Interplay Productions

3DO Maniac Pack

3DO Maniac Pack

3DO Interactive Multiplayer - Released - 1995

This is a four-game compilation pack that contains the following 3DO games: Alone in the Dark Battle Chess Out of This World Way of the Warrior

Atomic Bomberman

Atomic Bomberman

Windows - Released - July 31, 1997

Think you're smarter than the collective intelligence of 9 other bombers throwing bombs faster than your mind can comprehend? Try your hand at this fast paced classic from the 90's with up to 10 players filled with mayhem and blown up body parts. Bombs Away!

Battle Chess

Battle Chess

Commodore 64 - Released - October 1, 1988

With Battle Chess, Interplay wanted to make chess accessible for a broader audience and they did that with a fair amount of success. The addition of the fighting-scenes makes this a very funny chess game, which will appeal to many. Without the animation, there’s still a pretty good chess-game here, with some good options and quite a lot of difficulty-levels

Battle Chess

Battle Chess

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1988

Battle Chess is a video game version of chess in which the chess pieces come to life and battle one another when capturing. It was originally developed and released by Interplay Entertainment for the Amiga in 1988 and subsequently on many other systems, including 3DO, Acorn Archimedes, Amiga CD32, Amiga CDTV, Apple IIGS, Apple IIe, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, FM Towns, NES, Mac OS, PC-98, Sharp X68000 and Windows 3.x. In 1991, Battle Chess Enhanced was released by Interplay for the PC, featuring improved VGA graphics and a symphonic musical score that played from the CD-ROM. Battle Chess was critically acclaimed and commercially successful, resulting in two official follow-ups as well as several inspired games. Its remake, Battle Chess: Game of Kings, was released on Steam on March 16, 2014.

Battle Chess

Battle Chess

MS-DOS - Released - 1988

The most challenging game on Earth comes to life in Battle Chess. An entire medieval world at war is reflected on the checkered field. Everyone who's ever had a knight take a pawn, has seen that capture as more than one piece replacing another on the board. In players' minds, the bold knight, resplendent in his armor of silver or ebon, sallies forth and slays the foul foot soldier. Combat, mortal combat, lies in the heart and soul of chess, but this aspect of it could only live in the mind's eye - until now! The Battle Chess Special Edition contains three different games, each with it's own unique gameplay, so you can experience the mortal combat thrill of chess more intensely than you ever imagined! Chess is no longer an abstract mental exercise. It is an entertainment that will prove the words of the famous Oriental Philosopher Chef Kung Pao who said - "War is fun!" It took 2000 years for someone to make chess better!

Battle Chess

Battle Chess

Sharp X68000 - Released - December 10, 1989

Battle Chess is a quite typical chess game, but it comes with a twist: all pieces are represented by small, realistic figures that walk around on the chessboard, and when one piece takes another, they both take part in an animated battle. There is a different animation for each permutation, depending on which pieces are capturing or being captured. You can also play in 2D without animation. The game's opening library includes 30,000 different moves, ensuring a variety of games will unfold across the 10 skill levels. Multi-player support can be extended to modem and/or serial port play.

Battle Chess

Battle Chess

Atari ST - Released - 1989

Battle Chess is a quite typical chess game, but it comes with a twist: all pieces are represented by small, realistic figures that walk around on the chessboard, and when one piece takes another, they both take part in an animated battle. There is a different animation for each permutation, depending on which pieces are capturing or being captured. You can also play in 2D without animation. The game's opening library includes 30,000 different moves, ensuring a variety of games will unfold across the 10 skill levels.

Battle Chess

Battle Chess

NEC PC-9801 - Released - July 21, 1990

Battle Chess is a quite typical chess game, but it comes with a twist: all pieces are represented by small, realistic figures that walk around on the chessboard, and when one piece takes another, they both take part in an animated battle. There is a different animation for each permutation, depending on which pieces are capturing or being captured. You can also play in 2D without animation. The game's opening library includes 30,000 different moves, ensuring a variety of games will unfold across the 10 skill levels. Multi-player support can be extended to modem and/or serial port play.

Battle Chess

Battle Chess

Windows 3.X - Released - 1991

Battle Chess is a quite typical chess game, but it comes with a twist: all pieces are represented by small, realistic figures that walk around on the chessboard, and when one piece takes another, they both take part in an animated battle. There is a different animation for each permutation, depending on which pieces are capturing or being captured. You can also play in 2D without animation. The game's opening library includes 30,000 different moves, ensuring a variety of games will unfold across the 10 skill levels. Multi-player support can be extended to modem and/or serial port play.

Battle Chess

Battle Chess

Fujitsu FM Towns Marty - Released - September 1, 1991

Battle Chess is a quite typical chess game, but it comes with a twist: all pieces are represented by small, realistic figures that walk around on the chessboard, and when one piece takes another, they both take part in an animated battle. There is a different animation for each permutation, depending on which pieces are capturing or being captured. You can also play in 2D without animation. The game's opening library includes 30,000 different moves, ensuring a variety of games will unfold across the 10 skill levels.

Battle Chess

Battle Chess

Apple II - Released - 1989

Battle Chess is a quite typical chess game, but it comes with a twist: all pieces are represented by small, realistic figures that walk around on the chessboard, and when one piece takes another, they both take part in an animated battle. There is a different animation for each permutation, depending on which pieces are capturing or being captured. You can also play in 2D without animation. The game's opening library includes 30,000 different moves, ensuring a variety of games will unfold across the 10 skill levels. Multi-player support can be extended to modem and/or serial port play.

Battle Chess 4000

Battle Chess 4000

MS-DOS - Released - 1992

The Battle Chess series took the basic game of chess and added animations for each battle between pieces, bringing the game to a wider audience, with no intention of providing something for Kasparov to spar with. This edition follows the same premise, but with a futuristic science-fiction feel. Pieces are animated from clay models, with a new range of animations. The game can be played in 2D mode as an alternative. The game's artificial intelligence learns your strategies and game plan as it plays with you, and there are over 30,000 distinct moves in the library of openings.

Battle Chess II: Chinese Chess

Battle Chess II: Chinese Chess

MS-DOS - Released - 1990

A sequel to the original Battle Chess, this game takes on a more Chinese approach, both in the rules of the game and in the presentation. Using a Chinese variation of the game of Chess, pieces like the Queen and Bishop are replaced by Counsellors, Ministers, and Cannon. Pieces behave differently than their European counterparts and even the board is set up differently. Two things remain the same: the ultimate goal of checkmating the opposing player's king and the Battlechess style animated battles that occur when two pieces contend for the same spot on the board.

Battle Chess: Enhanced CD-ROM

Battle Chess: Enhanced CD-ROM

Windows 3.X - Released - 1991

This version of Battle Chess, while retaining the gameplay of the original release, features improved 256-color SVGA graphics as well as new visual effects and animations. In addition, it has a symphonic soundtrack in redbook (CD audio) format.

Battle Chess: Enhanced CD-ROM

Battle Chess: Enhanced CD-ROM

MS-DOS - Released - 1992

This version of Battle Chess, while retaining the gameplay of the original release, features improved 256-color SVGA graphics as well as new visual effects and animations. In addition, it has a symphonic soundtrack in redbook (CD audio) format.

Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure

Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure

Sega Genesis - Released - November 1, 1994

He thinks he's a hero, but he's snot! He's mean. He's green. And he nose how to pick a fight! He's BOOGERMAN, as slick as he is deep, and he's on a pick 'n' flick adventure to save the world. He's stretched to the limit of blowing away the vile slimebags who are bent on sticking it to Planet Earth, any way, every way, and everywhere they can. You're his first pick to help him rescue the whole world before it's flushed down the toilet. Join the flick-or-be-flicked race to pull the plug on the Booger Meister and his gang of filthy stinkers who aren't afraid to fight dirty... because yours is the only finger which can wipe 'em out!

Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure

Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure

Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Released - December 1, 1995

He thinks he's a hero, but he's snot! He's mean. He's green. And he nose how to pick a fight! He's BOOGERMAN, as slick as he is deep, and he's on a pick 'n' flick adventure to save the world. He's stretched to the limit of blowing away the vile slimebags who are bent on sticking it to Planet Earth, any way, every way, and everywhere they can. You're his first pick to help him rescue the whole world before it's flushed down the toilet. Join the flick-or-be-flicked race to pull the plug on the Booger Meister and his gang of filthy stinkers who aren't afraid to fight dirty... because yours is the only finger which can wipe 'em out!

Borrowed Time

Borrowed Time

MS-DOS - Released - 1985

Borrowed Time is set in mid-1930's. The player assumes the role of a private investigator named Sam Harlow, who has to solve the kidnapping of his ex-wife Rita Sweeney. At the beginning, he runs away from two thugs, who want to kill him for an unknown reason. They fail, and he begins to search the town for clues, asking its inhabitants for information. But if the player makes a wrong move, Sam dies - killers come from nowhere and murder him... The player has to type in combinations of verbs and nouns to make an action. Locations are described in text form and presented by pictures, the latter often providing additional information not contained in the text description.

Borrowed Time

Borrowed Time

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1985

Borrowed Time is set in mid-1930's. The player assumes the role of a private investigator named Sam Harlow, who has to solve the kidnapping of his ex-wife Rita Sweeney. At the beginning, he runs away from two thugs, who want to kill him for an unknown reason. They fail, and he begins to search the town for clues, asking its inhabitants for information. But if the player makes a wrong move, Sam dies - killers come from nowhere and murder him... The player has to type in combinations of verbs and nouns to make an action. Locations are described in text form and presented by pictures, the latter often providing additional information not contained in the text description.

Borrowed Time

Borrowed Time

Atari ST - Released - 1986

Borrowed Time is set in mid-1930's. The player assumes the role of a private investigator named Sam Harlow, who has to solve the kidnapping of his ex-wife Rita Sweeney. At the beginning, he runs away from two thugs, who want to kill him for an unknown reason. They fail, and he begins to search the town for clues, asking its inhabitants for information. But if the player makes a wrong move, Sam dies - killers come from nowhere and murder him... The player has to type in combinations of verbs and nouns to make an action. Locations are described in text form and presented by pictures, the latter often providing additional information not contained in the text description.

Borrowed Time

Borrowed Time

Commodore 64 - Released - 1985

Borrowed Time is set in mid-1930's. The player assumes the role of a private investigator named Sam Harlow, who has to solve the kidnapping of his ex-wife Rita Sweeney. At the beginning, he runs away from two thugs, who want to kill him for an unknown reason. They fail, and he begins to search the town for clues, asking its inhabitants for information. But if the player makes a wrong move, Sam dies - killers come from nowhere and murder him... The player has to type in combinations of verbs and nouns to make an action. Locations are described in text form and presented by pictures, the latter often providing additional information not contained in the text description.

Championship Golf: The Great Courses of the World: Volume One: Pebble Beach

Championship Golf: The Great Courses of the World: Volume One: Pebble Beach

MS-DOS - Released - 1986

Championship Golf: The Great Courses of the World - Volume I: Pebble Beach is a golf game which features the American course Pebble Beach. For every hit the game shows a 3D and overhead view of the situation, so the player can plan the next steps accordingly. The golf game itself is menu driven: the player changes various parameters, e.g. the golf club, the direction, the golfer's position, the strength and if the ball is hit in the middle or an outer edge. According to those parameters the game calculates the hit, which even may result in a straight miss, and then the next planning phase starts. The player may play a championship with all 18 holes or a training round with a single hole.

Championship Golf: The Great Courses of the World: Volume One: Pebble Beach

Championship Golf: The Great Courses of the World: Volume One: Pebble Beach

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1986

Championship Golf: The Great Courses of the World - Volume I: Pebble Beach is a golf game which features the American course Pebble Beach. For every hit the game shows a 3D and overhead view of the situation, so the player can plan the next steps accordingly. The golf game itself is menu driven: the player changes various parameters, e.g. the golf club, the direction, the golfer's position, the strength and if the ball is hit in the middle or an outer edge. According to those parameters the game calculates the hit, which even may result in a straight miss, and then the next planning phase starts. The player may play a championship with all 18 holes or a training round with a single hole.

Dragon Wars

Dragon Wars

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1990

Dragon Wars takes place in the magical land of Dilmun, an island of salvation perverted into a world of horror by Namtar (as you might expect - the bad guy). The player starts with a party of four in the city of Purgatory, equipped with nothing more than.. well - nothing. Worst of all your magic users won't help you out, either, because magic has been banned (to correct this unpleasing situation is one of your main objectives). Other main targets are surviving, getting out of Purgatory and toppling Namtar (maybe getting some decent clothing, one or two shiny swords and the like on your way out). Gameplay instantly reminds of the Bard's Tale series. Step-by-step first person 3D, opponents materialize out of the air. The combat system is turn based. Unlike its (spiritual?) predecessors the game features a full-blown skill system, auto-mapping and many places to actually use all these abilities. Reasonable distribution of your skill points is rather critical.

Dragon Wars

Dragon Wars

Sharp X68000 - Released - May 31, 1991

Dragon Wars takes place in the magical land of Dilmun, an island of salvation perverted into a world of horror by Namtar (as you might expect - the bad guy). The player starts with a party of four in the city of Purgatory, equipped with nothing more than.. well - nothing. Worst of all your magic users won't help you out, either, because magic has been banned (to correct this unpleasing situation is one of your main objectives). Other main targets are surviving, getting out of Purgatory and toppling Namtar (maybe getting some decent clothing, one or two shiny swords and the like on your way out). Gameplay instantly reminds of the Bard's Tale series. Step-by-step first person 3D, opponents materialize out of the air. The combat system is turn based. Unlike its (spiritual?) predecessors the game features a full-blown skill system, auto-mapping and many places to actually use all these abilities. Reasonable distribution of your skill points is rather critical.

Dragon Wars

Dragon Wars

Commodore 64 - Released - 1989

Dragon Wars takes place in the magical land of Dilmun, an island of salvation perverted into a world of horror by Namtar (as you might expect - the bad guy). The player starts with a party of four in the city of Purgatory, equipped with nothing more than.. well - nothing. Worst of all your magic users won't help you out, either, because magic has been banned (to correct this unpleasing situation is one of your main objectives). Other main targets are surviving, getting out of Purgatory and toppling Namtar (maybe getting some decent clothing, one or two shiny swords and the like on your way out). Gameplay instantly reminds of the Bard's Tale series. Step-by-step first person 3D, opponents materialize out of the air. The combat system is turn based. Unlike its (spiritual?) predecessors the game features a full-blown skill system, auto-mapping and many places to actually use all these abilities. Reasonable distribution of your skill points is rather critical.

