Category: Simulations

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ashley Lipson GAME DEVELOPER:TransMedia GAME PUBLISHER:TransMedia Copyright 1994, TransMedia Objection! is a fun courtroom simulation game that is both educational and interesting. Instead of simulating a trial lawyer’s entire career or case similar to In The 1st Degree or Perry Mason, the game focuses specifically on…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dan Hoecke GAME DEVELOPER:Midnight Software GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1995, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) The Battle for Jacob Star is the sequel to SSI’s early classic Renegade: Legion Interceptor based on FASA’s Renegade Legion RPG universe. The game is unfortunately not as good as…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Nels Anderson GAME DEVELOPER:Arcanum Computing GAME PUBLISHER:Arcanum Computing Copyright 1993, Arcanum Computing EGA Treks is one of the best “clones” of the popular Trek space combat simulation game in late 1970s/early 1980s. The excellent review at Classicgaming.com says it all: “As the EGA Trek documentation explains,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Greg Malone GAME DEVELOPER:SoftDisk Publishing GAME PUBLISHER:SoftDisk Publishing Copyright 1992, SoftDisk Publishing Dawgfight is a fun, tongue-in-cheek arcade-oriented flight sim is set in the Western town of Hatfield. It’s County Fair time, and you decided to participate in the biplane contest with your trusty WW1 fighter.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Introversion GAME PUBLISHER:Introversion Copyright 2001, Introversion In my humble opinion the best futuristic hacking game ever made since Neuromancer, Uplink is an incredibly addictive game of high tech computer crime and industrial espionage on the Internet of 2010. As the official description goes, “…you…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jeremy Cordrey GAME DEVELOPER:Method Computing GAME PUBLISHER:Method Computing Copyright 1999, Method Computing Structural Engineering Challenge is a very good shareware game that simulates custom-built truss structures under load. It is basically a more serious and less accessible simulation than Pontifex, being designed with students in mind.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Yoot Saito GAME DEVELOPER:SEGA GAME PUBLISHER:SEGA Copyright 1998, Yoot Saito Yoot Tower is a much-improved sequel to Maxis? tower-building classic SimTower. Similar to the first game, Yoot Tower was much more popular on the Mac than it was on the PC, probably due to the fact…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Robert Wesson & Dale Young GAME DEVELOPER:Wesson International GAME PUBLISHER:Wesson International Copyright 1993, Wesson International Tracon for Windows is the first Windows version of Wesson’s classic air traffic controller (ATC) simulations. As an ATC, you are in charge of the air traffic in a certain sector,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:R. Van Loock GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1999, R. Van Loock PSim (short from Particle Simulator) is a primitive artificial life simulation that nonetheless is both interesting and fun. It is based on objects, called particles, which interact with each other in a 2D world.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jennifer Reitz & Stephen Lepisto GAME DEVELOPER:Accursed Toys GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1997, Accursed Toys Laboratory of Life is a fun and very cute implementation of the famous rules of artificial life developed by mathematician J.H. Conway in the 1970’s. In case you have never heard of…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ed Bever GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, Ed Bever Many oldtime wargamers will surely remember Ed Bever,designer of many classic wargames such as Command Series (with Sid Meier) for MicroProse and No Greater Glory for SSI. After a long hiatus from commercial PC gaming, Mr.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:California Dreams GAME PUBLISHER:California Dreams Copyright 1991, California Dreams One of the most obscure political sims ever made, Solidarnosc is an intriguing strategy game based on the workers’ movement of the same name between 1956 and 1981 that brought about the establishment of free…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:GemSoft GAME PUBLISHER:Merit Studios Copyright 1995, GemSoft A decent flight sim from GemSoft that offers good graphics but not much realism or long-term play value. From the description at MobyGames: “Fighter Wing is a flight simulator that instead of concentrating on a single type…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Reality Technologies GAME PUBLISHER:Reality Technologies Copyright 1987, Reality Technologies Business Simulator is an excellent business simulation from Reality Technologies, maker of our Hall of Belated Fame inductee What They Dont Teach You At Harvard Business School. While WTDTYAHBS (ack ;)) simulates the sport management…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bill Baldwin GAME DEVELOPER:Origin Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Origin Systems Copyright 1995, Origin Systems Last and best in Origin?s short-lived line of historical flight sims based on the Strike Commander engine, Wings of Glory is an excellent WWI flight sim that is considerably better than the fun-but-flawed WW2…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bob Jamison & Dosius GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Dosius Lemonade Stand is a faithful PC remake (coded in BASIC!) of a classic game of economics that pioneered the genre of business sims when Apple first included it for free with its first computers –…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Divide