The Collection Chamber: IRON MAN: INTERACTIVE CD-ROM

Reproducing this classic clash of armored titans in this two issue story featuring the now classic confrontation between Iron Man and Dr. Doom in the medieval age of King Arthur. Now, see these two titanic tales of steel nerves and iron wills all completely digitally recolored, with an added bonus, behind the scenes biographies.
Let Spider-Man guide you through the controls and introduce you to the world of Marvel CD-ROM Comics.
A real live video introduction by Marvel Creator and living legend Stan "The Man" Lee.
Special "Zoom-in Zoom-out" feature allows you to read the book at your own pace and also makes a great introduction to the younger reader.
Biography pages give you fun-filled facts about your favorite Marvel Heroes and Villains.
A Mighty Marvel Trivia game that tests your knowledge of the ever-expanding Marvel universe.
Answer all of the Marvel Trivia questions correctly and see clips of animation directly from the incredible animated television show themselves.

~ from the back of the box

While Iron Man: Interactive CD-ROM Comic Book is the third of Marvel mid-90s multimedia merch I've reviewed, in actually it was among of the first batch to hit store shelves. It shares the exact same formula as both the Silver Surfer and Fantastic Four CD-ROM comics, taking an identical template to enlist Tony Stark and his adventures. Specifically, it adapts The Invincible Iron Man #150, a perfectly fine issue in print but just like the others, it's turned into a disjointed hybrid of comic reader, character bios, and trivia machine.

Visually, the CD-ROM is about what you'd expect from 1995. The scanned comic panels have been recoloured to look nice on a 256 colour monitor. The art itself is, of course, classic Marvel but the interactive presentation sometimes makes you feel like you're reading the comic through a magnifying glass while someone jiggles your arm. The audio is a mix of sparse voice clips, truncated narration, and basic sound effects that are associated with random panels. Make no mistake, the comic is the star of the show. Essentially, it's no different to any other in the series.

Spider-Man once again monologues a guide to the program through looping FMV (left).
The trivia section once again tests how much of the main story you took in (right).

Here's some good news. Unlike the other two I've reviewed, the entire story of the Iron Man #150 double issue is intact. As far as I can tell, you can read the whole thing from start to finish, and much like the Fantastic Four version, there are the odd spin offs that detail the back story of out main characters. The plot is one of Marvel's stranger ones. Originally published in 1981, The Invincible Iron Man #150 drops Tony Stark and Doctor Doom into the heart of England during the Bronze Age. Specifically the mythical age of Camelot. There, they encounter King Arthur, Merlin, and a full cast of knights and magicians straight out of Arthurian legend. Doom, ever the schemer, immediately begins plotting how to use this medieval detour to his advantage, while Tony Stark has to improvise without the benefit of modern technology. What follows is an entertaining mix of sorcery and circuitry; Iron Man jousts, Doom bargains with Morgan le Fay, and the two reluctantly cooperate when their survival demands it. In the end, both manage to return to their own time, but not without leaving behind an unforgettable clash of magic and machinery that remains one of Iron Man's most memorable tales, even if the stand-alone story doesn't add a jot to the overall Marvel lore.

Each detailed panel can be zoomed in for a closer view, though none of the actual text is spoken. Instead, each page gets a summarised narration that's more annoying than anything. At least you can turn it off from the main menu. Also on the main menu is the now-standard trivia quiz and character bio. The quizzes, while shallow, do force you to pay attention to the story if you want to score any correct answers at all. Get enough, and you'll be rewarded with a clip from the classic TV Show from the 90s, no so full episode. That's probably because the Iron Man episodes of the Marvel Action Hour were never really adaptations but original stories.

Double-click a red bordered panel to interact with it. An ear logo (left) denotes a sound effect while a

TV icon (right) denotes a clip from the animated show. A book symbol provides a comic book side story.

On the plus side, this CD-ROM really does preserve one of Marvel's classic issues, and the genuine novelty in seeing it presented with multimedia flair remains. For longtime Iron Man fans, it's an interesting relic but let's be honest; nothing can compare to holding the actual pages in your hand. Essentially, what we're left with is a barebones attempt to re-monetise a then 14-year-old comic to take advantage of the CD-ROM multimedia craze.

Revisiting this CD-ROM today is less about enjoying a game and more about enjoying a time capsule. Like its Silver Surfer and Fantastic Four siblings, Iron Man: Interactive CD-ROM Comic Book is clunky, awkward, and yet totally reminds me of my childhood despite not actually owning it back then. I'm planning to get the remaining entries onto this site, but I reckon I'll struggle to say anything new about them, but for history purposes at least, I think they're worth preserving.

To download the game, follow the link below. This custom installer exclusive to The Collection Chamber uses the DOSBox-X build of DOSBox running Microsoft Windows 3.1 to get the game working on modern systems. Read the ChamberNotes.txt for more detailed information. Tested on Windows 10.

File Size: 308 Mb. Install Size: 435 Mb. Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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