Dragon Wars

Dragon Wars

NEC PC-9801 - Released - December 12, 1990

Dragon Wars takes place in the magical land of Dilmun, an island of salvation perverted into a world of horror by Namtar (as you might expect - the bad guy). The player starts with a party of four in the city of Purgatory, equipped with nothing more than.. well - nothing. Worst of all your magic users won't help you out, either, because magic has been banned (to correct this unpleasing situation is one of your main objectives). Other main targets are surviving, getting out of Purgatory and toppling Namtar (maybe getting some decent clothing, one or two shiny swords and the like on your way out). Gameplay instantly reminds of the Bard's Tale series. Step-by-step first person 3D, opponents materialize out of the air. The combat system is turn based. Unlike its (spiritual?) predecessors the game features a full-blown skill system, auto-mapping and many places to actually use all these abilities. Reasonable distribution of your skill points is rather critical.

Dragon Wars

Dragon Wars

Apple II - Released

Dragon Wars is a fantasy role-playing video game developed by Rebecca Heineman[1] and published by Interplay Entertainment in 1989, and distributed by Activision. The player starts the game with a party of four characters, who can be either the default characters or ones created by the player. Alternatively, the player may import characters from The Bard's Tale trilogy into Dragon Wars. During the game, the seven character slots can be filled with any combination of the starting characters, recruited characters, and summoned creatures.

Fallout

Fallout

MS-DOS - Released - September 30, 1997

A devastating nuclear war had wiped out almost the entire population of the Earth. The civilization, as we know it, has been destroyed. The Earth has become a huge wasteland populated by mutated creatures. Only small number of humans survived and they formed communities living on the surface, where they mostly scavenge what remains from the pre-war civilization. Some lucky people managed to reach safety of the Vaults, huge underground dwellings, during the war. Recently, the water purification controller chip in Vault 13 broke. Without clean water, the people of the Vault cannot survive. One person is sent to find a replacement chip and ventures outside to face a dangerous world, hoping to return within a hundred and fifty days. Fallout is a role-playing game that utilizes a character development system called S.P.E.C.I.A.L., an acronym formed from the first letters of the game's basic character attributes: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck. In addition to having these attributes, the protagonist can also learn and improve skills, as well as acquire traits and perks. Skill points are awarded when the player character levels up; traits are assigned during character creation, while perks are obtained every three character levels. There are eighteen different skills in the game, divided into combat, active, and passive categories. Combat skills include weapon proficiencies (e.g. small and big guns, melee, etc.); active skills are used for support or interacting with the environment (doctor, lockpick, science, steal, and others); passive skills are mainly dedicated to social interaction (barter, speech, gambling, and so on). Traits bestow various benefits upon the character while also imposing penalties; in contrast, perks are purely beneficial. By developing and customizing attributes, skills, traits and perks, the player is granted a considerable freedom in shaping the protagonist in his combat-related and social behavior. The game has an open world which can be freely explored from the onset. Only a few quests are required to complete in order to advance the main plot; a vast amount of side quests is available. Thanks to the game's emphasis on social interaction, many problems can be solved in a non-violent way; in fact, it is possible to complete the game without engaging in battles at all, running away from enemy encounters and concluding the final confrontation in a relatively peaceful fashion. Conversely, the player can opt for a destructive path, killing everyone in sight. A Karma system is used to track the player's moral decisions during the game. Combat in Fallout is turn-based. Participants have a limited amount of action points (AP) per turn; each action (including movement) depletes a certain number of AP, eventually ending a character's turn. The player can target specific body parts of enemies during battles. Characters may join the protagonist, traveling together and participating in combat as a party. Though the player may assign general commands to the companions, their actions are controlled by the AI, and they cannot be customized.

Ice Palace (K-Tel)

Commodore 64 - Released - 1984

The game is divided into three separate stages, each of which features a different style of gameplay. Stage one involves a conveyor belt dropping blocks of ice on to the play-field. The position of the blocks is random, so the player has to avoid the falling blocks whilst using them as a set of steps to reach the other penguin. Pieces of fruit will occasionally fall from the conveyor and these can be collected for bonus points, but you mustn't stand on a block of ice for too long as it will melt, potentially leaving you in a hole that you cannot escape from. You're able to make two super-jumps by pushing up on the joystick, which can get you out of sticky situations, but they must be used sparingly. Stage two sees our love-lorn penguin atop a tower of ice that is just below a platform where the other penguin awaits. To build up the tower, the player must pick up an ice block from either end of the platform and drop it on a truck before it reaches the central column; this is a game all about quick reactions and timing. To complicate matters, fires appear from either side of the screen and these will melt existing blocks in the tower if they are not put out in time. These can be extinguished by dropping ice on them, but you run the risk of missing a truck by doing this. The third and final stage requires you to build a flight of stairs out of ice in order to reach your mate. It took me a while to figure this out, but pressing 'up' on the joystick will assemble a block of ice one square ahead of your position, whilst pushing 'down' will remove it. Fires descend from the roof of the cavern and will melt all blocks of ice it touches, hampering your efforts. The fires can be extinguished by building an ice block on top of the space that the fire currently occupies, but you have to be quick. Just to make matters worse, a levitating snowman located to the left of the screen fires snowballs in your general direction. You can choose to avoid these either by getting out of the way, or by constructing blocks of ice behind you to act as a shield. The game features eight increasing levels of difficulty, which basically makes everything faster. In particular, the speed makes the second stage the toughest since the fires and trucks move so quickly that it becomes almost impossible to time the dropping of the ice blocks correctly. Once you reach the eighth level, the game simply loops and there doesn't appear to be an ending.

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I

MS-DOS - Released - 1990

Many years ago, the dark lord Sauron forged the One Ring to control the races of the Middle Earth. He was defeated by the human prince Isildur, who took the ring to himself. But such was the evil power of the ring that it brought misfortune to whoever dared to bear it, corrupting their souls. Eventually, the ring ended up by Frodo Baggins, a peaceful hobbit who was unaware of his possession's true nature. Realizing that the only way to be free of the ring's power would be to destroy it, the wizard Gandalf tells Frodo to carry it to Sauron's land, Mordor, and throw it into the lava rivers of the Orodruin volcano, thus saving Middle Earth from destruction. J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I is a fantasy role-playing game based on The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of the Lord of the Rings book trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. The events of the game follow those depicted in the book rather closely, though a few characters and occurrences are not present, and many quests have been added. Characters belonging to various races and nations join Frodo on his quest; these include key figures from the book as well as several characters unique to the game. The game is rather open-ended, allowing the player to roam vast top-down environments and undertake side missions in addition to the main storyline, which must be followed in order to complete the game. Combat takes place in the same area as exploration, and is turn-based. The player has full control over the actions of the characters in the party. These characters can also be swapped, equipped with weapons and armor, and use various skills (individual and shared), such as sneaking, perception (to find hidden items), unique "words of power", and others. Unlike the vast majority of role-playing games, there are no experience points or character levels in the game. Player-controlled party becomes stronger by obtaining better equipment and items, learning new abilities, and recruiting stronger characters that would help the weak hobbits to survive encounters with Nazguls and other dangerous creatures. There are optional ways to access major locations, and much of the combat in the game can be avoided. The CD version of the game features cutscenes taken from the animated Lord of the Rings movie by Ralph Bakshi. The original floppy release often required the players to read story-related text from the manual; the CD version inserts this text into the game itself at the appropriate places. It also adds an automapping feature to the game.

