ALIENS: A COMIC BOOK ADVENTURE

James Cameron's Aliens turned 30 this year. That's a scary thought in and of itself, but few games have succeeded in bringing the frightening exploits of the Xenomorph home. That's not to say that many have not tried. Out of the numerous games based on the franchise the most obscure by far is this little known adventure by Cryo Interactive titled Aliens: A Comic Book Adventure.

PRESIDENT ELECT: 1988 EDITION

It's been a week now since the presidential election, and surprisingly the world still stands. If you dig a little deeper into American history, you'll find that this isn't the first election fraught with controversy. Being an ignorant Brit, I found most of this out while playing President Elect: 1988 Edition, an update to SSI's 1981 game originally for the Apple II.

POWER POLITICS

Instead of spending my free time periodically checking to see if the world is burning (like I've been doing since the US election), I thought a cathartic game of politics might help. Power Politics is one such a game that simulates the 1992 presidential election with a wealth of options that makes you question what a politician's priorities actually are.

INNOCENT UNTIL CAUGHT

Tax avoidance is not much of a compelling subject for any story, let alone an interactive one, but that's what Divide by Zero has chosen for Innocent Until Caught. This underrated adventure game from 1993 puts you in the decidedly sketchy shoes of Jack T. Ladd whose only goal is to pay off the hefty tax-dodging fine. And get a stiff drink while he's at it.

HEART OF CHINA

Dynamix may be best known for their simulation games with the likes EarthSiege, Tribes and Red Baron, but when they entered the Sierra family in 1990 they began to dabble in the adventure genre. The result is a trio of excellent adventures with a heavy focus on storytelling. The most underrated of the three was the globe-hopping yarn from 1991 named Heart of China.