Category: Simulations

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Polaseck GAME DEVELOPER:Spectrum Holobyte GAME PUBLISHER:Spectrum Holobyte Copyright 1988, Spectrum Holobyte Predating Virgin Interactive’s underrated Shuttle by several years, Orbiter is a decent space shuttle simulation that unfortunately is bogged down with too much “realism” to be fun. As commander of a space shuttle, you…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Software 2000 GAME PUBLISHER:Software 2000 Copyright 1995, Software 2000 Ocean Trader is an excellent, unassuming shipping simulation from the makers of Pizza Tycoon that is virtually unknown outside Europe. As manager of a global shipping business, your responsibilities run the gamut from choosing which…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Robert Green GAME DEVELOPER:Wesson International GAME PUBLISHER:Wesson International Copyright 1990, Wesson International Moonbase might as well be called “SimMoonbase”: it is a simulation of mankind’s first base on the moon. You can build living modules, oxygen production plant, science labs, and a few more buildings. The…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Timothy Leary GAME DEVELOPER:Electronic Arts GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 1985, Timothy Leary The one and only computer simulation designed by Timothy Leary, one of the world’s leading psychologists, is an interesting program that lets you rate any person, then map the results and evaluate them. Part…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Simis GAME PUBLISHER:Domark Copyright 1990, Domark MiG. The name instills images of ruggedly built, ugly aircraft with limited range and payload but with great maneuverability. Well, that maybe true if we’re talking about 50’s or 60’s MiGs. But just look at the graceful lines…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:BAO Ltd. GAME PUBLISHER:Microsoft Copyright 1994, BAO Ltd. Along with Interplay’s Shuttle, definitely one of the best space simulators ever released. Similar in concept to the better-known MS Flight Simulator, this game lets you pilot various spacecrafts, ranging from NASA space shuttles to futuristic…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Digital Integration GAME PUBLISHER:Digital Integration Copyright 1996, Digital Integration This is a funny little game from the same people that made Tornado. The game is very simple, and was designed as a recruitment tool for the Royal Navy. You have 2 minutes to land…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rich Banks & Paul Butler GAME DEVELOPER:Artech GAME PUBLISHER:Three-Sixty Pacific Copyright 1990, Artech An oft-overlooked modern flight sim, Megafortress is a fun sim that puts you in command of the formidable “Megafortress” B-52 bomber that can house up to 8 crew and packs tons of bombs.…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rich Gold GAME DEVELOPER:Activision GAME PUBLISHER:Activision Copyright 1987, Activision Ah… what memories this brings back 😉 No doubt one of my most favorite Commodore 64 games ever, Little Computer People is the reason I kept my computer on for days (to my parents’ chagrin) just to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ivan Manley GAME DEVELOPER:Manley Associates GAME PUBLISHER:Sanctuary Woods Copyright 1996, Sanctuary Woods PC Gamer said it all: ” With Wolf, Sanctuary Woods [produced] a roleplaying simulation that detailed the everyday life of wolves in the wild. By challenging the player?s skill in hunting, killing, mating, and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Myo Thant GAME DEVELOPER:ISM Interactive GAME PUBLISHER:Software Toolworks Copyright 1990, Software Toolworks Arguable the best doctor games ever produced for the PC (well, Theme Hospital comes close, but that is more of a management game), Life & Death 1 and 2 put you in the role…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Myo Thant & Mike Manyen GAME DEVELOPER:ISM Interactive GAME PUBLISHER:Software Toolworks Copyright 1988, Software Toolworks Arguable the best doctor games ever produced for the PC (well, Theme Hospital comes close, but that is more of a management game), Life & Death 1 and 2 put you…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Brent Iverson GAME DEVELOPER:Electronic Arts GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 1990, Electronic Arts Well, this is a 1990 game sporting some really interesting concepts. Player of Su-25 Sthurmovik will feel right at home as the menu system is the same. The VGA graphics are nice, very clear,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Robert Clardy GAME DEVELOPER:Synergistic Software GAME PUBLISHER:Activision Copyright 1987, Activision In this difficult game that could make you go blind, you’re shrunk to the size of a cell and injected into a patient’s body (hrm… where have we heard that before?) to perform surgeries on different…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jeffery Briggs GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1992, MicroProse A fun World War 1flight sim from one of the most respected flight sim developers– this game’s strength lies in its dizzying array of planes you can fly and good graphics (for its time). The campaign mode,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Charles Guy GAME DEVELOPER:SubLogic GAME PUBLISHER:SubLogic Copyright 1984, SubLogic One of the earliest flight sims known to man is this Sublogic game with an awe-inspiring title . Jet allowed you to fly an F-16 and an F/A-18, and you could fly off of a carrier. Although…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:SoftServ, Inc. GAME PUBLISHER:COSMI Copyright 1987, COSMI This is a great (and perhaps the only) stock market sim that lets you be an inside trader trying to make piles of cash while avoiding detection from the SEC. Aside from the usual buy/sell