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I

Fujitsu FM Towns Marty - Released - 1992

Many years ago, the dark lord Sauron forged the One Ring to control the races of the Middle Earth. He was defeated by the human prince Isildur, who took the ring to himself. But such was the evil power of the ring that it brought misfortune to whoever dared to bear it, corrupting their souls. Eventually, the ring ended up by Frodo Baggins, a peaceful hobbit who was unaware of his possession's true nature. Realizing that the only way to be free of the ring's power would be to destroy it, the wizard Gandalf tells Frodo to carry it to Sauron's land, Mordor, and throw it into the lava rivers of the Orodruin volcano, thus saving Middle Earth from destruction. J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I is a fantasy role-playing game based on The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of the Lord of the Rings book trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. The events of the game follow those depicted in the book rather closely, though a few characters and occurrences are not present, and many quests have been added. Characters belonging to various races and nations join Frodo on his quest; these include key figures from the book as well as several characters unique to the game. The game is rather open-ended, allowing the player to roam vast top-down environments and undertake side missions in addition to the main storyline, which must be followed in order to complete the game. Combat takes place in the same area as exploration, and is turn-based. The player has full control over the actions of the characters in the party. These characters can also be swapped, equipped with weapons and armor, and use various skills (individual and shared), such as sneaking, perception (to find hidden items), unique "words of power", and others. Unlike the vast majority of role-playing games, there are no experience points or character levels in the game. Player-controlled party becomes stronger by obtaining better equipment and items, learning new abilities, and recruiting stronger characters that would help the weak hobbits to survive encounters with Nazguls and other dangerous creatures. There are optional ways to access major locations, and much of the combat in the game can be avoided.

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. II: The Two Towers

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. II: The Two Towers

Fujitsu FM Towns Marty - Released - 1993

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. II: The Two Towers is a role-playing game following the second book in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. It is a direct sequel to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I. Controlling multiple characters from the book, players struggle to reach the Two Towers on the ultimate quest to destroy the One Ring. The gameplay is quite similar to that of the first game. The players navigate the parties of characters over top-down environments, fighting enemies and performing quests. Since the storyline of the second book splits into several independent journeys of different characters, the game also switches between different controllable parties.

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. II: The Two Towers

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. II: The Two Towers

MS-DOS - Released - 1992

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. II: The Two Towers is a role-playing game following the second book in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. It is a direct sequel to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I. Controlling multiple characters from the book, players struggle to reach the Two Towers on the ultimate quest to destroy the One Ring. The gameplay is quite similar to that of the first game. The players navigate the parties of characters over top-down environments, fighting enemies and performing quests. Since the storyline of the second book splits into several independent journeys of different characters, the game also switches between different controllable parties.

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: Volume 1

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: Volume 1

Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Released - October 1, 1994

Adventure comes alive in 16-bit fantasy with the swords and sorcery of J.R.R. Tolkein's "The Lord of the Rings." Prepare yourself as this treasured Tolkien tale takes you on an epic quest to destroy the One Ring that has the power to enslave Middle-earth. But beware, the evil Lord Sauron and his mighty forces will fight you at every turn in your quest to conquer the Balrog and destroy the One Ring of Power.

M.A.X.: Mechanized Assault & Exploration

M.A.X.: Mechanized Assault & Exploration

MS-DOS - Released - 1996

As its name implies, M.A.X.: Mechanized Assault and Exploration is a conquer 'n' plunder-type strategy game in the same vein as the Warcraft or Command & Conquer series, albeit with a few interesting twists. The goal of M.A.X. is to colonize newly-discovered planets, controlling the resources found there, and defend your colony against other rival factions looking to literally blow you off the planet. M.A.X. is most notable for its ability to be played as a real-time or more traditional turn-based strategy game, which can significantly impact how the game is played. The length of turns is adjustable, as is game speed, so the game can be as challenging or brain-dead as the player wants. But at its core, M.A.X. is about resource-gathering, building, and tactical combat. The game offers more than 50 land, sea, and air units, most of which can be upgraded to improve their armor, speed, and range. You can play as one of eight different Factions (all of which are explained in a rather lengthy fictional introduction in the manual), either in a complete campaign or in a limitless number of custom missions. There's also a tutorial campaign to get new players up to speed on the myriad unit and building options.

Mindshadow

Mindshadow

Commodore 64 - Released - 1985

At the beginning of Mindshadow you find yourself on a lonely beach in a lifeless hut. With a headache and no memory. The object of the game is to completely regain your memory. As you progress in the game a word or phrase will trigger memories of the past. Like most adventure games the fun of the game is centered on discovery of you and your surroundings.

Mindshadow

Mindshadow

Apple Mac OS - Released - 1985

At the beginning of Mindshadow you find yourself on a lonely beach in a lifeless hut. With a headache and no memory. The object of the game is to completely regain your memory. As you progress in the game a word or phrase will trigger memories of the past. Like most adventure games the fun of the game is centered on discovery of you and your surroundings.

Mindshadow

Mindshadow

MS-DOS - Released - 1984

You find yourself lost in the middle of nowhere. In the middle of a mystery. Who are you? Where will you go? What will you do? London. Luxembourg. Across oceans and continents. You struggle for answers. For your identity. And the faceless betrayer who left you to perish. Deception abounds. As do twisted traps and devious characters. But a wise, legendary bird named "Condor" helps in the worst of times. This brilliantly wrought mystery echoes with intricate challenges and unexpected reversals. Yet skillfully, it speaks to you in direct, simple prose. And its greatly expanded vocabulary allows you to talk to the computer in plain English. And that means hours of true enjoyment for both novice and advanced adventure.

Mindshadow

Mindshadow

Apple II - Released - August 24, 1984

Mindshadow is a 1984 adventure game released on various platforms including Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Macintosh, PC Booter, ZX Spectrum. The game was developed by Interplay Productions and published by Activision. The player finds themself on a beach with no memory of his identity. The island is a self-contained area with beaches, rocky cliffs, a hut and a quicksand area, which serves as a maze for the player to reach another location of the game. The character's main objective is to gather objects necessary to assemble a bonfire as a signal for any passing ships.

Neuromancer

Neuromancer

Apple IIGS - Released - 1988

Neuromancer is an adventure video game developed by Interplay Productions and published by Mediagenic (a brand name that Activision was also known by). It was released in 1988 for the Amiga, Apple II, Apple IIGS, Commodore 64, and DOS. It was loosely based on William Gibson's 1984 novel of the same name and set within both the fictional "real world" and the extensively realized and detailed world of cyberspace. It is also noted for having a soundtrack based on the Devo song "Some Things Never Change" from their album "Total Devo". The gaming rights at the time were owned by Timothy Leary, who brought the project to Interplay to develop.

Neuromancer

Neuromancer

Commodore 64 - Released - 1988

Based on the cyberpunk novel by William Gibson. In a grimy future, you play Case, a cyberspace cowboy who finds himself broke in Chiba City. Find yourself a laptop and the right software for it so you can hack into databases around the city to regain your access to cyberspace. Buy and upgrade brain implant chips to augment your computer skills, and sell your body parts to afford new technologies. When you get to cyberspace, you'll take on the nasty AIs that guard the most important databases. Within all this information is the bizarre secret of this world of inbred corporations.

