![[Section Separator - pretty purple flowers and vines, matching background]](bar74.gif){kind=small}
In our family, we loved playing games. I really miss that! So, many of these are variations of classic games, usually freeware or shareware. I hope you find them enjoyable, too! This is truly a labor of love for me. :-)
In the years that I have been online, I have downloaded literally thousands of games (right now, I have over 650 to test). Most of them were pretty lousy. :-( Some of them, however, were great! I've listed many of them here, and because many of these versions can't be found on the Internet any more, I am also hosting some of them here. :) If the links don't work, let me know so I can find it again or host it, if it's small enough.
Why am I doing this? Some of these games have updated versions, but they are bloated and don't play as well as these do, even the ones with flaws. I don't give a rat's *ss about bells and whistles. I want a game that plays well, and the minor problems are still worth it. However, I am always willing to try other versions. Let me know where to find 'em!
If there are classics missing, it's because I only have the registered versions, and I can't share those! Sorry! Or the games are too big, and I have limited space. :-( But, unless otherwise indicated, these games are fully functional and don't expire.
If you have problems running DOS games, or are not comfortable editing the PIF for a DOS game, or have Windows ME or newer, you may want to give the DOS-only games a pass. But hopefully you won't have a problem playing the DOS games that also play in Windows. There is a simple-to-use CPU slowdown program in the Utility section called Mo'Slo to help the faster computers play these games, if needed. Remember, too, that your mileage may vary!
Let me know if you have any requests? Ya never know! :-)
Note: I am an Amazon.com Associate, so I've placed a few links on games that have to be bought that were worth the price that I found at Amazon.com! :) At any given time, they may not be available though. Or use the Search box below:
Action Adult Adventure Board Card
Children's Dice Logic/Puzzle Utility Instructions
Action Games
I was an addict of the Atari 2600. I couldn't afford
to upgrade to Nintendo and it's versions, then Sony Playstation and it's
versions, etc., ad nauseum. So, I ended up with 2 consoles and over 100 games!
Gotta love garage sales and resale shops! My favorites were Breakout, Pinball,
Megamania, Seaquest, River Raid, and Backgammon, just to name a few. Once I
got a computer, one of my first goals was to find replacements for my beloved
Atari. I found some, but not all. And some of the Windows versions were pretty
bad. :( So, as you go through these listings, you'll see references to which
Atari games I thought they resembled.
Bejeweled - Windows game. Awesome and colorful, but it expires. I think you get 25 games. You are presented with a grid of jewels. You have to swap jewels horizontally or vertically to match 3 or more in a row, which then disappear. The jewels shift down, and other jewels fill in from the top. Reach a certain amount of matches and you go on to a new level. Very addicting! No adrenaline, take time to find good matches, plan some strategies if you want. You can also play this online if you'd prefer. Can be bought at Amazon.com.
Minigolf - Windows Flash game. By Electrotank, plays free standing on your computer. Most of the mini-golf games I've tried have been buggy, sluggish, or seem inaccurate or even just too darn difficult to play. This is a very nice game of 9 holes. Only one hole seems impossible to play. Very quick coffee-break type of game.
If you can find it at the stores any more, I bought a cheapie title called Twisted Minigolf. Had 4 different courses/18 holes each to play and up to 4 players! Excellent! Another excellent cheapie one is Fuzzy's World of Miniature Space Golf, but it is DOS only. But it is very well done with some unique holes. Also up to 4 players. Very easy mouse play, too. May require Mo'Slo (see utilities below).
Minigolf Mayhem - Windows game. You only get 6 levels, but this plays very nicely, compared to most!
Hit or Miss - Windows game. Similar to Atari 2600 Breakout, but it has a doubled playing field. Your paddle is in the middle, and you have to bounce the ball into the top or bottom section depending on what the computer dictates. Nice!
Nanocore - Windows game. A type of 3D Pong/Breakout game, very interesting! If I remember right, it was one of the first "3D" games made for Windows 95. There are better Breakout games - I just have this here because it is "different".
Pulse - DOS game, plays in Windows. Like a mellow Tetris, for most of the game, and played more on the horizontal than vertical. I don't like adrenaline games, but I liked this one. The link takes you to the web site where you download the game plus a .reg file.
QBob - Windows game - all versions. Q*Bert clone, very nice! You get six levels in this 20 level game.