functions, running…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Andy Hollis GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1992, MicroProse Lightspeed and Hyperspeed are without a doubt two of the most underrated space sims of all time designed by celebrated Gunship 2000and F-15 Strike Eagle III designer Andy Hollis. Although billed as “adventure/strategy” games, they are actually…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Moris Baer GAME DEVELOPER:Sunflowers GAME PUBLISHER:Sunflowers Copyright 1997, Sunflowers This is a neat “light” Windows 95 sim that, had it been published by Maxis, would certainly be titled “SimResort” As an Entrepreneur who’s just been given the right to develop a virgin island, commercialize it to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Digital Integration GAME PUBLISHER:Interactive Magic Copyright 1996, Interactive Magic The successor to Apache Longbow, this ranks on my list as one of the best games ever. Ditching the ever popular Apache, one finds him/herself at the control of the gunship-transport hybrid Mil Mi-24 Hind,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Jim Gasperini GAME DEVELOPER:TRANS Fiction Systems GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1988, Jim Gasperini Hidden Agenda is a political simulator that is unique in many ways, as well as being both realistic and extremely replayable. The game casts you as the new president of Chimerica, a South American…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Three-Sixty Pacific GAME PUBLISHER:Three-Sixty Pacific Copyright 1992, Advanced Gaming Systems, Inc. As follow-up to the world’s best naval simulation ever, Harpoon 2 is a big disappointment to fans of the original. Its impressive graphics, sounds, a larger database of ships, and more varied missions…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Larry Bond & Gordon Walton GAME DEVELOPER:Three-Sixty Pacific GAME PUBLISHER:Three-Sixty Pacific Copyright 1989, Advanced Gaming Systems, Inc. The best naval simulation ever made, period. Based on Larry Bond’s realistic tabletop wargame of the same name, Harpoon not only is faithful to Bond’s game but adds many…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Andy Hollis GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1989, Firaxis The successor to Gunship, it really isn’t as recent as the name suggests, but rather a 1993 implementation of the Gunship concept. You get some VGA graphics, which are much better than those in the original, and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Andy Hollis GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1987, Firaxis This simulation of the Apache AH-64A attack helicopter was one of the first helicopter sims to appear in the PC games market, and still remains one of the most fun to play. Taking the role of the…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ed Bever GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1994, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Great Naval Battles 1 and 2 were detailed simulation of World War naval operations that, in M. Evan. Brooks‘ words, are “historically detailed and recommended to the aficionado…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ed Bever GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1993, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Great Naval Battles 1 and 2 were detailed simulation of World War naval operations that, in M. Evan. Brooks‘ words, are “historically detailed and recommended to the aficionado…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ed Bever GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1992, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Great Naval Battles 1 and 2 were detailed simulation of World War naval operations that, in M. Evan. Brooks‘ words, are “historically detailed and recommended to the aficionado…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Chris Crawford GAME DEVELOPER:Mindscape GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1990, Chris Crawford In The Global Dilemma, your task is to manage the “global dilemma” –the conflicting needs of the military and industry– by allocating the production of various commodities (e.g. using the iron ore to produce more weapons…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Cavlogix Corp. GAME PUBLISHER:Cavlogix Corp. Copyright 1998, Cavlogix Corp. Similar to Spectrader+ , The Futures Game uses historical prices, news stories, and a realistic model to create challenging commodities markets. You can execute different commodities transactions in six different types of commodity futures contracts,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Braben GAME DEVELOPER:Frontier Developments GAME PUBLISHER:GameTek Copyright 1995, Frontier Developments Despite being recalled from the shelves due to numerous bugs, this last incarnation of Elite still got a large following of very dedicated followers. FFE (also known as Elite 3) sports new ships, items, missions,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Braben GAME DEVELOPER:Frontier Developments GAME PUBLISHER:GameTek Copyright 1993, Frontier Developments This long-awaited sequel to Elite casts you as the grandchild of captain Jameson, the protagonist of Elite. The goal is still to become Elite by killing as many other ships as possible, but you now…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Tsunami Media GAME PUBLISHER:Tsunami Media Copyright 1996, Tsunami Media Free Enterpri$e is a unique business simulation that is largely unknown despite good reviews (Strategy Plus magazine calls it “a SimBoss kinda game”). It is essentially a “tactical-level” business operations game where you control every…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Virgin Interactive GAME PUBLISHER:Virgin Interactive Copyright 1991, Virgin Interactive “What the hell are you thinking?! This is a democracy! We can’t just let people who