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That much forgotten word now, shareware, really got me started on gaming in the late 80's. I owned hundreds of titles once upon a time, but as my old PC was replaced, so were all the games. This is just a little memorial to all those games (Cue misty eyes and rose-tinted glasses)...
Jill Of The Jungle.
This was one of the first games I ever got. My mates were obsessed with it after my dad brought it home from work one day. You played as Jill, who could morph in to various different animals in order to complete different tasks. you had a range of weapons, including daggers, bouncing shurukens and fireballs, and you had to play through 49 (ish) levels before reaching your spaceship and escaping from the weird zone in which you were trapped.
Commander Keen.
Oh yes. This was the game I first played at my friends on a 5.2" drive with his old amiga. You starred as a young boy who made himself a spaceship out of various hosehold utensils (Vacuum, Iron etc). You crash-land on a far-away planet and had to kill the evil wolf by dropping a large brick on his head (!) after a long adventure of course, in which you collect replacement parts. 8 sequels spawned from this, including "Aliens ate my babysitter" and "Commander Keen:Temple of the Gnosticnes"
Avoid the Noids
this was just plain wierd. You were a pizza delivery boy who had to take a pizza to the top of a skyscraper without being caught by the evil Noids (Pink rabbits trained in karate). hazards included collapsing floors, missiles coming out of lifts and exploding telephones (!!!). I've still got a copy of this and haven't completed it to this day.
Elevators from hell
Another strange one. This had my best friend and his brother rolling around laughing (literally!). You were a stick man who had to collect gems and avoid a large robot with a red laser beam that would fry you with one shot. You had to collect all the gems and escape before he shot you. Fiendishly addictive.
Outlaw
No, not the new game, the old shareware one. You could choose from a selection of 8 characters each with their own weapon and finishing move, like bill Clinton (Bob the Cat) Tex (Lasso Crush) and a wierd poice officer (Death Donut). This was packed with gore (worse than Mortal kombat in places) and great fun.
More to be added in the future...
Jill Of The Jungle.
This was one of the first games I ever got. My mates were obsessed with it after my dad brought it home from work one day. You played as Jill, who could morph in to various different animals in order to complete different tasks. you had a range of weapons, including daggers, bouncing shurukens and fireballs, and you had to play through 49 (ish) levels before reaching your spaceship and escaping from the weird zone in which you were trapped.
Commander Keen.
Oh yes. This was the game I first played at my friends on a 5.2" drive with his old amiga. You starred as a young boy who made himself a spaceship out of various hosehold utensils (Vacuum, Iron etc). You crash-land on a far-away planet and had to kill the evil wolf by dropping a large brick on his head (!) after a long adventure of course, in which you collect replacement parts. 8 sequels spawned from this, including "Aliens ate my babysitter" and "Commander Keen:Temple of the Gnosticnes"
Avoid the Noids
this was just plain wierd. You were a pizza delivery boy who had to take a pizza to the top of a skyscraper without being caught by the evil Noids (Pink rabbits trained in karate). hazards included collapsing floors, missiles coming out of lifts and exploding telephones (!!!). I've still got a copy of this and haven't completed it to this day.
Elevators from hell
Another strange one. This had my best friend and his brother rolling around laughing (literally!). You were a stick man who had to collect gems and avoid a large robot with a red laser beam that would fry you with one shot. You had to collect all the gems and escape before he shot you. Fiendishly addictive.
Outlaw
No, not the new game, the old shareware one. You could choose from a selection of 8 characters each with their own weapon and finishing move, like bill Clinton (Bob the Cat) Tex (Lasso Crush) and a wierd poice officer (Death Donut). This was packed with gore (worse than Mortal kombat in places) and great fun.
More to be added in the future...
Continuing my reviews list -
Major Stryker
This was much like Swiv - you had to fly up a scrolling screen, shooting whatever dared get in your way. There were many different zones to pilot your spacecraft through, and your main blaster was powered up by collecting the blobs which drifted across the screen when you shot a "P" box. There was the obligatory "Blow the hell out of everything on the screen button, and end of level bosses.
Jetfighter
This is one of the earliest 3d PC games I can remember. You could take charge of one of 3 fighters (The Tomcat, The Hornet and the F-15 Fighting Falcon) armed to the teeth with missles, bombs and guns. It featured views from all angles and the Aircraft controllers POV, as well as towns and bridges for you to blow up, all beautifully rendered with flat shaded surfaces... Great game though.
Ninja Rabbit 2 (!)
You are a brown rabbit trained in martial arts. You wander the streets of Japan in a side scrolling beat 'em up which allows you to jump around buildings and in to sewers smashing up evil warriors. Ok, but prone to freezing.