Snood - Windows. One of those "quiet" action games I like! I am told it is like Bust-A-Move and Collapse (and *I* think, a mellow Tetris). You shoot an object up the screen to match with the same objects. When you have 3 or more, they disappear. As you play, the field slowly drops down, putting the pressure on you. I have the registered version, so I am not sure what happens in the shareware version. I think you get only so many plays - like 50? Can be bought at Amazon.com.
Space Junkie - DOS game, plays in Windows. Great clone of Atari 2600 Megamania.
Squirmer - Win3.x game. A fairly faithful adaptation of Atari 2600 Centipede. Good game!
Star Mines 2 - DOS game. Similar to Atari 2600 Vanguard, maybe?You float in a star field and have to advance through passages, blowing things up. 3d maneuvering action with your mouse.
Twinblok - DOS game. Good clone of Atari 2600 Breakout, with extras!
WSlam -
Windows game. Air hockey! Tiny, plays very well. Sounds like the real thing,
if you turn the sound on within the game (off by default). When you click
on your paddle, just remember to not click on the buttons again, as that releases
the focus from the paddle.
XQuest2 - DOS game, plays in Windows. Nice little one screen space shooter. Requires good mouse coordination - move too fast and you crash into walls! Really a good game.
A terrific Breakout game, Ricochet Xtreme by Reflexive Arcade, can be played online at some game sites or via a demo. This is a beautiful game with their graphics, and the imaginations of the creators are very diabolical. Very unique! Version 2 - Ricochet Xtreme - Lost Worlds is just as beautiful and even more diabolical! These are on my Christmas list. :-) Can be bought at Amazon.com: Ricochet Xtreme and Ricochet Xtreme - Lost Worlds.
Adult Games
Construction
Bob In The Bouncing Factory - DOS game. Actually made by a young teen,
this does have a G and a PG version. Plays like Circus Atari, if you ever
played that. You control a trampoline held by two guys, and must bounce Bob
up through 3 lines of parts to make complete sets of items. If Bob misses
the trampoline - splat! Sometimes one of the guys gets sick. The graphics
aren't the best, but it is a funny game, and difficult!
Construction
Bob Escapes From Hell - DOS game. Bob is in Hell and you must help him
escape. Sequel to above, but easier.
Cat
Splat - Win3.x game. A skeet shoot game where you can shoot cats,
or clay pigeons, depending on if the kids are around! LOL
Elf Games - A series
of games featuring naughty, wacky, mischievous smart-mouthed elves! I've tried
Elf Bowling (1), Elf Bowling 2 (Shuffleboard) and Elf Bowling 3 (target shooting
with Mrs. Claus's bra!). Hilarious! This is a link to the site. You have to
give them your email in order to download. :-( Try clicking the "Already
a member" link, though! They've got 16 games to try, not all elves. Some
political ones, too.
Hot Death!
UNO - Win3.x. Great variation of UNO with extra cards like AIDS, F*ck
You, Sh*tter, Hot Death!, Draw ? (uses the number underneath), etc. and 3 smart-mouthed
(screen comments) college-type computer opponents. Lengthy game, clever comments.
One flaw - sometimes goes into overload if you get knocked out of the hand and
watch the others play. Using MKCOMPAT.EXE (See Instructions section below)
helps, but it may still overload on occasion. Also requires VBRUN100.DLL
- see Utilities below.
Xmas Carnage - DOS game. Blow Santa away!
Adventure Games
Cult and Cult2 - Two linear logic quests where you are a Federal Agent who goes undercover to complete a mission. Linear means you have to find something for A by finding B and maybe going to C, etc. Kind of like you can't progress in the game without completing bunches of mini-missions along the way. No shooting or violence, until maybe at the very end when there is a tiny bit, but it's law enforcement, baby! LOL Each game can be completed fairly quickly - several hours, maybe? The website has walkthroughs with hints if you need it. Good games, but the author does make you zig-zag a LOT. :-( You may need to give an email address, but you can bogus it. The other info doesn't need to be filled out.