Neuromancer

Neuromancer

MS-DOS - Released - 1989

Based on the cyberpunk novel by William Gibson. In a grimy future, you play Case, a cyberspace cowboy who finds himself broke in Chiba City. Find yourself a laptop and the right software for it so you can hack into databases around the city to regain your access to cyberspace. Buy and upgrade brain implant chips to augment your computer skills, and sell your body parts to afford new technologies. When you get to cyberspace, you'll take on the nasty AIs that guard the most important databases. Within all this information is the bizarre secret of this world of inbred corporations.

Neuromancer

Neuromancer

Apple II - Released - August 25, 1988

Neuromancer is an adventure video game developed by Interplay Productions and published by Mediagenic (a brand name that Activision was also known by). It was released in 1988 for the Amiga, Apple II, Apple IIGS, Commodore 64, and MS-DOS. It was loosely based on William Gibson's 1984 novel of the same name and set within both the fictional "real world" and the extensively realized and detailed world of cyberspace. It has a a soundtrack based on the Devo song "Some Things Never Change" from their album "Total Devo". The gaming rights at the time were owned by Timothy Leary, who brought the project to Interplay to develop.

Out of This World

Out of This World

Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Released - November 1, 1992

You'll think you're actually on a movie set when you star in the cinematic action/adventure Out of This World. Out of This World is like no other game on the Super NES. Using a completely new graphic system of cinematic zooms, pans, close-ups, and cuts, Out Of This World gets you involved in a breathtaking story of inter-dimensional travel. You'll duck as lasers blast, boulders crash, and monsters roar. The complete musical score and realistic, digitized sound effects will make you feel like you're on a movie sound stage. Being a hero is hard work, and you'll experience it first-hand as you run, jump, dodge, and shoot your way across a hostile world of deadly earthquakes and alien monsters. So, grab your hat and whip, charge up your blasters, and get ready to star in your own movie that'll take you Out of This World!

Out of This World

Out of This World

Sega Genesis - Released - March 1, 1993

How do you get back to where you came from when you have no idea where you are? There it is-the particle accelerator you've invented. You are so intent on testing it, you don't even notice the crackling outside of a not-so-distant electrical storm. Before you can say snap, crackle, pop, a lightning bolt slams through you and the accelerator with deadly accuracy. When you finally come to, you have no idea where you are. Are you being watched? Is this place home? In order to survive, you'll need to dodge, outwit and overcome deadly alien monsters and blood-sucking leeches who think you're a delicacy. Now that shouldn't be too hard for a Whiz Kid like you, right?

Racing Destruction Set

Racing Destruction Set

Atari 800 - Released - May 1, 1986

An isometric racing game that sets itself apart by the large number of customizable options. The game comes with 50 built-in tracks, and the intuitive editor makes for infinite variety of races. Modify the existing ones or create one yourself. Set up sharp curves, crossovers, jumps (set the height), track width and more. Then set the track width and choose either ice, dirt or pavement for the surface. As if it weren't enough, gravity can also be modified, from a Moon-like low to a crushing Jupiter-like high that will keep your car glued to the ground, even after a jump. Once the track is laid out, race in either a beat up VW Beetle, a stock car, a dirt bike, a Porsche and even a Lunar Rover. Each car has it's own characteristics and you can also choose tires and engine sizes, according to the track you're about to race in. Also, equip your cars with land mines or oil slicks to make the race more interesting. The game allows single-player against a computer opponent, or a two-player race, both in split-screen form.

Rags to Riches: The Financial Market Simulation

Rags to Riches: The Financial Market Simulation

MS-DOS - Released - 1993

You play a young college graduate who has been given a large sum of money by your parents to set up a company. You start in a crummy office on the Lower East Side of town, and as you dabble more in the stock market and make more money, you can take a trip to the mall and buy things from a porcelain dalmatian to a new office. You have to be careful, though- one wrong move with your money, and you end up penniless on the street.

Red Asphalt

Red Asphalt

Sony Playstation - Released - January 10, 1998

Red Asphalt incorporates both racing elements and combat. Using a skillful combination of both, your objective is to overcome your opponents and face off against Draenek in the Arena of Death -- the fifth and final world. There are 24 tracks in all, spanning apocalyptic city streets and other futuristic settings. Before your dangerous journey begins, you'll need to choose one of six different characters to play as. Each comes with three varying abilities; the driving skill affects a character's handling ability and top speed, tactical affects weapon lock-on times and aggression is that character's strength. Among the characters is the dangerous Motormouth that thrives on death and annihilation; Thula Crimstone, a future leader of the Starian Empire; Jackal, a war-torn being that wishes to destroy all those that bring war against his people; and the spiritual Hiroki. Throughout the game, they'll earn experience points that increase ability points.

RoboCop Versus The Terminator

RoboCop Versus The Terminator

Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Released - November 1, 1993

As Robocop--both the unwitting agent of humankind's destruction and its last possible champion--you must travel across time into a savage future ruled by the mechanical forces of Skynet. From war-torn modern Detroit, to the mean streets of Delta City, and on to the bone-strewn bunkers of post-apocalypse L.A., you'll face attack from every angle, every moment. An unwavering army of Terminators, robotic dogs, spiders, Endoskeletons and a relentless arsenal of automated weapons await you in this veritable nightmare on earth. To destroy this enemy, free its hostages and finally pierce the dark heart of a brutal computer will take something more powerful than plasma rifles and laser guns: the human mind that still burns within you.

RoboCop Versus The Terminator

Nintendo Entertainment System - Unreleased - 1993

RoboCop Versus The Terminator is a cancelled NES game loosely based on the 1992 comic book miniseries of the same name. In the future, human soldiers of John Connor's resistance force against the machines are fighting a losing war against Skynet and its robot forces. Discovering that one of the foundation technologies for Skynet is the cybernetics technology used in the creation of cyborg police officer RoboCop, Flo, a resistance soldier, is sent back in time to destroy RoboCop and stop Skynet from being built. However, Skynet learns of the time travel attempt and sends Terminators to stop Flo. RoboCop soon meets up with Flo and must engage in battle against Terminators, the forces of OCP and several obstacles.

Star Trek: 25th Anniversary

Star Trek: 25th Anniversary

Nintendo Entertainment System - Released - February 1, 1992

When a big mistake in the warp experiment tears a hole in the fabric of space, the original crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise must take the damaged ship back to the scene of the accident. Blast through four stunning levels as Captain James Kirk, commanding the likes of Mr. Spock, Scotty, Chekov, Uhura, and Sulu. Use photon torpedoes, tricorders, hand phasers, transporters, and more, as you explore vast planets and encounter new species. Packed with familiar faces like Dr. McCoy, the infamous Harry Mudd, and others, the game uses actual dialogue and stories from the fabled television series to deliver an experience that will make gamers and Trekkies beam with joy.

