The authors of Leader Board, Bruce and Roger Carver, tried their hand at tenpin bowling in an early recreation of the game. The process of bowling involves timing a succession of clicks to set the correct angle, speed and curve, similar to the Leaderboard system. Three skill levels are offered: the child level sets the speed and hook automatically, while the amateur has more margin for error with the hook/cut than the professional. The game is played from a plan view, with four other (empty) lanes visible. Individual matches or a league structure can be played.
An underrated 'movie adventure' from the company famous for the Tex Murphy games, Amazon is a fun 1950s B-movie style game.
In the role of a hapless scientist who willingly braves the jungles of the Amazon to find his missing brother, you'll find yourself glued to the screen in this frustrating game that manages to be fun despite its intentional campiness. The large amount of pixels and real-time puzzles spoil the fun at times, but the Indiana Jones-esque plot and characters help make up for it to some extent.
Overall, a fun and original adventure that is marred by illogical pixel-hunting puzzles and clichés. If you like B-movies, give it a chance. If you're looking for a serious, thoughtful adventure, look elsewhere.
Beach-Head is a classic 1983 Commodore 64 game that has stood the test of time and remains a beloved title among vintage gamers. Developed by Access Software, Beach-Head takes players on an action-packed military adventure set on a tropical island.
The premise of the game centers around the player being the commander of a beach defense base, responsible for preventing enemy troops from taking over the island. As you progress through the game, the enemy's attacks become increasingly difficult, making it a challenging and thrilling experience.
One of the standout features of Beach-Head is its impressive graphics, especially for a game that was released in the early 80s. The tropical island setting is beautifully rendered, with vibrant colors and detailed backgrounds. The game also features smooth and responsive gameplay, making it a pleasure to play even decades after its initial release.
In Beach-Head, players are not just responsible for defending the base, but also for making strategic decisions and managing resources. This adds a layer of complexity to the game, making it more than just a simple shooter. Players must carefully allocate resources, such as ammunition and fuel, to effectively defend the base and fend off the enemy.
One of the most exciting parts of Beach-Head is the final showdown with the enemy's massive battleship. This battle requires players to use all of their skills and resources to defeat the enemy and declare victory. Successfully defeating the battleship is not an easy feat and adds to the game's intense and addictive nature.
Apart from the main gameplay, Beach-Head also offers a multiplayer mode, allowing players to compete against each other or work together to defend the base. This adds a whole new level of excitement and replayability to the game, providing endless hours of fun for players.
Like Tex Murphy's early Access adventures, Countdown has an incredible amount of 'pixel hunting' puzzles and several pointless 'arcade' sequences. However, the plot of this game is quite interesting (although they may have borrowed it from Asylum, a Commodore 64 classic): you are an amnesiac trying to escape from the asylum and find his true identity.
Overall, a fun game that has been overlooked by many people, despite the frustrating puzzles, time limit and some downright bad dialogue.
Crime Wave is a side-scrolling shooter with certain similarities to Narc in tone and gameplay. Controlling a police officer, the player shoots his way through slums, inner cities and other locations, trying to destroy a powerful criminal organization and save the beautiful, young and unmarried daughter of the president. The game features digitized graphics.
The foreboding DOS game of Echelon, released in 1988, was an ambitious, ahead-of-its-time game that has since been acclaimed by old-school gamers the world over. It introduced a novel game dynamic, melding the realism of 3D visuals with an arcade-style game play. Players of Echelon take the role of the intrepid air-ace, indulging in their combat fantasies. With their unique fighter jet, they must weave around obstacles, enemy fighter planes, and all sorts of other dangers in a quest for score-maximization.
The atmosphere of Echelon was its other hallmark – drawing the player into the action with an array of striking sound effects and visuals. Far from the crude low-resolution palettes of earlier DOS games, the bulk of graphics in this title was beautifully rendered 3D polygons. These were supplemented with realistic backrounds, giving an immersive feeling to an otherwise chaotic game. From the forested terrain of the first level to the deep sea of the third, the world of Echelon was brought to life in vivid detail.
The heart of the game was always the intensive, if somewhat sluggish responsiveness of the jet. To advance, one must master the power and limitations of the jet, such as its unexpected tendency to flip upside-down. The responsiveness of Echelon was a two-edged sword – one needs to understand the physics of the game to excel in it, but it could nonetheless catch one off guard.
As challenging as it was, Echelon still managed to strike a perfect balance between ease and difficulty, making it easy enough to obtain a feel for the game, but hard enough to beat. Additionally, the gentle learning curve encouraged experimentation, with players acquiring natural grasp of its motion in no time at all.
Echelon's long-lasting appeal is self-evident - it will remain a favorite among gamers for many years to come. With its novel, intuitive design and its highly captivating atmosphere, it is set to remain a vintage classic of the 80s.
1987, the year Famous Courses of the World: Vol. I was released on Commodore 64. Made by Access Software, Inc. and published by Access Software, Inc.
Famous Courses of the World: Vol. I is an add-on for World Class Leader Board, you will need the original game to play.
In 1987, Access Software, Inc. publishes Famous Courses of the World: Vol. II on Commodore 64. This videogame is now abandonware, you can get it here.
Famous Courses of the World: Vol. II is an addon for World Class Leader Board, you will need the original game to play.
Here is the video game 'Famous Courses of the World: Vol. III'! Released in 1988 on Commodore 64, it is still available and playable with some tweaks.
Famous Courses of the World: Vol. III is an add-on for World Class Leader Board, you will need the original game to play.
Heavy Metal arrived on DOS screens in 1989, a jagged beacon for players hungry for speed and iron in equal measure. The moment the program boots you are greeted by a boxy, flame etched title and a world that fuses post apocalyptic grit with circuit board shine. Its designers lean into the justice of a metal riff as a narrative spark, letting savage highways and chrome citadels push the player toward frantic confrontations. The atmosphere borrows from concert posters and late night motorbike glides, turning your joystick into a throttle that screams noisily through the dark caverns of a synthetic frontier.
During play the action unfolds with arcade grit a tempo that rarely slows. You pilot a armored craft or exoskeleton through sequences of cavernous corridors, craggy plains, and heaving industrial complexes that threaten to swallow your hull. Enemies arrive in wave after wave, from clawed drones to siege engines that spit sparks. Power ups pulse with brief brightness, increasing firepower or shields just long enough to coax another clutch of rounds from your weaponry. The challenge is unforgiving yet fair, demanding reflex, memory, and a calm gaze amid the blaze of color and metal.
The look of Heavy Metal tethers tightly to late period DOS constraints. Colors fight for dominance on a limited palette; sprites are chunky, but animation carries a sprinting momentum. Sound design leans on the era scarce resources, with sharp blips from the PC speaker and primitive digitized tunes that feel like a steel guitar being tuned under pressure. Visuals emphasize harsh contrasts, with iron girders and molten rubble lit by electric flares. The user interface stays lean, presenting essential stats with minimal clutter and offering instantly recognizable icons for weapon drops and damage.
The game occupies a curious corner of retro culture. It is not the most famous DOS title, yet its raw energy and unvarnished metal mood left a stubborn imprint on fans of fringe shoots and soundtracks that forge identity from distortion. Collectors prize surviving disks and manuals, while emulation lets new hands discover the mirthful chaos of its gauntlet. For older players the memory of Heavy Metal recalls a time when software synthesis and music culture fused into unmistakable flavor, a reminder that even modest programs could roar like a finished record when pushed by audacious imagination. In learning circles a copy with intact box art prompts conversations about why odd experiments endure.
