MONTHLY 5 - November 2025

Winter is officially here, and when the cold and rain comes it's time to stay inside and play some old PC games. 

I went down quite the rabbit hole with Herewith the Clues! (1996 Actual Screenshots). It's a murder mystery game for the Amiga that was adapted from a book that is often considered to be the birth of the genre. It was originally written by famed British horror author Dennis Wheatley (To the Devil a Daughter, The Devil Rides Out) in 1939 and not only is it a snapshot of London high society life in the months leading up to World War II, it's also a damn good detective puzzle. Check out my review to see if the game retains this, but a scan of the excellent book and other self-created goodies are in there too. So much so I'd call it my pick of the month.

There's strong competition for that spot, with Aliens versus Predator 2: Gold Edition (2001-2003 Twentieth Century Fox, Lithtech Inc & Sierra On-line), the classic FPS whose rights seem to be stuck in limbo. It came to mind after thoroughly enjoying Predator Badlands at the cinema and being mildly entertained by Alien Earth of Disney+. I'd describe my time with the game similarly to the former than the latter.

We also have Safecracker (1997 DayDream Software), a great first person adventure that has you cracking a bunch of logic-based lock boxes inside an empty mansion. Tellurian Defense (1999 Psygnosis) is an action-heavy flight sim that has you - rather predictably - protect a post-apocalyptic Earth from invading aliens. Lastly, Comedy Central's Sports Shorts (1994 Time Warner Interactive & HBO Downtown Productions) digitises clips from a bunch of 90s stand up acts that's perfect if you want a chuckle or two. Famous fresh-faced comedians like Adam Sandler, David Baddiel and more an appearance before their rise to stardom.

A couple of updates; Alien Anarchy adds a workaround and some saves to get past a crash bug that was apparently present on its initial release back in 1999, and the Pocky & Rocky Collection returns to the Collection Chamber after being removed 'cos some of the game are still sold. They are still available to buy so the newly re-jigged custom menu now links to the store page (with a guide to add them yourself if you have them) while the ones that aren't can still be played. There's a lot added to the package too, so check out the game page or the Game Updates section for a full rundown.

So, November is now over, but Christmas is coming and with it brings the Collection Chamber Christmas Countdown, an advent calendar of twelve games leading up to the day itself. It starts December 14th so don't miss it! I've got some great stuff planned.

MONTHLY 5 - October 2025

'Tis the spooky season, and with it comes a quintet of scary escapees from the Collection Chamber. Before I get to that, let's discuss something even more horrifying; Microsoft's forced obsolescence of Windows 10 - an entirely capable operating system that was apparently installed on over 40% of active Windows PCs (previous OS deaths were always less than 20%). Despite everything that I want to run on my system running fine, my more than capable CPU cannot handle the upgrade according to Microsoft themselves and thus I've decided to delay the upgrade for a year (thanks EU legislature!). Looks like I'll have to start saving for a new one - I can't quite afford it just yet. Until then, I'll carry on with getting old obscure games running as normal.

Talking about old games, let's take a look at the five new additions. We begin with an alien invasion in the heart of Brazil with an obscure first-person-shooter called Alien Anarchy: The Varginha Incident (1999 Perceptum Informática Ltda). Next up is a bizarre taxi trip through time and space with the FMV adventure Hell Cab (1993 Pepe Moreno). The classic novel by Robert Lewis Stevenson was given an action-adventure overhaul obviously inspired by American McGee's Alice in Jekyll & Hyde (2001 Cryo, Index+ & France Telecom). And, if you want to know what a couple of young men with a camera get up to in the suburbs of London, then play Psycho Killer (1992-1993 Delta 4 Interactive & Prism Leisure), a consequence-driven FMV adventure for the Amiga CDTV and DOS.

Pick of the month is a PlayStation game hailing from Japan; ...Iru! (1998 Takara) which has been fan-translated into English as "...They're Here!". It's a cool first-person survival horror that sees a dark force descend on a high school as a bunch of teenagers stay over to prepare for a festival. It's a cool little find that kept me gripped all the way through.

I've also prepared a few updated packages for you to try out too. The PlayStation version of Discworld Noir has updated its emulators and implemented full mouse controls in case you want an alternative to the PC original. Also on the PlayStation is the weird Japanese arcade game called Oh No! which, in addition to its updated emulator, has the addition of widescreen and hi-res hacks complete with a new custom menu. Lastly, Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail has upgraded DOSBox to DOSBox-X.