Dink Smallwood - Windows game. EXCELLENT adventure/quest game! This is a large download - 23MB, but worth every bit of it! I loved playing Zelda3 on Super Nintendo. This is somewhat similar. Not too linear, you can go here, there and everywhere while completing your mission. Rather tongue in cheek, sometimes - note the name? Yup, he's Dink, it's dinky or small wood. LOL He's a young hero and wannabe stud in a medieval setting, who has to save the world from evil. Not too much action skills involved so most people can play it. However, you do have to kill an awful lot of monsters in order to get gold to buy things. I recommend using the cheat codes in order to do this. It's allowed in most of the modules. Also, the author released the source code, and many of the fans have created over 100 modules to play. I have been playing this and the modules for over a year now! Some of the modules are buggy and some are more sexually oriented, but the basic game is not. Go to Dink Smallwood Network to get more modules and the cheat code and other goodies. There are also walkthroughs for many modules in case you get stuck and a forum board to ask questions. Highly recommended!
Entombed - Windows game. Very good adventure game. You have to help an archaeologist escape from a tomb by solving tough puzzles.
Fully Ramblomatic site - Windows games. Very good, very simple point-and-click adventure games. The first game of Rob Blanc is almost too quick, but it was pretty intuitive for me. By that I mean that many adventure games nowadays get too weird when it comes to combining objects and what they are used for, that I need a walkthrough to get through them. :\ With these games, I just keep the walkthrough handy in case I get stuck, which isn't often. LOL Okay, not TOO often, anyways! LOLOLOL
In these games, I've noticed that besides the .exe file, there is a winsetup.exe file as well. The games are set for 320 x 200 mode, and my system won't do that, so I use the winsetup.exe program to change to 640 x 480 mode, plus also I check the box to run in a window rather than full screen, so I can multitask. :D
So far, I've played:
The author has a few other games on that site, all free. Check them out! They aren't the greatest in graphics, but they are very playable games. :)
There is also a game called The Treasure of Drunk Island, plus a series called Ben Jordan, all of which I haven't played yet but can be found here.
Reality-On-The-Norm - DOS/Windows games. Also known as RoN games. I am amazed! I played a few of these games a couple years ago and lost them. :-( In researching the Fully Ramblomatic info above, I find out that the first game was created by the same author, Ben Croshaw! No wonder his games looked familiar!
Anyway, the premise of RoN is that there is a town, Reality, on the river, Norm, and it begins with all the same characters. Authors were invited to use the setting and characters to develop their own games, resulting in quick "coffeebreak" games. The link above is for 7 pages worth of their games. This was a neat idea when there were 6 games, but now there's over 60! I hope they are all decent.
Early versions of the "chapters" may be in DOS, and later versions may be in Windows. However, it may not be possible to play the games with WindowsME or later (like XP). No, I haven't played them all. I think I got stuck on #2, but finished 1 and 3. I have yet to find a homepage or walkthroughs, though, dammit! LOL
AHA! The link above has walkthroughs, but I needed to use Google to find them.
Note: For those of you who like Adventure games and don't mind paying for them, here's some I've tried that were very good:
NOTE: If you like Al Lowe, please take the time to visit his homepage at Al Lowe's Humor Site! You can join his joke-a-day list, have fun looking around, and also grab some free downloads of his earlier games. Not the ones above, but more kid-oriented/Disney types. Kewl!
Board Games
Battleship - Windows game. Destroyer For Windows is a pretty faithful adaptation of Battleship. You need to run the setup from the top menu before playing. Should be pretty self-explanatory after that!
Chinese Checkers - DOS game, plays in Windows. Very nice adaptation of Chinese Checkers for the computer.
Dominoes - Windows game. Simple version of Dominoes. Just click on Slick to play!
Literati Lite - Windows game. A good Scrabble clone. In the help files is a list of 2 letter words that the computer uses, so you can too! This version should just have a nag screen, and not expire.
Monopoly - DOS game, works in Windows. Hooray! I found a freeware version of the original game that plays in Windows!!!!! Not the most glamorous game, but it does work so much better than others I have found!
Monopoly (Swedish) - Windows9.x. If you know the game of Monopoly, and want to try your luck in playing an all Swedish version, try this one out! Nice looking game, and plays well. I was able to figure out just about everything, but I did guess quite a few times, paid attention to what happened, and could then judge future transactions accordingly. Fortunately, I guessed right, since I am pretty decent about associating foreign words with American ones. :-) The DOS game above is better for novices, and average players, while this one is for experts.
