The Collection Chamber: JAN PIENKOWSKI HAUNTED HOUSE

The classic pop-up that always seemed to be be torn to pieces before you could get a look at it, gets a more durable CD-ROM in the form of Jan Pienkowski's Haunted House. Released in 1995 by Media Station, the package is a small, yet smartly put together game that aimed for the youngest of crowds.

Little has been added from the book that qualifies it a much of a game. The only moments I found that could be qualified as a game was a matching game in the kitchen and tic-tac-toe in the bathroom. If we're really being honest, these short distractions aren't the reason to play it anyway. It's the neat animated skits that draw you in, and the ration between good and bad ones it higher than most other games of this type. Just wave the mouse around, click on things and be rewarded with a dancing ooze or a scuppered alien invasion.

There is an overall goal. You have to find five keys scattered around the titular Haunted House and once you've found them all, you'll have access to the basement - the only room exclusive to this release. This is where you'll find the final key so you can get outta there, before an overly polite disembodies voice invites you back.

The locations of these keys are randomised on each playthough and will be put in place of one of the many animations that fill each page. That's all there is to it really, but it's still more tha enough to keep the little banshees occupied for an hour or so.

To download the game, follow the link below. This exclusive installer uses the DOSBox Daum build of DOSBox 0.74 running Windows '95. Tested on Windows 10.

IMPORTANT - Remember to shut down the emulated version of Windows before exiting DOSBox. This could potentially result in errors, lost saves and corrupt data. Press Ctrl-F9 when it is safe to do so.

File Size: 220 Mb. Install Size: 450 Mb. Need help? Consult the Collection Chamber FAQ

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