See you next month!

MONTHLY 5 - September 2025

The Summer is over and Autumn brings along with it a quintet of games from the depths of the Collection Chamber. Another Marvel superhero gets digitised in Iron Man: Interactive CD-ROM Comic Book! (1995 Pixel Technologies & Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc), and we learn about war in the sci-fi action game Q.A.D. Quintessential Art of Destruction (1996 Cranberry Sauce). Then, we got on a Secret Mission (1996 Microids) in a captivatingly obscure adventure game before embarking on an epic journey in the overlooked European role-playing game TechnoMage: Return of Eternity (2000 SUNFLOWERS Interactive Entertainment Software GmbH).

My personal pick of the month, however, is a little more chaotic. Chaos: A Fantasy Adventure Game (1996 HarperCollins Publishers) is an entertaining Myst clone with a focus on that scientific ideology called chaos theory. Most of its real-world methodology goes way above my head (something about butterflies causing hurricanes), but the game itself is pretty darn good.

That's not all. I've been a busy little butterfly, updating two games from the annals of the site, both classics from the mind of Terry Pratchett. Discworld Noir now plays natively thanks to a recently discovered patch. The Colour of Magic, a rather obscure text adventure, adds manuals, a map and versions from a bunch of different systems all of which now play via Retroarch. It's well worth checking out.

You may have also noticed that the Genre pages have been given an overhaul. You can now sort and filter from a bunch of options which took me a hell of a lot of time to implement. I've also given separate entries for all of the games that appear in compilations, so you can easily see if a game you're looking for is a part of one. 

Coupled with a stint of real-life busyness, I've been full on these past 30 days. So much so that a couple of reviews might be a little late (their downloads are still ready to go though). Next month is spooky season, so expect some horrific interactive entertainment to unveil themselves from the dusty depths of the Chamber. Until then, adios!

MONTHLY 5 - August 2025

So, Summer is officially at an end, but fear not! As the last sun of August sets, five long-forgotten gems awaken from the Collection Chamber. 

Finished reading the digital pages of the Fantastic Four from last month? Well continue your Marvel kick with Silver Surfer: Interactive CD-ROM Comic Book (1996 Pixel Technologies & Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc). There's also the adventurous likes of the Mysterious Island: A Race Against Time and Hot Lava (1996 Virgin Sound and Vision) designed for young audiences, but has enough production value to please grown ups too.

For something a bit (and by bit, I mean a lot) different, try AI Wars: The Awakening (2000 Nexus Information Systems & Marketing inc.), a truly unique FPS that has run amuck a virtual representation of the Net, hacking everything you see with the aim to achieve immortality. Contains some of the trippiest visuals of the Y2K era.

But my faves are pure adventure games through and through. Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller (1994 Take 2 Interactive Software) hasn't got the best of reputations, but I had some fun playing through this interactive movie disguised as a point-and-clicker. Pick of the month, however, is a curio solely created by two brothers; Crack the Conspiracy (1998-2001 The Pixel Shop, Inc) rides off of the 90s alien craze that began with The X-Files and makes for one entertainingly obscure adventure.

Old-game updates give us massive upgrades to Kid Klown's Crazy Collection got a complete overhaul adding a bunch of alternative releases and spiritual sequels, while Discworld and Discworld II: Missing, Presumed... ? upgraded their ScummVM package. Don't cringe too heavily on my written musings. They're some of the earliest reviews on the site when I tasked myself with writing one a day (!!!). No idea how I managed that, but head over to their review pages or the Game Updates section for more information on what's new.

MONTHLY 5 - July 2025

July has been an eventful month, not least because I caught a nasty bout of Covid halfway through. We saw Dinosaurs return to the cinema screen, Wimbledon return to London and a welcome return to form for both Marvel and DC.

Jurassic World: Rebirth was a touch better than the last two movies in the franchise, but still tread old ground by being another trek through a jungle. Perhaps playing DinoPark Tycoon (1993 MECC) is the better option. If you enjoyed Fantastic Four: First Steps as much as I did, revisit the classic comic book in digital form with Fantastic Four: Interactive CD-ROM Comic Book! (1995 Pixel Technologies & Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc). Sorry, no Superman stuff (you can find a bunch in the Batman vs Superman Collection), but it's the best blockbuster movie I've seen in quite some time. The hyperbole may be setting in, but it might just be my favourite big-screen iteration of the man of steel yet. Quite the statement considering the theatre is where I likely caught Covid.