Star Trek: 25th Anniversary

Star Trek: 25th Anniversary

MS-DOS - Released - 1992

Captain Kirk and the USS Enterprise are representatives of the United Federation of Planets. Their role in space is that of explorers as well as a military presence. The Enterprise routinely encounters strange adventures and bizarre situations, each laid out as a separate "episode" which must be played in order. The first episode involves the USS Enterprise being called to a world to investigate strange "demons" have appeared from the mines and begun attacking the settlers. Star Trek: 25th Anniversary is based on the 1960s Star Trek TV series. The game is a combination of a point-and-click, side-scrolling adventure game and a first person starship simulator. This tie-in actually missed the 25th Anniversary of Star Trek's TV debut by half a year (nearly three years in the case of the Amiga version), but it uses the original series' characters and settings. Players directly control Captain Kirk, leader of the Starship Enterprise, and are able to give orders to other crew members. While the enterprise is on a peaceful mission, combat is possible. A new game begins on the bridge of the Enterprise, seen from a 3rd person view of Kirk, but a first person view out the viewscreen of the Enterprise. When on board the ship, Kirk can contact Chekov to assign a designation, raise shields or begin combat, contact Sulu to engage warp or adjust magnification, contact Spock to scan for data and search for keyword information, contact Uhura to deal with communications, and contact Scotty to change power allocation and repair damage and beam down to a planet. During combat, the player steers the Enterprise manually and is able to turn in 720 degrees of direction as well as increase or decrease speeds. Weaponry includes phaser banks which draw from the ship's energy and proton torpedoes which are in limited supply. The adventuring bulk of the game comes in the form of many landing party missions, in which the player beams down to the surface of a planet and explores the situation. Kirk can move about on the screen, other crew members automatically follow him. From the menu, he chooses a body part to perform an action: eyes represent looking, mouth represents speaking, one hand represents using items (and crew members) while another is to pick up objects. Kirk carries an inventory of items collected which can be accessed and used at any time. In most missions Kirk will carry a communicator to contact the ship and a phaser weapon which can be set to "stun" or "kill", The point-and-click adventure has different solutions to problems, but the ideal goal of the federation is to solve things non-violently. Performance is rated accordingly as well as being based on how many extra discoveries and advances made and interaction with different beings, including aliens. The surroundings are all based on styles from the TV series and solutions to puzzles involve the skills of multiple crew members.

Star Trek: 25th Anniversary

Star Trek: 25th Anniversary

ScummVM - Released - 1992

Star Trek: 25th Anniversary is an adventure video game developed and published by Interplay Productions in 1992, based on the Star Trek universe. The game chronicles various missions of James T. Kirk and his crew of the USS Enterprise. Its 1993 sequel, Star Trek: Judgment Rites, continues and concludes this two-game series, which together may be seen as the final two years of the USS Enterprise's five-year mission. The player takes on the role of Captain James T. Kirk on board the USS Enterprise, a Starfleet vessel as seen in the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Original Series. It is split into two main modes, a main bridge view, and a third-person mode whenever an away team is transported to a planet or space station. During several combat sequences the player controls the Enterprise in battle against enemies in space; originally required, Interplay later offered a patch making them optional. The controls on the bridge are split across the crew, with Montgomery Scott allowing access to the shield and power controls, Pavel Chekov controlling navigation, and Hikaru Sulu controlling the orbit of the ship, for example. The away team always consists of Kirk, Spock and Leonard McCoy, as well as one of eight different redshirts, many of whom can die during the mission. The player interacts with these modes using a point and click interface via the mouse.

Star Trek: Judgment Rites

Star Trek: Judgment Rites

MS-DOS - Released - December 1, 1993

Sequel to Star Trek: 25th Anniversary, Star Trek: Judgment Rites brings back the entire Enterprise crew in eight new episodes. Strange things are happening in distant space, such as dead planets spawning life and WW1 planes in outer space. You need to survive these situations. You must navigate your way through space, and send away teams onto planets to investigate situations, communicate with other characters and solve puzzles. Unlike the previous game, action sequences are optional.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy: Starship Bridge Simulator

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy: Starship Bridge Simulator

Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Released - December 1, 1994

It's high tension at the Klingon Neutral Zone. You must get past the blockage and deliver supplies to the Federation colonists on a planet claimed by the Klingon Empire. One false move could lead to war and even millions of causalities. Your reputation at the Academy is at stake. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, The Bridge Simulator has over 15 simulated missions in the final frontier. Command five different starships, from science vessels to Constitution-class heavy cruisers on a variety of missions ranging from scientific research...to diplomacy...to battle. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, The Bridge Simulator puts you on the bridge of Starfleet's finest vessels. In the toughest simulations that the Federation can devise.

Stonekeep

Stonekeep

MS-DOS - Released - November 8, 1995

When the insane god Khull-Khuum was rampaging the world, devastating everything on his way, the only person who survived the destruction of the Stonekeep castle was a boy named Drake, saved by a mysterious figure. Years later, Drake returns to the ruins of Stonekeep, and the goddess Thera extracts his spirit so that he might withstand the dangers that await him there. Drake must avenge his past, and find a way to liberate the benevolent gods of the realm. Stonekeep is a dungeon-crawling role-playing game with real-time combat. The entire game is spent underground. There is no character creation; Drake's initial statistics are pre-set. Over the course of the game, up to three other characters will join the party and help Drake in combat, controlled by the computer AI. Drake becomes stronger by repeatedly fighting with a particular type of weapon. Magic is contained within runes, which must be found and equipped on staves. Spells can also be combined by the player to produce various offensive and supportive effects. The game utilizes digitized pictures and animations of live actors to represent characters.

Swords and Serpents

Swords and Serpents

Nintendo Entertainment System - Released - August 1, 1990

Step into a new world of gaming, where you not only play, you become. Embark on a quest to slay the evil serpent lurking in the inner most depths of the dungeon. Create a mighty band of adventurers, each having unique powers: A fearless warrior, a cunning thief, a wizard with mystical powers, and an enchanting mystic. While fighting skills are vital, Swords and Serpents will stretch your mind and your imagination. As you explore the dungeons, searching for the trappings of the legendary Ruby Warrior, you'll confront challenges and decisions at every turn. Will you fight? Will you run? Which of your inventory of strength, experience and magical powers will you use? The serpent is coiled, ready to strike. But you are the master of your destiny. Will you rise to the challenge? No NES game has gone this far before!

Tales of the Unknown: Volume 1: The Bard's Tale

Tales of the Unknown: Volume 1: The Bard's Tale

Atari ST - Released - 1987

Tales of the Unknown: Volume I, better known by its subtitle "The Bard's Tale", is a fantasy role-playing video game created by Interplay Productions in 1985 and distributed by Electronic Arts. It was designed and programmed by Michael Cranford. Based loosely on traditional Dungeons & Dragons gameplay and inspired by the Wizardry computer games, The Bard's Tale was noteworthy for its unprecedented 3D graphics and partly animated character portraits. The Bard was also an innovation: "The Bard was author Michael Cranford's contribution to the genre, a character who casts spells by singing one of six tunes." It was originally released for the Apple II, and was also ported to the Commodore 64, Apple IIgs, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, DOS, Apple Macintosh, and NES platforms.

Tales of the Unknown: Volume I: The Bard's Tale

Tales of the Unknown: Volume I: The Bard's Tale

Apple II - Released - 1985

Tales of the Unknown: Volume I, better known by its subtitle "The Bard's Tale", is a fantasy role-playing video game created by Interplay Productions in 1985 and distributed by Electronic Arts. It was designed and programmed by Michael Cranford. Based loosely on traditional Dungeons & Dragons gameplay and inspired by the Wizardry computer games, The Bard's Tale was noteworthy for its unprecedented 3D graphics and partly animated character portraits. The Bard was also an innovation: "The Bard was author Michael Cranford's contribution to the genre, a character who casts spells by singing one of six tunes." It was originally released for the Apple II, and was also ported to the Commodore 64, Apple IIgs, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, DOS, Apple Macintosh, and NES platforms.