Another "Monopoly" style game is called Winpolis. While it is a nice game and can even be amusing at times, it is so overwhelmed by nag screens that after a few games, it is no longer fun to play. As you can see, I won't even link to it! I've also tried Billionaire, Metropolis, and Travel Trade as well as several way-too-primitive DOS versions of the original game. No links again! LOL
MVP Backgammon - Windows game. Not only are the graphics and gameplay great, it runs off the Fiona protocol, which makes it a very formidable, intelligent opponent. Set in medieval times, it has a few clever sayings and neat sounds and old music. Regular game play works fine, only the tournament play is disabled and the doubling die. I have tried many, many other versions. While they are all pretty decent, it's a personal preference as to what you may like. I love this version! To me, it's the best one out there!
Oil Baron - Windows game. I believe this is like Acquire? You play on a grid, placing one block at a time, to make oil companies, merge, and buy and sell stocks. Not a bad little game.
Othello - Windows game. Freeware. Faithful adaptation. Placing your piece so you capture at least one enemy piece, you get to flip all the pieces in between from your enemy's color to yours. It's motto - A minute to learn, a lifetime to master.
Redhook's Revenge - DOS game, plays in Windows. I think this board game is very cool! You are a pirate competing against other pirates, to capture as much money and booty as you can. The game is played on an old map, and your token is a ship. Challenges or capturing towns is done using dice, highest/strongest rolls win. Lots of pirate trivia! There are small sections "missing" from the map, because it is shareware, but the game plays very smoothly.
Terrace
- Windows game. The game board is divided into squares which are then "terraced"
up, then down, and capture of game pieces is based on the size of the piece
and the level it's at. Per the developers, they wanted to create a game tougher
than chess in strategy. Per me, I think they succeeded! LOL This version is
only the beginner's level, which you will probably need for quite a while. The
registered version has more advanced playing capabilities and features. Different,
but way too tough for me, as I am only a beginner's level chess player.
Ultragammon - Windows game, expires. An interesting variation of backgammon, played on a round board. Very different! This may only work for 14 days or 10 free games, but it was interesting enough to put here, for the backgammon devotees. About 1.6MB download.
Whahoo v2.0 - DOS game, plays in Windows. Will need Mo'Slo
in the Utility section if your computer is much over a 233 MHz CPU. GREAT
board game, like Aggravation, for up to four players. What makes this game unique
is your tokens are little cars, and when you land on an opponent, you drag race
for the spot! Win three, and you're home free!
Card Games
Big 2 - DOS game, but plays in Windows. Unusual and good card game, supposedly popular with the Japanese gambling crowd, where you try to get your cards discarded before everyone else. Points are based on cards you have left. You can run negative scores, too. You discard poker hands, and the game has a wonderful "sort" button to help you sort your cards in various ways to see what you've got.
Canasta 3.01 - Win3.x game. GREAT game - but it expires after 2 weeks or so. :-(
Many sound effects courtesy of Fawlty Towers! Try to make canastas (seven of a kind, can use up to 3 wild cards) and other sets for points. This is the game I grew up with. By setting some of the various options, I was able to get a version that plays nearly identical to the way my family plays. There is a newer version, but somehow it doesn't play as well as this version did.
Has one bad flaw - the computer does not care what you have melded and will
sometimes throw a critical card to you, to your advantage! And the computer
baits . . . it's a master baiter! (Sorry - old joke - couldn't resist! ;-p)
and likes to go out on concealed hands, so be careful.
Carte Primus (Cribbage) - DOS and Win3.x versions in one zip file. EXCELLENT game! Voice announcer through PC speaker or soundcard. Gives suggestions if you want them. Tracks games played and points accumulated. Change cardbacks, even submit designs to win a T-shirt! Cribbage is supposed to be the first two-player card game ever developed. You're dealt 6 cards, two of which you place in a "crib". Thus, each deal someone gets two hands to score points from. Fascinating game!
Of all the versions I have tried, this is the best for learning how to play the game. Many games are too automated, or penalize you if you guess wrong - not a good way to learn!
Tried Ravenswood Cribbage, Black Dog Cribbage, MVP Cribbage, and several DOS versions - all good games, but I like Carte Primus better because of the teaching functions and the voice mode.
CMT Solitaire
- Windows suite of 40 solitaire games.
Crispy - Win 3.x game. Just a very simple
solitaire matching game where you delete number cards by pairs, filling in
the blank spaces from the stock. Face cards are placed along the edges, with
Kings on top and bottom, Queens on the sides and Jacks in the corners. Small
children can probably handle this game.
