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 - March 2025

At the end of last month, I gave my predictions for the 97th Academy Awards. Out of the 23 awards, I got 17 correct, missing out on the shorts which I don't tend to watch and not going all-in on Anora. I had a strong inkling it would win the top prize but had no idea this low-budget independent movie would do as well as it did - its multi-hyphenate director/screenwriter/editor/producer has become the first person to win four awards in a single night for the same movie! And, to commemorate, I've dedicated the month of March to Movies.

If you've ever wanted to be a multi-hyphenate like Sean Baker, you can take over every aspect of moviemaking in Steven Spielberg's Director's Chair (1996 Knowledge Adventure, Inc & DreamWorks Interactive) and take over the production of a couple of fake films starring Quentin Tarantino and Jennifer Aniston. Alternatively, learn how a real movie is made with Braveheart: Interactive CD-ROM (1995 Medisoft Corporation & Twentieth Century Fox) and discover the real history behind the Best Film winner too.

Play an adventure-game version of the Charlie Sheen starring sci-fi film The Arrival (1997 Enteraktion Inc & LIVE Film and Media Works) or an awkward beat-'em-up version of The Crow: City of Angels (1996-7 Acclaim Entertainment & Bad Bird Productions). But by far, my pick of the month is based on one of the most awarded franchises in the history of the Oscars; Wallace and Gromit in Project Zoo (2003 BAM! Entertainment, Frontier Developments & Aardman). Every short or feature film has been nominated, and while the newest one didn't win earlier this month, it does have three to its name.

But wait! There's more! I have some updates for you! Shadowcaster from last month has been fixed, with the CD version now working properly (I overlooked a simple issue). Classic point-and-click adventure Bureau 13 has been given some TLC, updating DOSBox, adding Gravis Ultrasound support and including a walkthrough and soundtrack. Lastly, the first ever game posted on this blog, Abuse, has been given a major overhaul. Not only has DOSBox been updated but an unofficial Windows source port is also included, along with a ton of user levels all neatly accessed via a new menu system. There's more besides, so head on over to the game page to find out more!

Grab your popcorn and head on over after the jump to dive into each game. I'm dedicating April to Adventure games - my favourite genre - which is apt considering it's my birthday month. Until then, happy gaming!

MONTHLY 5 - March 2024

March is the months of movies, and not just because the Oscars came about at the beginning of it. It is also the time the Collection Chamber specifically looks at movie-licenses and this time it's a doozy.

I recently saw Ghostbusters: Frozen Kingdom and I think I enjoyed it a little more than Afterlife, even though I'm still disappointed by the lack of city-wide chaos such a concept can bring. The originals did that perfectly. You'll get to try out the 40-odd entries in the Ghostbusters Collection (1984-2009 Various) to see how well they fare. Putting this together was task as gargantuan as a rampaging marshmallow man, so forgive me if I rank it my pick of the month even if includes that sucky NES port. New Ghostbusters II for that same system more than makes up for it though.

Earlier on, Denis Villeneuve finally gave us the epic Dune II in multiplexes, and it easily jumped to the top of my yearly list and I can't see it changing for a while. As the movie was delayed due to the ongoing effects of Covid and the union strikes, so was my package for Emperor: Battle for Dune (2001 Electronic Arts), Westwood Studios exceptional swansong to the franchise. I didn't have the foresight to pre-write the review so that may come a bit later depending on how I wrangle my increasingly limited time. Possibly the real pick of the month if I'm honest.

Another contender for that spot is Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie (2005 Universal Studios & Ubisoft Entertainment) in both of its forms. The special Signature Edition was the version I owned back in the day on PC and was a port of the PS2 version. The Enhanced Gamer's Edition originally only came with select graphics cards, but being a port of the X-Box 360 version, it included all of the graphical enhancements that made that game stand out.

To round out the month we have a couple of interesting time wasters. The Land Before Time: Animated MovieBook (1998 Universal City Studios, Inc, Sound Source Interactive & MCA Music Publishing) takes what Disney did with their Animated Storybook series and tacks it onto the classic Don Bluth property. Lastly, a slew of movie and TV franchises take part in Sci-Fi Pinball (1998 Fox Interactive). Aliens, Predator, The Fly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer all have their own table.

Check these bad boys out by clicking on the links below. There's no massive compilation package (or Easter holiday) next month so hopefully I can get all of the reviews in on time. Until then, enjoy this bumper crop.

MONTHLY 5- February 2023

The shortest month of the year is to an end, but I did manage to squeeze in some time for the Collection Chamber. First up is an obscure Amiga adventure that arrived late in the computer's lifecycle. Abduction (1998 Psyche) is a fascinating hidden gem in the pantheon of point-and-clicks that uses a top-down perspective that oozes in sci-fi atmosphere. Then, Dark Secrets of Africa (1999 New Generation Software) is a Windows RPG aiming to take an isometric bite of that Baldur's Gate pie. The sequel to Flashback is up next as the early 3D action adventure puzzles around traps and shoots at robots in a game called Fade to Black (1995 Delphine Software International). To celebrate the recent 25th aniversary of the best romantic movie boyfriends can also enjoy and its brief return to theatres, I've added the educational CD-ROM James Cameron's Titanic Explorer (1997 Fox Interactive) to the roster. To cap it all off, why not end with the pinball thrills of Tilt! (1995 NMS Software & Virgin Interactive) known as Hyper 3-D Pinball in the US.

