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 - June 2024

So, the end of June is here, meaning that half of 2024 has passed by! And with that, the Collection Chamber has set free a further five prisoners  filled with fun times.

My pick of the bunch hails from Sweden; The Mystery at Greveholm (1997 Young Genius) a spooky first-person adventure for all ages based on a TV show beloved by all Swedes of a certain age. Beyond this, we have the next entry in Don Bluth's edutainment series with All Dogs Go to Heaven 2: Animated MovieBook (1996 MGM Animation, Inc & Sound Source Interactive). Instead of watching the fourth movie in cinemas, reenact the second in Bad Boys II; Miami Takedown (2004 Blitz Games Ltd, Empire Interactive Europe Ltd & Columbia Pictures). Join the rebel force against a conquering alien race in the FMV-heavy action-packed The Raven Project (1995 Cryo Interactive) before heading back down to earth with the high-speed XCar: Experimental Racing (1997 Bethesda Softworks).

That's all for now! I'll see you next time for some more retro goodness.

MONTHLY 5 - SEPTEMBER 2021

On September 8th, Star Trek commemorated its 55th anniversary! Also on that date, Good Old Games scuppered my plans to put out some good old games based on the licence. I had Elite Force, Armada 2 and Away Team ready to go and as many of you may know, I'd spent copious amounts of time tinkering with Hidden Evil. That doesn't even mention the first Armada and Bridge Commander already being on the site. At laeast you play them all officially now, from a company with a team of testers and programmers and not from one random guy on the internet.

I still want to celebrate trekking through the stars, so here are five other games good enough for the likes of Kirk, Picard, Sisco and co. First up is Captain's Chair (1997 Paramount Pictures & Simon & Schuster Interactive), an educational CD-ROM that tells you everything about the bridges of five fictional starships. Then there's Deep Space Nine: Dominion Wars (2000 Paramount Pictures & Simon & Schuster Interactive), a real-time strategy set in the vase expanse of outer space. If you want a more grounded RTS, then New Worlds (2000 Paramount Pictures & Interplay Entertainment Corp) lands the strategic management on the planet's surface WarCraft style. The Next Generation try their hands at a complex 4X managerial strategy game in Birth of the Federation (1999 Paramount Pictures & Hasbro Interactive Inc), but not before those pesky Klingons train for a bit in the FMV-filled simulation game Klingon Academy (2000 Paramount Pictures & Interplay Entertainment Corp). Follow the jump to find out more!

On a side note, my real-world job does have me swamped at the moment, so both the video and the written reviews will have to be delayed a little (or a lot - who knows?). At least I got the games out on time, so let me know your thoughts in the comments!

MONTHLY 5 - FEBRUARY 2021

 

February's games are here and we start with the last remaining game in the Animani-verse with Animaniacs: A Gigantic Adventure (1999 SouthPeak Interactive). This one's a platformer, so read read on to see if it lives up to Konami's 16-bit classics. If you want something a little more serious, then check out the incredibly obscure Death by Dark Shadows (1994 William R. Fisher III), a dark and spooky cinematic platformer that has you play as a black panther. Following on from last month's educational adventure comes EcoQuest II: The Lost Secrets of the Rainforest (1993 Sierra On-Line) which sees you befriending an Amazonian bat as opposed to dolphin royalty. Still, I'm sure there's still enough litter picking to keep an average ex-con out of trouble. If you're a racing fan, why not try the first NASCAR Racing (1994 Papyrus Design Group)? It pits up to 38 stock cars against each other in an early polygonal crash-fest. Then, in a blatant move to be topical, there's Vaxine (1990 The Assembly Line) which has you throwing multicoloured balls around in the psychedelic brain of patient zero. I'm glad real-life vaccines don't work that way, otherwise we'd be screwed.

On top of all this, there are a couple of updates to mention too. Alice: An Interactive Museum (1991-94 Synergy Interactive Corp) and the cancelled WarCraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans (Blizzard Entertainment) have received new versions. Check out their pages for more details.

Watch the video round up below before checking them out yourself by following the links after the jump.

MONTHLY 5 - December 2020

Just in time for say good riddance to 2020, here are December's selection of PC games to keep you occupied. There's the mini-game collection of Animaniacs Game Pack (1997 Funnybone Interactive), some hi-octane shooting in Delta V (1993 Bethesda Softworks), a historic puzzle solving adventure in Karma: Curse of the 12 Caves (1995 Discis Entertainment), histrionic puzzle solving in Lemmings 3D + Winterland (1995 Psygnosis Ltd) and some Christmas hijinks in Nightmare in the Toy Factory (1997 Anglia Multimedia).