Hand and Foot Canasta - DOS game, but plays in Windows. Not really a true canasta, but there are many resemblances. You and your computer opponent choose 2 hands of 15 cards each, a Hand and a Foot. Playing with the Hand, you try to lay down all your cards as soon as you can, so you can then go on to the Foot. You need a natural canasta (7 of a kind) and a mixed canasta (4 or more of a kind plus wild cards to equal 7) before you can go out. You draw 2 cards at a time, but can never take the discard pile. First player to reach 10,000 after several rounds wins. I recommend to "Save and Quit" after each hand. One flaw - there occasionally is a video glitch which requires you to restart the hand. If you have previous unsaved hands, you lose them, too, so Save and Quit each time!
Mahjongg ~ The REAL Game - Windows 3.x. This is NOT the solitaire tile-matching game. This is the REAL Mahjongg, played like cards. In fact, it is a forerunner to Gin Rummy, in my opinion, and it could be that "jongg" came to be "gin". You are dealt a number of tiles, and play against 3 computer opponents. You try to gets sets of 3 of a kind, or 3 in a row in a suit. Sound familiar? :-) It is a bit more complicated than that, but this game has several aids to help you out. It is a very long game - a minimum of 16 hands, 4 for each Wind. If no one goes Mahjongg, the hand is replayed. I've really enjoyed playing this version, but unfortunately, you can't save your game. :-( It also expires, but I found that by deleting the mahjongg.cfg file, you get another 2 weeks. You really need that in order to learn the game.
Mile Bones - Win3.x game. Faithful adaptation of the card game Mille Bornes. Just click and play. Object: to accumulate mileage for each hand, getting bonuses for special cards. Stop your computer opponent by giving it cards that cause flat tires, accidents, etc. - but turn about is fair play! One flaw - doesn't let you know you've won the game, so watch your score (game is over at 5000) or you'll start a new game.
I've tried other versions, like Roadtrip and Milestones, but they seem a little
flaky, whereas this one, as simple and small as it is and with the one flaw,
plays so much better. Your decision.
Min-ha-to
- DOS, plays in Windows. Card-matching game using colorful Korean deck based
on the 12 months. There are 3 sets of ribbons to collect, and 3 special sets
of cards - try to get at least one of each to prevent the other guy from scoring
big, while trying to complete a set for yourself. My tip - go for ribbon sets
- ribbons are lower in points, but as sets, you score BIG! Very addictive!
Great one for the kids, too. They may not understand the combinations, but
will be quick to learn the matching!
Pinochle - Windows. Double deck partner style. Very good!
Rummy 500 - Windows game. EXCELLENT version! This is fully functional software, only some style features have been blocked. Basically, you want to lay down 3 or 4 of a kind, and runs of 3 or more by suits and then go out. Cards are played to a common field, and you can both add to the cards.
Scat! - Win3.x game. Game of 31. Replace the 3 cards you're dealt with higher cards of the same suit from either the top discard or the stock. You can knock starting at 21 and try to catch the other computer opponents with less, but it doesn't always work. Once someone knocks, the others are allowed one more card to improve their hands. Player with the lowest score loses a penny. If someone gets 31, no knocking is needed - Scat is automatically declared! Everyone (except the declarer) loses a penny. Since you only get 4 pennies, you can get knocked out fast! Play continues (even with just computer opponents if you want) until only one player is left. Also requires VBRUN300.DLL - see Utilities below.
Scout's Game - Win95 game. Very addictive game! Play against 2-4 computer opponents or even over ICQ. All cards are dealt, and a person is asked to start a suit by laying down a card. This becomes the base card, and cards are played sequentially up or down and by suit.
The trick is to try and hold back cards so other players can't lay down, who are then penalized by those points - but only for a certain number of hands! Then, the point collecting part reverses. You want to let the other people lay down their cards, while trying not to play your high pointers, to bring your score back down to zero. Multiple players can win.
Spite and Malice
- Windows game. EXCELLENT game! It's motto is "The card game with an attitude"
and it sure has! This is similar to Skip-Bo where you play against an opponent
over a common playing field. You have a stack of cards to discard, playing off
from Aces to King or 1 to 13, depending on the card style you choose. You have
5 cards every turn, and one must be laid down to a Hold area every turn. So
you have to stack cards smartly in order to play them off again. There are great
sounds and snotty comments made by your opponent. This version expires
after 30 days.
Top Card - Win95 game. We play an offline
game similar to this called Drunken Russian. You and your opponent have a
stack of cards to get rid of, and there are cards face up in the playing field.