On the update front, we have three revisions of some of last month's games, and the one I promised I'd fix then too. I wasn't entirely happy with Asghan: The Dragon Slayer's package, so I did a repack to take advantage of DDrawCompat as opposed to dgVoodoo. Dr. Slump got some tweaking of the controls so that the Turbo function no longer messes up button holds (a small patch is included if you don't fancy re-downloading the whole thing). Then there's Overboard! or Shipwreckers! if you're that way inclined. As with Dr. Slump there is a small patch for those who've downloaded Version 1, but Version 2 replaces the dgVoodoo config file with one that limits the framerate. This prevents some bugs that may occur when your boat needs to bounce. And finally, as promised, I've fixed the Gravis Ultrasound crash from last month's update for Shannara. The original DOS4GW.EXE has been replaced with a newer DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender which solves the issue. Not only that, but I've also tweaked the DOSBox-X mapper file and config a little to standardise hotkeys and restore the original aspect ratio when running in fullscreen.

That's a lot to keep you busy, so until the month of March comes to its end, check out this lot by clicking on the links after the jump.

MONTHLY 5 - October 2022

The frights are frequent in the fearful five for Halloween. I tried to focus on Stephen King adaptations but there are remarkably few of them out there. The Running Man is game based on a movie that's barely based on a book by his pseudonym (not to mention its not a horror story) and The Lawnmower Man is pants all round. I also didn't fancy a text adventure, even if it was based on The Mist. The only two that are left are a Capstone-published adventure game called The Dark Half (1992 Orion Pictures Corporation & IntraCorp Inc) and a desktop time-waster called Stephen King's F12 (1999 Blue Byte Software). Read on to see how well they fare.

To fill in the gaps, there's the obscure and underrated Amiga FPS called Fears (1995 Manyk Ltd & Attic Entertainment Software) which is more like Doom than the other Amiga Doom-clone called Gloom. I've also jumped for joy when an English translation patch arrived for Mizzurna Falls (1998 Human Entertainment) the Japanese-only Twin Peaks-inspired open-world action-adventure on Sony's PlayStation. Finally, I got to exploring the ancient Egyptian curses of The Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh (1996 Amazing Media & Interplay), a first-person adventure game from the people behing Frankenstein: Through the Eyes of thr Monster.

That's not all! I've also added a small patch for the Enemy Infestation package. Unzip the small configuration files in the game's install directory to prevent conflict with the game's keyboard shortcuts and the DOSBox hotkeys.

Head on after the jump to find out more... if you dare!

MONTHLY 5 - June 2022

Looks like I missed a month! Dunno where the time went (I'm blaming a rift in the space-time continuum), but here's some games for June. First up is a very adult FMV murder myster starring some recognisable Hollywood types by the name of Blue Heat: The Cover Girl Murders (1997, Orion Pictures Corporation). For something a little more family friendly there's the fun flipper follow up to that Windows pack-in game Full Tilt! 2 Pinball (1996, Maxis, Inc). Ever wanted to live the life of a lion? Then you're in luck 'cos the next game is an educational simulation simply called Lion (1995, Sanctuary Woods). If you want to race in circles in one of the most realistic car sims of the time, then give NASCAR Racing 2 (1996, Sierra On-Line) a whirl. To top it all off, we have an old remake of an ancient platformer designed to make use of those newfangled windows in Thexder for Windows '95 (1995 Sierra On-Line). Head on over by clicking the links after the jump. Enjoy!

HIDDEN GEMS - TOP 10 UNEXPECTED MOVIE LICENCED GAMES OF THE 90s

 

No one can deny that this past year has been... unexpected. Particularly in the movie industry. It's now awards season and even that's seen some unexpected goings on. Who would've thought a Borat sequel could've garnered two Oscar noms, let alone a couple of Golden Globes already in the bag?

 

Anyway, with this in mind I'd thought I'd tally up my Top 10 Unexpected Movie Licenced Games. There are a few criteria that would make a movie-based game unexpected. It could've been released way behind the initial cinema run, voiding any potential cross promotion. It could've used the licence in a weird way. Or maybe the licence itself doesn't usually scream 'game'. 

 

There are 4 games new to the Collection Chamber; Aliens Online (1998 Fox Interactive), Hamlet: A Murder Mystery (1997 Castle Rock Entertainment & EMME Interactive), Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures (1996 LucasArts) and Plan 9 From Outer Space (1992 Gremlin Graphics). One of the 10 has also been updated, but I won't spoil that or their ranking here. You have to watch the video below or click on the jump to find out. Preferably both. 