 

There is one update for this month too - Curse of Enchantia from Core Design. It was one of my earlier installers so I've updated to the newest version of DOSBox and made sure it is completeable. And I had to go through that annoying cliff walk multiple times just to make sure :)

Beyond testing this classic adventure, I've been spending more time with family than I usually would - it has been Christmas after all. And if any year is going to make you appreciate them more, it's 2020. As such, I've struggled to find time for the Chamber, so please be patient if you've contacted me and are still waiting for a reply - I aim to get back to you. 

 

This also means that there are no videos for this month I'm afraid, but I do aim to ring in the first few weeks of the new year with my annual Top 10 rundown extravaganza! I'll see you all soon for that, and until then have a merry New Year and Happy Gaming!

MONTHLY 5 - July 2020

Come and see what July has in store for The Collection Chamber! I recently ranked Cybercon III (1991, The Assembly Line) and Hades (1995, Ablex) in a Top 10 Hidden Gems video and now you can play them for yourself to see how you'd rate them. Let's not forget Defiance (1997, Avalon Hill) and Shadow of Destiny/Memories (2002, Konami) that each got the full video review treatment.

New to the Chamber is Darklight Conflict (1997, Rage Software), a visually impressive space combat sim, 3D Ultra Cool Pool (1999, Sierra On-Line) which is, well, cool pool, and the third game in the Dr. Brain series; The Lost Mind of Dr. Brain (1995, Sierra On-Line).

Let's not forget the one update for the month: S.C.A.R.A.B. (1997, Electronic Arts) which now has multiple options on how to play it on Windows 10.

Watch the video roundup. then find out more after the jump!

MONTHLY 5 - MAY 2020

Our May Movie celebration comes to a close with a quintet of licenced games. Aid the caped crusader through the events of Batman Returns (1992 Konami) in this relatively unknown point-and-click adventure. Take to the skies and defeat alien invaders in Independence Day: The Game (1997 Fox Interactive). Sometimes, all you need is a menagerie of talking animals to save the world - and Michael Jordan. Gather a team of Looney Tunes to play basketball against some aliens in Space Jam (1996 Warner Bros). Get back down to earth in a compilation of Lethal Weapon games. Lethal Weapon Collection (1992-1993 Ocean) features 5 unique games over 6 platforms. Finally, future earth has been flooded, so do your best to survive the real-time strategy in Waterworld: The Quest for Dry Land (1997 Interplay).

Watch our video roundup below or check them out yourself after the jump.

5 GAMES FOR AUGUST

So, it's been a while since I've posted something and that's down to a particularly busy August. But that hasn't stopped me rushing to fulfil my promise of at least 5 games per month. At the tail end of this very sunny Summer hols, why not go exploring a forgotten jungle using some shiny metal balls in 3D Ultra Pinball: The Lost Continent. Perhaps the cyberpunk stylings of the sci-fi adventure B.A.T. will satiate you. If not, try protecting a city of perpetual night from some warmongering invaders in the action-filled space sim Darker. If real life's getting you down, why not try a simulated one in SimLife - there's dragons in it! Lastly, chill with some friends and play some pool, Virtual Pool that is. Enjoy!

5 GAMES FOR JULY

The temperature is about to hit record levels, so why not stay indoors where there's air conditioning and play one or more of these 5 games for July. Discover the secrets of a spooky castle by way of a metal ball and flippers in 3D Ultra Pinball: Creep Night. Fly the city skies looking for criminals in the action game BHunter. Pretend like you're outside in the sun by playing Links: The Challenge of Golf. See if you can predict what global warming has in store for us in SimEarth: The Living Planet. Finally, revisit the ancient Greek myths of antiquity in the educational point-and-click adventure Wrath of the Gods. It's an eclectic bunch of games that will sure to keep you cool.

BANZAI BUG

Out of all the concepts for an action flight-simulator, that of a flying insect it perhaps the most inspired. Released in 1996 by Grolier Interactive, Banzai Bug took the gameplay from the likes of X-Wing or Wing Commander and plonked it into the miniature, colourful surroundings of a bug's adventurous life.

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.

HELLBENDER

With the success of the Windows '95 launch title Fury3, a sequel to the MicroSoft published space shooter was not far behind. Hellbender (1996, Terminal Reality) sees very little changed from the DOS days of Terminal Velocity but what it lacks in originality, it certainly makes up for it with sheer bombast.

DAVID WOLF: SECRET AGENT

Ah, the 80s. Everything was bigger in the 80s. The hair. The fashion. The action movies. Developed by Dynamix and released in the last year of the decade, David Wolf: Secret Agent encapsulates all of those things and more besides.

THE LAST DYNASTY

The Last Dynasty, released in 1995 by Sierra, looks like it could be a cool action-packed sci-fi adventure. And with that Star Wars meets Star Trek cover and strategic use of the word 'sizzling' on the back of the box why wouldn't you? In actuality, the 'action-packed' and 'adventure' elements are mutually exclusive leaving us with a game that, while enjoyable in parts, has something of an identity crisis.