You try to get rid of your cards by placing them on the face up cards, going
up or down in sequence. For instance, you could lay a 2 or a 4 on a 3. Time
is of the essence, so you get a bit of an adrenaline buzz trying to beat the
computer to a mutual card!
Two
Handed Spades - Win9.x game. BEST Spades for
two I've found! Besides a hint button, the game deals three hands, discarding
one. However, you get the choice of the upturned card that would normally
go in your hand or the downturned card that would get discarded. Choosing
your cards is a great way to build confidence and game expertise by playing
with a stronger hand, since you can get docked points for sandbagging (underbidding).
Also, since the computer opponent is an intelligent player, it evens the odds
of winning. Also requires VBRUN300.DLL - see Utilities below. I am still looking
for a good Partners Spades game.
Wracko - Windows game. Ever play the card game Rack-O? This is a faithful adaptation of the game. You are dealt 10 cards in mixed numerical order. You need to replace them from the discard pile to get them into numerical order, plus getting 3 in a row. The pace is hectic, and the computer is a tough opponent!
Wutch - Windows game. A card matching game that unfortunately expires after 2 weeks. I say unfortunately, because the game is addicting, at least, to me! Very similar to Min-Ha-To above, but you play against 2 computer opponents. As you play and accumulate points within a hand, you have the choice to Stop and take your points, or Go and try to make more points. Very nicely done! As a point of interest, I ended up getting a high hand and was listed on the author's Ultimate High Hands Hall Of Heroes - for a few days! LOL In playing the game further, one of the computer opponents beat me, so I got bumped from Second place to Third. Ah, well!
Children's Games
Amy's
Fun-2-3 Adventure - DOS game, may need to configure for sound.
Amy is a cute little dog who will take children through number recognition
and simple counting in four different games. Very good, I thought! Ages 2-5.
Balloonz
- Win3.x game. Simple enough for kids, but challenging for adults, too! Has
two games: one where you float across the night sky with 2 balloons, using
the up arrow to flap your arms. Don't hit any stars or you pop a balloon!
The second can be for 2 players, and is kind of like a balloon Tetris. Use
your puff-gun to keep the balloons from sinking or to score better points
when they hit the wall.
Bow and Arrow - Win3.x game. An archery game for kids! Shoot at balloons! Fun for the grownups, too! :-)
Etch-A-Sketch - Win3.x
game. Just like the handheld game we played as kids!
Dice Games
Cascades - Windows 9x game. Nice strategy game. You are given dice that have to be placed at the bottom of a grid so they form cascades of either runs or sets. Not as easy as it looks, but very easy to play!
Doc Defiant aka Battle Skimmers - DOS game, plays in Windows. Anyone who downloads this will think I'm nuts, but this is actually a great game! First of all, the graphics are terrible and the music comes from the PC speaker and is also terrible - hit F5 to turn the sound off. You'll thank me! The silly plot is that Doc Defiant wants to freeze the world, and the FBI is asking you to volunteer to play Battle Skimmers against Doc's 4 henchmen. Lose one game, and Doc wins! Now, after the silly plot, awful graphics and music, comes the actual game. You each have ten tokens on opposite sides of a grid. Each person gets to roll 3 dice and move their tokens to the other side accordingly. The "battle" part comes between each person's roll, when any tokens with a higher number than a token in the same column or row wins that spot, sending the other token back home. Each henchman or woman has their own playing style, and cute snide comments, and there are various skill levels to choose from. Truly a great game! I wish they would upgrade the graphics and sound -I am sure that is a BIG minus in this game's success.
Oh No! - Windows game. EXCELLENT dice game! I learned to play this years ago, and we called it Cosmos. Other names are Ten Thousand, Stone's Throw, and there's even a version with Pigs! Using 6 dice, you try to roll points and stop before throwing no points, or you lose the points you made that turn. I like this version the best, as it comes closest to the way we played. Also, there is a character called Andrew Dice Cray who makes side bets with you. I have the registered version. It used to be that the shareware version expired after a year, but I don't know if that has changed.
Tri-Yacht! - Windows game. Triple Yahtzee. Play 3 games at once!
Logic/Puzzle Games
Cargo Bay - DOS game. Good logic game of the box-pushing variety. You need to defuse bombs in a spaceship's cargo bay before the ship explodes. Good music, too!