If you're wanting for some sport, you can't get much better than Virtua Tennis (2000-2002 SEGA Corporation). The first game in the series is one of the best ways to swing a digital racquet ever. It almost makes me want to take up the sport. Almost.

But the best of the month have nothing to do with the tenuous links to popular culture or current events. They are old-school adventures through-and-through. Golden Gate (1997 Ix Entertainment & Panasonic Interactive Media Company) wows as a cozy treasure hunt set in a contemporary San Francisco that has more puzzles than people. Lastly, Missing on Lost Island (2000 Mayhem Studios & Riki computer games) captures that old-school LucasArts feel that kept me glued to it until completion. And it's not just because it has pirates in it. There's also aliens.

I've a few updates to mention too. Extreme Assault has its MP3 soundtrack added as a separate download - something I was planning to add originally but forgot. Horror Zombies from the Crypt got upgraded to version 4 which meant adding a bunch of manuals, the Atari ST version and updates to the emulators. Likewise Ghost in the Shell has also updated its emulator to make use of new graphical enhancements. I've also added the Japanese artbook and US manual as well as other improvements. Check out each game's review page or the Game Updates section for more information.

That's it for this month! I'll see you at the end of August for more, unless Covid rears its ugly head again.

MONTHLY 5 - June 2025

It's that time again! Time for some new-old games to be rediscovered. Following on from last month is the Amiga exclusive dungeon-crawling sequel Abandoned Places 2 (1993 Francis Staengler & Steve Fabian & ICE Ltd). If you're an action gamer, try out the high-octane chopper sim Extreme Assault (1997 Blue Byte Software) or the interesting arcade shooter Jump Raven (1994 CyberFlix, Inc). For a more thoughtful time, the extremely underrated sci-fi cinematic platformer onEscapee (1997-2004 Invictus Team) is now playable in both Amiga and Windows form while the fantastical first-person adventure Zelenhgorm: Episode 1 - Land of the Blue Moon (2002 Moloto Productions AB) scratches that point-and-click itch with some impressive FMV to boot. It just wins out as my pick of the month, but many of the others come close. What better way to spend your time during a heat wave. Head on over after the jump to check them out for yourself.

Beyond these new additions, I've also updated a bunch of other games. The PlayStation classic Echo Night has been overhauled through an updated emulator with re-mapped modernised controls and the option to play with super cool widescreen and graphical improvement patches. While the old DOS-based Fable remains, the new addition of a native Windows release brings some great improvements, not least the ability to play the US or European version complete with their vastly different endings. Lastly, NET:Zone got hit with a much needed save-game fix. If you already have version 1, read the comments on the game page to save a re-download and fix it yourself.

I'll see you next month for a barrage of new bangers.

MONTHLY 5 - May 2025

May is here, and much like the variety of weather conditions in ol' Blighty, I've gathered a variety of gaming curios for your enjoyment too!

Pick of the month is a classic 3D platformer that I played the heck out of when it first came out on the PlayStation 2. But this Windows version of the Namco-published I-Ninja (2003 Argonaut Games) - complete with true Widescreen support - is perhaps the best way to play. Also rather interesting is the first-person sci-fi adventure Zero Zone (1998 Cryo Interactive) which is one of Cryo's better attempts at the genre.

Next up is the first-person tactical squad-based shooter Mortal Coil: Adrenaline Intelligence (1995 Crush, Ltd). While it pre-dates Rainbow Six by three years, and is full of jank and glitches, it's actually a rather fun time once you get to grips with it's quirks (and I spent a lot of time doing so, so you don't have to).

Lastly, there's a couple of classic Amiga games and their lesser PC ports. Abandoned Places: A Time for Heroes (1992 ArtGame & Electronic Zoo) is an old-school computer RPG in the best possible sense. Le Fetiche Maya (1989-90 Silmarils & Digital Integration, Inc) - also known simply as Maya - is an ambitious action-adventure that has you searching Mayan temples for hidden treasure.

One game on the update list this month: Urban Runner. I've updated ScummVM which will hopefully help with some compatibility issues that some have mentioned, but I wasn't able to replicate. There's also some updated manuals in there too!

Until the summer rolls in in June, have fun with this eclectic batch by clicking on the links after the jump!