Games developed by Mastertronic Group, Ltd.
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House of Cards
House of Cards was a groundbreaking computer game released in 1989 by Ozark Softscape. Designed for DOS operating systems, this game revolutionized the world of digital card games and quickly became a favorite among gamers of all ages. With its simple yet addictive gameplay, House of Cards provided hours of entertainment and solidified its place in gaming history.
The premise of the game was to build a house of cards by stacking cards on top of each other in a specific order. The game was divided into levels, with each level increasing in difficulty as the player progressed. What made House of Cards unique was its use of physics, as the player had to carefully balance and place the cards in order to prevent the entire structure from collapsing. This added an element of strategy to the game and made it more challenging and engaging.
One of the most impressive aspects of House of Cards was its graphics. While most DOS games at the time had basic and pixelated graphics, Ozark Softscape utilized advanced graphics techniques to create a realistic 3D environment for the game. The cards were rendered in vibrant colors and the movements were fluid, creating a visually pleasing experience for the player. This attention to detail in the graphics helped to enhance the overall gameplay and immerse the player in the game.
Another noteworthy aspect of House of Cards was its intuitive controls. The game was designed to be played with a keyboard, making it easy for players to maneuver and stack the cards with precision. The simple yet responsive controls allowed the player to focus on the gameplay rather than struggling with clunky controls, making the game more enjoyable and addictive.
In addition to its impressive gameplay and graphics, House of Cards also had a dynamic soundtrack. The music in the game was composed by legendary composer David Warhol, known for his work on popular games such as Ultima II and The Bard's Tale. The upbeat and catchy tunes added to the overall atmosphere of the game and helped to keep players engaged and focused.
House of Cards received critical acclaim upon its release and quickly gained a cult following. It was praised for its innovative gameplay, stunning graphics, and overall entertaining experience. The game also spawned a sequel, Hoyle's Official Book of Games: Volume 2, which featured an updated version of House of Cards, showcasing its enduring popularity.
Kobyashi Naru
Divided into knowledge, wisdom and understanding sections, the test of Kobyashi Naru must be completed to gain immortal status. Collect the necessary items from each in this adventure game.
The game offers pictures of each location and significant objects, as well as a textual description of each location, but beyond this the game system is atypical of 1980s adventure games, especially those originating on cassette. The top half of the screen displays a set of icons that are selected to trigger movement, object manipulation, scene analysis (by selecting specific words from the text), and actions such as climbing, throwing, and swimming. Puzzle solving always uses objects from the scene description or from your inventory.
Shard of Inovar
The story of the game begins with the Eharin, an ancient race of elves, who created a magical artifact known as the Inovar. At that time in Earth's history, a terrible plague known as the Nagroma ravaged the land at the beginning of winter killing every living thing it encountered. With the help of the Inovar, the Eharin were able to create a protective barrier that kept the plague at bay. However, the barrier, the Cairnrue, not only kept the plague at bay, but prevented everything, so each spring the Rite of the Decairn had to be performed to allow it to rain.
This rite has been performed for many years by Varwield Arthermin, who has grown old and bitter. The last time he raised the Cairnrue, Arhermin tried to keep his power. He was defeated by Kiron the Protector in a great battle during which a fragment of the great stone of Inovar was broken off. Kiron took the stone and fled through the Adklaart Trench, where it is rumored that he is now trapped by Arthermin's soldiers.
Arthermin kept the shard and used its power to create the Naslava, creatures from the Earth's core, to protect him. This brought him into conflict with Rimarlion, Daughter of the Earth, whom he defeated and turned to stone. Before his fall, Rimarlion entrusted his sacred amulet to the Laryx people of Mount Hiakron, who in turn entrusted it to Sunquat, leader of the Eharin, the people of light.
The player enters the game as Varwield Secunda, chosen by his people to serve under Arthermin as his apprentice. For years you have served him, but now, as the storm clouds gather and the rain is absorbed by the Cairnrue, the time has come to perform the Rite of Decairn and that task falls upon your shoulders.
Shard of Inovar is a cross-platform, icon-based, graphical, text adventure game. It can be played with a keyboard or a joystick. Instead of typing 'Go North', 'Get an object', etc. the player selects an appropriate icon from the panels at the top, bottom and both sides of the screen. Another very useful feature is the 'Give object to a person' icon which, when invoked, allows the player to select an object from the inventory and then highlights the words in the last displayed text for the player to select. This allows the player to select a person from their group without having to spell all their names correctly each time.
Vegas Casino 2
Vegas Casino 2 is a craps and roulette simulator written by Tarheel Technologies and distributed by Mastertronic.
Although the 'prequel' Vegas Casino was advertised as 'The ultimate gambling compendium program', VG2 is at best an 'add-on' judging by its much smaller content and inexpensive price ($9.99). The game essentially offers two casino games: roulette and craps, for up to four players.
Decent EGA graphics, an intuitive keyboard-mouse-joystick interface and a nice betting help screen round out this offering. The roulette rules are simple: you have to bet on numbers and spin the wheel. In craps, you bet on any of the many possible outcomes and roll the dice. Craps has many betting options and excellent odds, while roulette options are limited and the odds mostly favor the house. A nice feature is that when you place the cursor anywhere in the betting area in either game and press a button, the game displays a help screen that gives the odds, payout, house commissions and the results of a win or loss for that particular bet. The graphics in this PC version are a little less crisp than the Commodore 64 version, although the ability to use the mouse makes up for it.
While it won't attract attention, this underrated little guy has enough useful options and features to satisfy roulette and craps players for a while. Too bad it's not a more complete casino package.