Tales of the Unknown: Volume I: The Bard's Tale

Tales of the Unknown: Volume I: The Bard's Tale

MS-DOS - Released - September 1, 1985

The small country town Skara Brae was enjoying a peaceful life, until an evil wizard known as Mangar the Dark appeared. Monsters have invaded the town, terrorizing its inhabitants. Mangar cast the spell of Eternal Winter on the surroundings, isolating Skara Brae from any possible help. Guards that were entrusted with the task of protecting the town have disappeared within one night. Only a party of brave adventurers can save Skara Brae and defeat Mangar. The Bard's Tale is a fantasy role-playing game similar to Wizardry games, with first-person exploration of pseudo-3D maze-like environments, and turn-based combat against randomly appearing enemies. Unlike early Wizardry installments, the town can be explored physically, and parts of the overworld are accessible as well. Several dungeons must be explored before the player can tackle the final quest. Six character classes are available when the player is prompted to create a party of six adventurers in the beginning of the game: Bard, Hunter, Monk, Paladin, Rogue, Warrior, Magician, and Conjurer. The last two can be promoted when specific conditions are met during gameplay. The bard class plays a special role, possessing magical songs that improves the party's performance in combat and are required to solve some of the game's puzzles.

Tales of the Unknown: Volume I: The Bard's Tale

Tales of the Unknown: Volume I: The Bard's Tale

Apple Mac OS - Released - 1989

The small country town Skara Brae was enjoying a peaceful life, until an evil wizard known as Mangar the Dark appeared. Monsters have invaded the town, terrorizing its inhabitants. Mangar cast the spell of Eternal Winter on the surroundings, isolating Skara Brae from any possible help. Guards that were entrusted with the task of protecting the town have disappeared within one night. Only a party of brave adventurers can save Skara Brae and defeat Mangar. The Bard's Tale is a fantasy role-playing game similar to Wizardry games, with first-person exploration of pseudo-3D maze-like environments, and turn-based combat against randomly appearing enemies. Unlike early Wizardry installments, the town can be explored physically, and parts of the overworld are accessible as well. Several dungeons must be explored before the player can tackle the final quest. Six character classes are available when the player is prompted to create a party of six adventurers in the beginning of the game: Bard, Hunter, Monk, Paladin, Rogue, Warrior, Magician, and Conjurer. The last two can be promoted when specific conditions are met during gameplay. The bard class plays a special role, possessing magical songs that improves the party's performance in combat and are required to solve some of the game's puzzles.

Tass Times in Tonetown

Tass Times in Tonetown

Apple II - Released - 1986

Tass Times in Tonetown is a 1986 adventure-themed computer game by Activision for multiple computer platforms. It was written by veteran Infocom designer Michael Berlyn and his long-time collaborator Muffy McClung Berlyn, and programmed by Rebecca Heineman of Interplay Productions, in cooperation with Brainwave Creations.

Tass Times in Tonetown

Tass Times in Tonetown

Apple IIGS - Released - 1986

Tass Times in Tonetown is a 1986 adventure-themed computer game by Activision for multiple computer platforms. It was written by veteran Infocom designer Michael Berlyn and his long-time collaborator Muffy McClung Berlyn, and programmed by Rebecca Heineman of Interplay Productions, in cooperation with Brainwave Creations.

Tass Times in Tonetown

Tass Times in Tonetown

Atari ST - Released - 1986

Your grandfather has invented a device which makes real everything he can see in his dream. All the strange places and creatures he can dream about really exist in an alternate reality. One of those creatures, named Franklin Snarl, traveled through the device to our reality and kidnapped Gramps, teleporting him into the crazy world of Tonetown. He hopes that Gramps will always remain asleep, which assures Snarl's own existence! Now it's up to you, the hero of the game to travel to the alternate dimension of Tonetown and to rescue your grandfather. You interact with the environment by either typing in commands, or choosing one of the action icons available as interface. The game, therefore, combines text-based interaction with the more modern "point and click" approach.

The Adventures of Rad Gravity

The Adventures of Rad Gravity

Nintendo Entertainment System - Released - December 1, 1990

You are Rad Gravity, a futuristic heroic spaceman. A mad scientist disrupts the peaceful universe and it is your job to visit various planets to re-establish contact between all the worlds. Sights vary between verdant planets, lava pits and hazardous jumps, with gravity variations and craters. Take a radical trek through interstellar space...Mix it up with weird aliens...And save the galaxy from the evil Agathos. Get upside down...in the greatest space adventure ever!

The Bard's Tale

The Bard's Tale

NEC PC-9801 - Released - 1988

The small country town Skara Brae was enjoying a peaceful life, until an evil wizard known as Mangar the Dark appeared. Monsters have invaded the town, terrorizing its inhabitants. Mangar cast the spell of Eternal Winter on the surroundings, isolating Skara Brae from any possible help. Guards that were entrusted with the task of protecting the town have disappeared within one night. Only a party of brave adventurers can save Skara Brae and defeat Mangar. The Bard's Tale is a fantasy role-playing game similar to Wizardry games, with first-person exploration of pseudo-3D maze-like environments, and turn-based combat against randomly appearing enemies. Unlike early Wizardry installments, the town can be explored physically, and parts of the overworld are accessible as well. Several dungeons must be explored before the player can tackle the final quest. Six character classes are available when the player is prompted to create a party of six adventurers in the beginning of the game: Bard, Hunter, Monk, Paladin, Rogue, Warrior, Magician, and Conjurer. The last two can be promoted when specific conditions are met during gameplay. The bard class plays a special role, possessing magical songs that improves the party's performance in combat and are required to solve some of the game's puzzles.

The Bard's Tale

The Bard's Tale

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1988

The small country town Skara Brae was enjoying a peaceful life, until an evil wizard known as Mangar the Dark appeared. Monsters have invaded the town, terrorizing its inhabitants. Mangar cast the spell of Eternal Winter on the surroundings, isolating Skara Brae from any possible help. Guards that were entrusted with the task of protecting the town have disappeared within one night. Only a party of brave adventurers can save Skara Brae and defeat Mangar. The Bard's Tale is a fantasy role-playing game similar to Wizardry games, with first-person exploration of pseudo-3D maze-like environments, and turn-based combat against randomly appearing enemies. Unlike early Wizardry installments, the town can be explored physically, and parts of the overworld are accessible as well. Several dungeons must be explored before the player can tackle the final quest. Six character classes are available when the player is prompted to create a party of six adventurers in the beginning of the game: Bard, Hunter, Monk, Paladin, Rogue, Warrior, Magician, and Conjurer. The last two can be promoted when specific conditions are met during gameplay. The bard class plays a special role, possessing magical songs that improves the party's performance in combat and are required to solve some of the game's puzzles.

The Bard's Tale Construction Set

The Bard's Tale Construction Set

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1991

The Bard's Tale Construction Set was created by Interplay Productions in 1991 and distributed by Electronic Arts. It was released for the Amiga and DOS. This game creator is much easier to use than most of the others I have come across, which means that with a bit of effort you will actually be able to create a finished game. The downside is that all of the games will superficially look the same. All creation requires perspiration, and to create a game which really has something different in it, you will need to spend a long time wrestling with the more awkward aspects of the package, namely the graphics and the special logic sections. This type of open-ended software is what computers are really about. It is unlikely that you are ever to create a game which will make you money, but the weeks of creative fun contained in the box will be its own reward.