WATCH THE VIDEO

MONTHLY 5 - October 2020

We may have to stay inside this Halloween, but with this bunch of old games, you don't have to waste it. Dusting off their sheets to escape the Chamber are the platforming skills of Satan (1989 Dinamic Software), the first-person shooting horrors of Eight Legged Freaks (2002 Warner Bros), the role-playing freak-outs of Xenomorph (1990 Pandora) and the survival horror that is Doctor Hauzer (1994 Riverhill Soft). Scariest of all is the teen romancing of The Vampire Diaries (1996 American Laser Games), but at least they have some vampire attacks in there to calm the nerves. 

October also got a slew of updates. 3D Ultra Pinball: Creep Night, Gahan Wilson's Ultimate Haunted House and Jurassic Park Collection: Volume 2 all got a little easier to get running on Windows 10. Check them out after the jump!

WATCH THE VIDEO

THE ABYSS: INCIDENT AT EUROPA

Out of all of James Camerons' back catalogue of blockbusters, I've always felt The Abyss to be a bit underappreciated. Sure, the visual effects were a milestone in moviemaking but underneath all of that is a thought-provoking sci-fi that's as deep as the depths the story takes you. In 1998, a year shy of its 10th anniversary, a little known developer by the name of Sound Source Interactive took that ageing I.P. and created a somewhat forgotten first-person action-adventure.

MONTHLY 5 - MARCH 2020

Hello fellow humans. We've got a plethora of out-of-this-world treats this week with a quintet of alien-themed gems. This marks our 400th game on the site (have you checked them all out?)! Don't panic with Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Collection (1984-2010 Various), a four-game package including the classic Infocom text-adventure and the fanmade remake. Solve some pre-algebraic equations in Math Blaster Mystery: The Great Brain Robbery (1994 Davidson & Associates). Then have a game of intergalactic air hockey in Shufflepuck Cafe (1989 Brøderbund Software Inc). Filter fact from fiction in the educational CD-ROM all about aliens in Sightings: The UFO Encyclopedia (1997 Paramount Pictures). Lastly, shoot some alien bugs in the real-time-strategy Starship Troopers: Terran Ascendancy (2000 Blue Tongue Inc).

ATTACK OF THE SAUCERMAN!

by HeroOfAvalon

Before they were absorbed by Sony, Psygnosis were responsible for publishing some interesting games. Attack of the Saucerman, the sole release from Fube Industries Ltd, was an attempt at morphing the sci-fi stylings of a 1950s B-movie with an action-heavy mascot platformer.  With Mars Attacks and Men in Black hitting cinemas, the late 90s had something of a renaissance of flying saucer schlock, the latter of which appears to be a heavy inspiration here. With its 2000 release (a year after the PlayStation original), did it miss the B-movie boat?

ALIEN ODYSSEY

by Austin Brewer

Argonaut Software, a studio best known for its development of Star Fox and the Super Nintendo's Super FX chip, also developed the obscure DOS action-adventure known as Alien Odyssey in 1995. With a far more powerful system at their disposal, how does this innovative team fare on home computers?

STUPID INVADERS

Comedy is something of a rarity in today's gaming market. Sure you may muster a titter or two at the quips made in Doom or the tantrum of a losing sibling in Mario Kart but none of them gets there through actual, full-on comedy. That's where classic adventures shine. And one that does is Xilam's 2000 point-and-clicker Stupid Invaders.

THE THING

John Carpenter's The Thing is a milestone in sci-fi cinema so it's surprising that it took 20 years until we saw a videogame based on it. Released in 2002, Computer Artworks underrated gem proved that it was worth the wait. So much so that John Carpenter himself officially endorsed it as the canonical sequel.

THE X-FOOLS: THE SPOOF IS OUT THERE

The folks at Parroty Interactive are at it again with another pop-culture parody. This time it's the classic 90's supernatural procedural that falls victim to their particular brand of 'comedy'.  Having a timely release in 1997 when X-Files fever was at a high, there's a lot for The X-Fools to mock, but how does it fare for fans and non-fans alike?

MEN IN BLACK: THE GAME

A pivotal movie in my early teenage years was the Will Smith starring blockbuster Men In Black. Much like any other major movie at the time, a video game tie-in was released. Developed by Gigawatt Studios with the underrated SouthPeak Interactive (of Temüjin fame) handling publishing duties, this Resident Evil-like action adventure went somewhat under the radar back in 1997.

FLYING SAUCER

Alien mythology and conspiracy theories reached mainstream popularity in the 90s thanks to a certain sci-fi TV show. One of the most obscure and overlooked games from this era is this PostLinear developed simulation from 1998 that sees you piloting a Flying Saucer. And it sure does owe a lot to the phenomenon that was The X-Files.

ALIEN VIRUS

With the number of games set in an abandoned space station, it could very well be a sub-genre all on its own. I know I've featured enough on them on this site to notice a pattern. So let's look at another one. Here's a 1995 adventure game by Trecision called Alien Virus.