by Zero GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1995, Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI) A disappointing fourth entry in SSI’s Great Naval Battles series. M. Evan Brooks, veteran wargame reviewer, says it all in his capsule review of the game: “The series returned to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Alessandro Ghignola GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Alexander Noctis is a wonderful space exploration program that lets you explore a vast, fictional galaxy at will. Think Elite minus the plot and combat, or Microsoft Space Simulator minus technical details, and you’ll have a rough idea…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Tom Nelson & Mike Higgins GAME DEVELOPER:Clockwork GAME PUBLISHER:Clockwork Copyright 1991, Clockwork Begin 2 is a classic shareware space combat simulation set in the Star Trek universe. Inspired by the Starfleet Battles board game (which was also an inspiration for Interplay’s Starfleet Command), Begin 2 is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Rowan GAME PUBLISHER:Empire Interactive Copyright 1997, Rowan The sequel to Dawn Patrol and one of Rowan’s last games, Flying Corps is arguably the best World War I-era sim since Red Baron, and in many ways it surpasses even that venerable classic. PC Gamer review…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:InterActive Vision GAME PUBLISHER:InterActive Vision Copyright 1994, InterActive Vision Airlines is an underrated airline management sim from Interactive Vision (who is actually hard at work on Airlines 2, slated for an early 2002 release). In contrast to Air Bucks, Airlines is a complex sim…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rod Hyde & Mark Shaw GAME DEVELOPER:Rowan GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1996, Rowan Air Power is a great flight sim based on alternate history by Rowan Software, maker of several top-notch titles including Dawn Patrol. PC Gameworld says it all about this overlooked classic: With the somewhat…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mirrorsoft GAME PUBLISHER:Domark Copyright 1988, Mirrorsoft A decent flight sim by Mirrorsoft featuring the Harrier jet, released at the time when the fighter was hailed as hero of the just-over Falklands war. Strike Force Harrier simulates the worlds only vertical take-off and landing aircraft…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Paul Norman & Robert Bonifacio GAME DEVELOPER:COSMI GAME PUBLISHER:COSMI Copyright 1988, COSMI Mediocre naval simulation that is based on a unique viewpoint: defend the Persian Gulf in a Navy Cruiser. Despite this intriguing setting, Navcom 6 is disappointingly limited: there are only 3 missions in the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Martin Schweiger GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2001, Martin Schweiger When BAO/Microsoft released Microsoft Space Simulator in 1994, the game became and instant classic among fans of realistic space simulators. The game lets you pilot a huge variety of spacecrafts, ranging from NASA shuttles to futuristic…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Nyman GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 2000, John Nyman Outstanding freeware gem by John Nyman that is not very (read: not at all) well-known. Free Combat is a cool top-down combat simulation with a great feature not seen in any other game: a realistic line…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Pie in The Sky GAME PUBLISHER:MVP Software Copyright 1992, Pie in The Sky One of the best shareware air combat games ever made, Corncob 3D (a.k.a. Corncob Deluxe, name of the registered version) is a great 3D flight sim set in an alternate world…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bruce Artwick GAME DEVELOPER:subLOGIC GAME PUBLISHER:subLOGIC Copyright 1989, subLOGIC One of the most unique flight sims ever made, UFO lets you pilot a flying saucer from outer space (although the picture on the box cover looks more like a stealth fighter to me). The game description…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Max Design GAME PUBLISHER:Max Design Copyright 1995, Max Design The last game developed and published by Austrian developer Max Design before they were bought out by Sunflowers, Motor City (marketed in Germany as Oldtimer) is an excellent simulation of the car industry that is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Derek Smart GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1998, 3000AD Inc. Battlecruiser 3000AD v2.09 is an epic space simulation game that, after multiple false starts and bug-ridden first release, fully communicates designer?s Derek Smart?s visionary design to the public at large. If you are one of the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Windmill Software GAME PUBLISHER:Windmill Software Copyright 1982, Windmill Software One of the rarest Windmill Software game, Video Trek 88 is a fun text-based game that has the honor of being the very first commercial PC game based on Star Trek seriesreleased way back in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Domark GAME PUBLISHER:Domark Copyright 1994, Domark Undoubtedly one of the best flight sims ever made for the Macintosh, Domark?s Flying Nightmares is an outstanding simulation of the Harrier fighter, with significant strategic planning elements, similar to Digital Integration?s Tornado. Meant to be an evolution…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Aaron Massey GAME DEVELOPER:Wesson International GAME PUBLISHER:Mallard Copyright 1993, Wesson International A re-release of Wesson’s 1991 Moonbase Lunar colony simulator, Lunar Command keeps the realistic factors in the original game intact while adding a lot of bells and whistles and some minor gameplay tweaks. For those…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Egosoft GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1995, Egosoft No Future is a fun, unassuming educational sim about the effects of industrial development on the Earth’s delicate ecology. Developed by Egosoft for the Federal Environmental Agency of Germany, this freeware game has since been translated into English…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:US Gold GAME PUBLISHER:Epyx Copyright 1988, US Gold Dive Bomber is one of the least known World War 2 simulations ever made, even though it was marketed by (then) UK giant US Golf and ported quite competently by Epyx to the US. Perhaps one…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Magic Bytes GAME PUBLISHER:Magic Bytes Copyright 1990, Magic Bytes Two fun arcade-style single-ship simulations from Magic Bytes, USS John Young 1 and 2 are short on realism but long on old-fashioned fun and attractive graphics. Taking place in a hypothetical modern day, the games…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Ellis GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1998, MicroProse Fourth in the profitable X-COM franchise, X-COM: Interceptor is a detour from the familiar squad-level turn-based combat of the first three games. Given the current fad of 3D action games, some may argue that moving the franchise…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Oxford Digital Enterprises GAME PUBLISHER:Mosaic Publishing Copyright 1988, Oxford Digital Enterprises Yes Prime Minister is a very rare PC version of a “cult” Commodore 64 game based on the hit BBC comedy series of the same name that aired in the 1980s and was…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Mirrorsoft GAME PUBLISHER:Mindscape Copyright 1988, Mirrorsoft Harrier Combat Simulator is a thoroughly average Harrier flight sim that doesn’t come even close to giving Harrier Jump Jet a run for its money. A revised version of Mirrorsoft’s 1986 High Roller, the game simply boasts better…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Mike Jones GAME DEVELOPER:Dynamix GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1995, Dynamix Command Aces of the Deep is an excellent Windows version of Dynamix? acclaimed WW2 submarine sim Aces of The Deep. Although CAOTD is too similar to its predecessor in terms of gameplay and scenarios, it goes…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:XOR Corporation GAME PUBLISHER:XOR Corporation Copyright 1988, XOR Corporation One of the most unknown business simulation games ever made, Oligopoly from XOR is best described as a macro version of classic board game Monopoly: instead of plots of land in a city, you buy…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Creative Materials GAME PUBLISHER:US Gold Copyright 1990, US Gold One of US Gold’s most overlooked games, Operation Harrier is a fun top-down shooter that plays similar to EA’s Jungle Strike: it’s essentially an arcade-style game that puts you in control of a plane, shooting…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Blue Byte GAME PUBLISHER:Blue Byte Copyright 1996, Blue Byte Back in the early nineties, before games were approved by committee, and when new and innovations were not only allowed, but encouraged, Blue Byte software, famed for its medieval resource-management game Settlers, and turn-based war-game…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Christian Awizio GAME DEVELOPER:Freeware GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1994, Christian Awizio A fun, tongue-in-cheek simulation of Egypt empire, Ramses is a decent freeware game that tackles one of the most ignored topics: simulating ancient economies. Although the game doesn’t take itself too seriously, or purport to be…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Earl Long GAME DEVELOPER:StarSoft Development GAME PUBLISHER:StarSoft Development Copyright 1992, StarSoft Development Oil Barons is a great business sim about the oil industry that successfully simulates the ins and outs of the business, including many characteristics that are peculiar to the industry (e.g. setting cartel prices…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:PostLinear Entertainment GAME PUBLISHER:Software 2000 Copyright 1998, PostLinear Entertainment Flying Saucer is one of the most original flight sims ever made, but was unfortunately never released because developer PostLinear went under shortly after finishing the game. Instead of the usual fly-the-modern-jet theme, Flying Saucer…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Novalogic GAME PUBLISHER:Novalogic Copyright 1998, Novalogic One of the best examples of a game that sank without a trace in the market due to misleading marketing, F-22 Raptor is another of Novalogic?s ?sim-lite? entries, similar to the famous Comanche series. Instead of marketing it…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rainer Bopf GAME DEVELOPER:Thalion GAME PUBLISHER:Thalion Copyright 1991, Thalion Thalion’s A320 Airbus is a highly realistic passenger airline simulation – one of its kind ever made. The game is perhaps best described as a more “micro,” hands-down version of Air Bucks, with more emphasis on flying…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Sid Meier GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1984, Firaxis One of the earliest flight sims by MicroProse, Spitfire Ace was designed by Sid Meier for the Atari and converted to PC version by R. Donald Awalt. The game depicts aerial combat over Europe in World War…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Sid Meier GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1984, Firaxis One of the earliest flight sim classics from MicroProse, Hellcat Ace was designed by Sid Meier for Atari and converted to PC by R. Donald Awalt. Digital Antic stores David Plotkin’s excellent review of the Atari original…