Reed, a non-programmer who…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Linel GAME PUBLISHER:Software 2000 Copyright 1994, Software 2000 Der Schatz im Silbersee is a decent graphic adventure by Software 2000 and Swiss developer Linel based on the popular Karl May characters. Certainly no milestone in adventure gaming but most of the things you could…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Coktel Vision GAME PUBLISHER:Coktel Vision Copyright 1987, Coktel Vision An interactive comic with some little action sequences based on the popular comic book Asterix chez Rahazade. The Schneider CPC version of Asterix was one of the first computer games I ever played, and I…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:C Ware GAME PUBLISHER:Himeya Soft Copyright 1996, Himeya Soft Definitely one of the top 3 Japanese anime games I’ve ever played, Himeya’s Eve Burst Error is a great English translation of the C Ware blockbuster of the same name the sold hundreds of thousands…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Loriciel GAME PUBLISHER:Loriciel Copyright 1986, Loriciel MGT is an oldie isometric view action-adventure by Loriciel in which you control a hovercraft-style vehicle through various rooms filled with many dangers and little puzzles. The type of game that flooded the 8-bit market in the 80’s,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Astros GAME PUBLISHER:OCEAN Copyright 1990, OCEAN I never thought this Amiga classic made it to the PC, but obviously it did. The conversion was done by Astros Productions – so keep your expectations low . For those who are not familiar with the Amiga…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jason Rubin & Andy Gavin GAME DEVELOPER:Naughty Dog GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 1989, Naughty Dog Originally released for the Apple IIgs, Keef the Thief is a unique parody role-playing game about a young thief. The game and puzzles are quite absurd, but strangely addictive. Some inside…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:J?rg Schwiezer GAME DEVELOPER:Century Interactive GAME PUBLISHER:BMG Interactive Copyright 1995, BMG Interactive A fun but frustratingly difficult action adventure that is all but unknown outside a few countries in Europe, Bermuda Syndrome tells a story of Jack, a World War II fighter pilot who was shot…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:War Lord & Phantom Menace GAME DEVELOPER:Armageddon Games GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Armageddon Games Zelda Classic is probably THE most faithful PC conversion of one of the most famous NES classics ever made. For those who’ve never played console games, Legend of Zelda, released by Nintendo…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Divide By Zero GAME PUBLISHER:Domark Copyright 1995, Domark Divide by Zero’s third adventure release is an uneven space opera that has interesting puzzles and plot– marred by a huge amount of gratuitous violence and prafanity that may turn many players off. Played in the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Doug Bell GAME DEVELOPER:FTL Software GAME PUBLISHER:FTL Software Copyright 1988, FTL Software Without a doubt one of the best RPGs ever made for any computer, FTL’s Dungeon Master is an epic RPG masterpiece that revolutionizes and rejuvenates the genre in much the same way as Baldur’s…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Paul Cuisset & Eric Chahi GAME DEVELOPER:Delphine Software GAME PUBLISHER:Interplay Copyright 1990, Delphine Software What an unlikely hero! You are a window cleaner. A common, little window cleaner. Yet you discover, more due to your notorious curiosity than by mistake, a time machine in your chiefs…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Microids GAME PUBLISHER:Philips Media Copyright 1996, Microids An inconsistent adventure that features an interesting plot hampered by poor user interface, Secret Mission is a relatively unknown adventure game from French developer Microid, who would go on to produce a much more solid and better-known…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Denton Designs GAME PUBLISHER:OCEAN Copyright 1987, OCEAN Developed by Denton Designs, the eccentric makers of Spectrum classic The Great Escape, Where Time Stood Still is a fun action adventure game that sports a much-improved engine used in the earlier game. In a plot that…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jeff Olson GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1995, Jeff Olson Alphaman is a fun freeware “Roguelike” (i.e. 100% ASCII-based) game written by Jeff Olson. It is set on Earth’s future, following a nuclear disaster. Similar to Electronic Arts’ earlier Fountain of Dreams, you take the role…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:DevTeam GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1985, DevTeam One of the best RPGs ever made, bar none. GameSpot’s review of this epic freeware Roguelike says it all: “No discussion of Diablo or its sequel is complete without a passing reference to NetHack. The fact is that…