Major Stryker
This was much like Swiv - you had to fly up a scrolling screen, shooting whatever dared get in your way. There were many different zones to pilot your spacecraft through, and your main blaster was powered up by collecting the blobs which drifted across the screen when you shot a "P" box. There was the obligatory "Blow the hell out of everything on the screen button, and end of level bosses.
Jetfighter
This is one of the earliest 3d PC games I can remember. You could take charge of one of 3 fighters (The Tomcat, The Hornet and the F-15 Fighting Falcon) armed to the teeth with missles, bombs and guns. It featured views from all angles and the Aircraft controllers POV, as well as towns and bridges for you to blow up, all beautifully rendered with flat shaded surfaces... Great game though.
Ninja Rabbit 2 (!)
You are a brown rabbit trained in martial arts. You wander the streets of Japan in a side scrolling beat 'em up which allows you to jump around buildings and in to sewers smashing up evil warriors. Ok, but prone to freezing.
That much forgotten word now, shareware, really got me started on gaming in the late 80's. I owned hundreds of titles once upon a time, but as my old PC was replaced, so were all the games. This is just a little memorial to all those games (Cue misty eyes and rose-tinted glasses)...
Jill Of The Jungle.
This was one of the first games I ever got. My mates were obsessed with it after my dad brought it home from work one day. You played as Jill, who could morph in to various different animals in order to complete different tasks. you had a range of weapons, including daggers, bouncing shurukens and fireballs, and you had to play through 49 (ish) levels before reaching your spaceship and escaping from the weird zone in which you were trapped.
Commander Keen.
Oh yes. This was the game I first played at my friends on a 5.2" drive with his old amiga. You starred as a young boy who made himself a spaceship out of various hosehold utensils (Vacuum, Iron etc). You crash-land on a far-away planet and had to kill the evil wolf by dropping a large brick on his head (!) after a long adventure of course, in which you collect replacement parts. 8 sequels spawned from this, including "Aliens ate my babysitter" and "Commander Keen:Temple of the Gnosticnes"
Avoid the Noids
this was just plain wierd. You were a pizza delivery boy who had to take a pizza to the top of a skyscraper without being caught by the evil Noids (Pink rabbits trained in karate). hazards included collapsing floors, missiles coming out of lifts and exploding telephones (!!!). I've still got a copy of this and haven't completed it to this day.
Elevators from hell
Another strange one. This had my best friend and his brother rolling around laughing (literally!). You were a stick man who had to collect gems and avoid a large robot with a red laser beam that would fry you with one shot. You had to collect all the gems and escape before he shot you. Fiendishly addictive.
Outlaw
No, not the new game, the old shareware one. You could choose from a selection of 8 characters each with their own weapon and finishing move, like bill Clinton (Bob the Cat) Tex (Lasso Crush) and a wierd poice officer (Death Donut). This was packed with gore (worse than Mortal kombat in places) and great fun.
More to be added in the future...
Jill Of The Jungle.
This was one of the first games I ever got. My mates were obsessed with it after my dad brought it home from work one day. You played as Jill, who could morph in to various different animals in order to complete different tasks. you had a range of weapons, including daggers, bouncing shurukens and fireballs, and you had to play through 49 (ish) levels before reaching your spaceship and escaping from the weird zone in which you were trapped.
Commander Keen.
Oh yes. This was the game I first played at my friends on a 5.2" drive with his old amiga. You starred as a young boy who made himself a spaceship out of various hosehold utensils (Vacuum, Iron etc). You crash-land on a far-away planet and had to kill the evil wolf by dropping a large brick on his head (!) after a long adventure of course, in which you collect replacement parts. 8 sequels spawned from this, including "Aliens ate my babysitter" and "Commander Keen:Temple of the Gnosticnes"
Avoid the Noids
this was just plain wierd. You were a pizza delivery boy who had to take a pizza to the top of a skyscraper without being caught by the evil Noids (Pink rabbits trained in karate). hazards included collapsing floors, missiles coming out of lifts and exploding telephones (!!!). I've still got a copy of this and haven't completed it to this day.
Elevators from hell
Another strange one. This had my best friend and his brother rolling around laughing (literally!). You were a stick man who had to collect gems and avoid a large robot with a red laser beam that would fry you with one shot. You had to collect all the gems and escape before he shot you. Fiendishly addictive.
Outlaw
No, not the new game, the old shareware one. You could choose from a selection of 8 characters each with their own weapon and finishing move, like bill Clinton (Bob the Cat) Tex (Lasso Crush) and a wierd poice officer (Death Donut). This was packed with gore (worse than Mortal kombat in places) and great fun.
More to be added in the future...