The Bard's Tale Construction Set

The Bard's Tale Construction Set

MS-DOS - Released - 1991

After three games in the Bard's Tale universe, Interplay gave fans the chance to create their own games based on the game engine. You can design your own Monsters (choosing their look from existing ones or by drawing it yourself), level layouts (from the pre-defined objects of Bard's Tale III, spells and collectible objects. Your creations can be largely hack-and-slash based, or have more of an exploration and puzzle-solving focus, by designing event sequences to be triggered at particular locations. The package comes with a sample adventure set in Isil Thania.

The Bard's Tale II: The Destiny Knight

The Bard's Tale II: The Destiny Knight

Apple IIGS - Released - 1988

The Bard's Tale II: The Destiny Knight is a fantasy role-playing video game created by Interplay Productions in 1986. It is the first sequel to The Bard's Tale, and the last game of the series that was designed and programmed by Michael Cranford. The game features Dungeons & Dragons-style characters and follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, The Bard's Tale, also created by Michael Cranford. The Bard's Tale II takes place on a larger scale with an explorable wilderness, six cities, and multiple dungeons which give this game its dungeon crawl character. The game has new features such as casinos and banks, and introduces a new magic user called an Archmage, among other changes from the first game in the series.

The Bard's Tale III: Thief of Fate

The Bard's Tale III: Thief of Fate

MS-DOS - Released - 1990

The warriors who have destroyed the evil wizard Mangar receive a letter while celebrating their victory. The letter informs them of a terrible disaster: Mangar's master, the Mad God Tarjan, has unleashed his wrath upon the town of Skara Brae, completely destroying in. The heroes visit a refugee camp nearby and embark on a quest to defeat Tarjan. Thief of Fate is the third installment in the Bard's Tale series, and a sequel to The Destiny Knight. It is similar to its predecessors, being a first-person fantasy role-playing game in which the player explores maze-like pseudo-3D towns, dungeons, and wilderness areas. Two new character classes have been added: Geomancer and Chronomancer. There are more dungeons than in the previous games, and this installment also adds an auto-mapping feature. The game's world is divided into separate realms accessed by using time warps, each with its own theme and setting - including, among others, famous locations from Earth's history such as ancient Rome or Berlin during World War II.

The Bard's Tale III: Thief of Fate

The Bard's Tale III: Thief of Fate

Commodore Amiga - Released - 1991

The warriors who have destroyed the evil wizard Mangar receive a letter while celebrating their victory. The letter informs them of a terrible disaster: Mangar's master, the Mad God Tarjan, has unleashed his wrath upon the town of Skara Brae, completely destroying in. The heroes visit a refugee camp nearby and embark on a quest to defeat Tarjan. Thief of Fate is the third installment in the Bard's Tale series, and a sequel to The Destiny Knight. It is similar to its predecessors, being a first-person fantasy role-playing game in which the player explores maze-like pseudo-3D towns, dungeons, and wilderness areas. Two new character classes have been added: Geomancer and Chronomancer. There are more dungeons than in the previous games, and this installment also adds an auto-mapping feature. The game's world is divided into separate realms accessed by using time warps, each with its own theme and setting - including, among others, famous locations from Earth's history such as ancient Rome or Berlin during World War II.

The Bard's Tale: Tales of the Unknown

The Bard's Tale: Tales of the Unknown

Apple IIGS - Released - 1987

Tales of the Unknown: Volume I, better known by its subtitle The Bard's Tale, is a fantasy role-playing video game created by Interplay Productions in 1985 and distributed by Electronic Arts. It was designed and programmed by Michael Cranford. Based loosely on traditional Dungeons & Dragons gameplay and inspired by the Wizardry computer games, The Bard's Tale was noteworthy for its unprecedented 3D graphics and partly animated character portraits. The Bard was also an innovation: "The Bard was author Michael Cranford's contribution to the genre, a character who casts spells by singing one of six tunes."

The Tracer Sanction

The Tracer Sanction

Apple II - Released - September 13, 1984

As an interplanetary secret agent, you must roam the galaxy in your extremely fuel-conscious space ship (only 500 gallons to the nearest planet). Heaven knows what sort of engine your ship possesses, but as stars scroll past your cockpit you can hear what sounds like a very unhealthy motor-scooter in the background. There are some touches of dry humour, including an interminable queue of people that you can stand in for ever, never quite reaching the end. You'll also have some trouble with a certain crazed dwarf and some unstable stalactites -- at least if you go the way I did. A 'living tutorial' helps new adventurers get into the swing of things.

The Tracer Sanction

The Tracer Sanction

Commodore 64 - Released - 1984

As an interplanetary secret agent, you must roam the galaxy in your extremely fuel-conscious space ship (only 500 gallons to the nearest planet). Heaven knows what sort of engine your ship possesses, but as stars scroll past your cockpit you can hear what sounds like a very unhealthy motor-scooter in the background. There are some touches of dry humour, including an interminable queue of people that you can stand in for ever, never quite reaching the end. You'll also have some trouble with a certain crazed dwarf and some unstable stalactites -- at least if you go the way I did. A 'living tutorial' helps new adventurers get into the swing of things.

The Tracer Sanction

The Tracer Sanction

MS-DOS - Released - 1984

As an interplanetary secret agent, you must roam the galaxy in your extremely fuel-conscious space ship (only 500 gallons to the nearest planet). Heaven knows what sort of engine your ship possesses, but as stars scroll past your cockpit you can hear what sounds like a very unhealthy motor-scooter in the background. There are some touches of dry humour, including an interminable queue of people that you can stand in for ever, never quite reaching the end. You'll also have some trouble with a certain crazed dwarf and some unstable stalactites -- at least if you go the way I did. A 'living tutorial' helps new adventurers get into the swing of things.

Total Recall

Total Recall

Nintendo Entertainment System - Released - August 1, 1990

Based on the 1990 Schwarzenegger film of the same name, Total Recall for the NES generally adheres to the movie's plot across its nine levels. Unlike the various PC iterations, this title was created by Interplay and published by Acclaim. Players control Doug Quaid as he platform hops across Earth and Mars in search of his stolen memories and the responsible parties. A collection of police, soldiers, and creatures will try to stop him. Quaid's default attack is a strong punch, though guns can be knocked away from some guards and picked up for use. Cutscenes between certain levels tell the movie's plot, and feature likenesses of the actors from the film (including Arnold).

Track Meet

Track Meet

Nintendo Game Boy - Released - 1991

Track Meet offers players seven different Olympic-style competitions to compete in. Competitions include a 100 meter sprint, Hurdles, Javelin Throw, Pole Vault, Long Jump, Discus Throw, and Weight Lifting. Players have to compete with five different competitors in each event in order to win the world championship. Each competitor has different strengths and weaknesses and each have their own way in how they compete in each event. Each event awards the player points based on how well they performed. The goal is to have more points then your opponent after all the events are completed. The game also lets the player practice each event and also offers a mode for two players to compete against each other through the Game Link cable.

Yubiwa Monogatari Dai-2-kan: Futatsu no Tou

Yubiwa Monogatari Dai-2-kan: Futatsu no Tou

NEC PC-9801 - Released - April 23, 1993

J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. II: The Two Towers is a role-playing game following the second book in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. It is a direct sequel to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I. Controlling multiple characters from the book, players struggle to reach the Two Towers on the ultimate quest to destroy the One Ring. The gameplay is quite similar to that of the first game. The players navigate the parties of characters over top-down environments, fighting enemies and performing quests. Since the storyline of the second book splits into several independent journeys of different characters, the game also switches between different controllable parties.

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