Gemma - DOS game, plays in Windows. A gridded board has arrows which face in various directions. You start in one spot, and your computer opponent in another, heading towards different goals. The key is that the space you move on sets what moves your opponent can do, based on your arrows, and he returns the, um, favor. A good deviation from normal logic games!
Magneto - Windows game. You need to guide a ball around a field using magnetic forces that either attract or repel the ball.
Matchbox - Windows game. Not the little cars! You can safely play with kitchen matches in this game! You are shown a desired shape made of matchsticks, and are given a different design. Rearrange your matchsticks to match their matchsticks to get a match. Natch! :-)
Mimi and the Mites - DOS game. Many levels to play! Get Mimi through each level avoiding the usual and some not so usual pitfalls. If she gets caught, the Mites do something embarrassing to her! LOL
Oxyd - DOS game, may play in Windows. There are several of these games (besides Oxyd there is PerOxyd and Magnum Oxyd), and this is a demo version. I believe you get 10 levels, if I remember right. You have to figure out how to get the rolling ball to change objects to complete each level. I loved this!
Rings of the Magi - Windows game. This was the first game I ever bought for Windows. Maybe not the most thrilling game, but a good one! You are presented with a field with colored rings on them. You have to figure out how to move the rings to pair them off and clear the board, using directional keys. Tough! Not sure what the shareware version is like since I have the full version. I imagine you don't get as many levels.
Wheel of Fortune - Windows game. A lite but decent version of TV's Wheel of Fortune.
Xenoball
- DOS game. A ball is rolling along a track, but there are missing pieces!
You have to decide which pieces go where, before the ball reaches the gap.
I believe this has 57 levels!
Utilities
Atom Time - Sets your computer's clock by connecting to the Atomic Clock time server in Boulder, CO . This is an older version of Atomtime, and I know it works up to WinME. I didn't like the newer version.
The Cleaner - You know all those jokes you get with many <<< symbols? This handy-dandy program will get rid of them, and tighten up extra spaces and returns as well!
Desktop Toilet - Tired of that plain old Recycle Bin? How about changing it into a toilet, with several views, and a flushing sound? I love it!
Irfan View - The link will take you to the web site of this very versatile, easy-to-use basic image viewer. It looks at nearly every type of image format, including many sound files, and also allows you to edit, crop, resize, add many effects, rotate images, etc. Just about all you need packed into a relatively small file!. Adobe Photoshop is HUGE - the zip file is over 26 Mb. This is around 1 mb yet!
List Directory - I use this to create a text listing of an MP3 CD, in preparation to converting it onto a database. It will make a text directory listing from Windows Explorer as well, and print it out, which Windows won't do. Maybe it does now? If not, this utility is great!
Mo'Slo - DOS utility. If you get a 200 Runtime error on any DOS game, it means your computer's speed is faster than the game can handle. This utility helps slow down your CPU when you start that DOS game. Very easy to use and most of these games are worth it if you have this problem!
For instance, I had a 233 MHz computer, and the game Whahoo ran just fine. Then, when my computer fried, I got a 533 MHz one, and Whahoo gives me the 200 Runtime error. All I did was extract Mo'Slo into the Whahoo directory, then right-clicked on Mo'Slo.com and selected Properties. I clicked on the Program tab, and in the CMD line area, add /30 and the game name whahoo.exe to the end of it. So, instead of just "D:\GAMES\WHAHOO\MO'SLO.COM" the line now looks like "D:\GAMES\WHAHOO\MO'SLO.COM /30 whahoo.exe". Now, when I want to play Whahoo, I click on mo'slo.com to play it!
The number tells Mo'Slo to run my CPU at 30% of it's usual speed. I had tried 80 and then 50 before 30 finally worked. Notice that there is a space between MO'SLO.COM and the /number and then another space and the program name. When you are done playing the game and exit it, your CPU returns to normal. Very simple, very safe!
VB Run Files - These are essential for many older games to
play. VBRUN300 is probably used the most. Download and extract or unzip them
to your C:\windows\system folder without putting them into their own file. In
other words, these just need to float in that "limbo land" of folderless
files in C:\windows\system.
Instructions
MKCOMPAT.EXE
No link to this one - it's pre-installed with Windows!!! This program allows you to take any Win3.x programs and try to make them think they're Win9.x programs. Doesn't always work, but it's worth a shot! To use this program:
My home page, if you're interested. And
some security program links. :)
Free counters provided by Andale.