don’t like us walk around without hassling them!” The above quote probably sums up your role in Floor 13…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Rod Hyde GAME DEVELOPER:Rowan GAME PUBLISHER:Spectrum Holobyte Copyright 1990, Rowan Flight of the Intruder was yet another sim ahead of its time. This sim features things that we now just take for granted like multiplayer, mission planner, multi-flight missions (with ability to switch plane during mission)…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Charles Moylan GAME DEVELOPER:Big Time Software GAME PUBLISHER:Avalon Hill Copyright 1995, Avalon Hill Excerpt from Games Domain review: “Flight Commander 2 is an excellent tactical level air combat simulation by Big Time Software, distributed by Avalon Hill. Unlike a flight simulator, FC2 uses a turn-based “board…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Gray GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1989, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) “A tactical simulation of the Bomber Offensive against Germany during World War II, it was relatively detailed. However, gameplay became somewhat tedious.” [excerpt from M. Evan Brooks’ Homepage]…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Steve Engelstad GAME DEVELOPER:Interstel GAME PUBLISHER:Interstel Copyright 1985, Interstel First Expedition is an interesting and surprisingly complex (given its age) simulation of naval exploration that includes many realistic features such as weather and wind effects. Set in a fictional alternate universe that is basically Earth with…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:John Gray GAME DEVELOPER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) GAME PUBLISHER:Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Copyright 1984, Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) “A tactical recreation of the bomber offensive against Germany during World War II. Realistic, but dull; superseded by B-17 Flying Fortress and Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe in…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Dave Marshall GAME DEVELOPER:Digital Integration GAME PUBLISHER:Electronic Arts Copyright 1989, Digital Integration Digital Integration’s first sim that was published by Electronic Arts still stands the test of time as an accurate simulation of F-16 Falcon (given the hardware limits of its time). Outstanding campaign and training…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Digital Integration GAME PUBLISHER:Interactive Magic Copyright 1997, Digital Integration This is a Falcon flight sim from the same people who brought Hind and Apache Longbow into the world. The graphics engine from Hind was souped-up, and a later patch brought 3DFX support (which is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1994, MicroProse Now this is it. This is one member of the 1994/95-ruling triumvirate of flight simulators (the other two being TFX and Tornado, both also featured on this site). F-14 Defender is a simulation of the F-14 Tomcat, and…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Armonk Corporation GAME PUBLISHER:Armonk Corporation Copyright 1982, Armonk Corporation Executive Suite is an excellent (and perhaps only) simulation of office life. Your goal is a typical white-collar one: climb up the corporate ladder to become CEO. What sets this game apart from other business…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Braben & Ian Bell GAME DEVELOPER:Frontier Developments GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1991, David Braben & Ian Bell Elite Plus is an excellent VGA update of the classic Elite, and is now commonly regarded as the best version of Elite. It provides excellent sounds, smooth animation, intensive…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Braben & Ian Bell GAME DEVELOPER:Frontier Developments GAME PUBLISHER:Freeware Copyright 1987, David Braben & Ian Bell Here it is– the game that started a whole new genre of space trading games. Elite gives you complete freedom to find fame and fortune in a vast universe,…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Alexei Pajitnov & Vladimir Pokhilko GAME DEVELOPER:AnimaTek GAME PUBLISHER:Maxis Copyright 1992, AnimaTek A unique and refreshing simulation, El Fish lets you breed — err– fish and watch them live in a virtual aquarium. Every aesthetic factor involved in aquarium design is at your disposal, including tank…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Bruce Carver & Brent Erickson GAME DEVELOPER:Access Software GAME PUBLISHER:Access Software Copyright 1989, Access Software One of the best 3D spaceflight simulations ever made, Echelon goes beyond the typical shoot-everything-in-sight concept by integrating neat puzzles into gameplay. Your task as member of the Space Federation is…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:Ian Martin GAME DEVELOPER:MicroProse GAME PUBLISHER:MicroProse Copyright 1993, MicroProse A “light” flight sim from MicroProse UK that, as the name suggests, give you a chance to fly most of the famous fighter models from World War 1 to the present day. Air Duel doesn’t pretend to…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER: GAME DEVELOPER:Silmarils GAME PUBLISHER:Silmarils Copyright 1996, Silmarils Correctly realizing that the “survival simulation” in its earlier fiasco Robinson’s Requiem holds great potential but was fit only for suicidal gamers, Silmarils revamped the game engine, cranked down the difficulty level dramatically and put you back on…

From the Database of Home of the Underdogs GAME DESIGNER:David Lester GAME DEVELOPER:Impressions GAME PUBLISHER:Sierra On-Line Copyright 1993, Impressions Detroit is a logical follow-up of Impressions’ excellent airline industry sim Air Bucks. This time, the year is 1908, and you are the President of an upstart car company. You will build and design cutting-edge automobiles,…