JazzManJim
On the Downbeat
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2001
- Posts
- 27,360
We all have those old favorite software programs we used to absolutely adore but which have, for one reason or another, fallen off our personal radar screens and now live somewhere in the dusty, scary confines of a disk box or CD case. Over Christmas I spent some time reacquaining myself with a couple old favorites and looking up a couple programs I once had (via a very choice Abandonware site). I found myself readdicted to a couple of them, despite their dated graphics and sounds and remembered why I loved them in the first place.
First up was Transport Tycoon. Man, I had forgotten how addictive this stupid game was until I fired it up, built my first couple bus stations and started making the paying green! Three hours later I was still playing and only my screaming bladder could testify to how much time had passed. Buses, Trucks, Trains, Planes, and Boats are all available for your money-making mogul's heart to enjoy sending on routes to pickup and deliver people and goods. You can play a "light" version which rachets down the economic model and put more emphasis on building cool stuff. They now make a Deluxe bundle you can get for a song which adds new landscape styles and such.
Next up was a duo of role-playing mystery games I once owned in high school. I found them again on my Abandonware site. Both were made by Sierra On-Line and featured the intrepid reporter and mystery-solver Laura Bow: "The Colonel's Bequest" and "The Dagger of Amon-Ra". Short on graphics and sounds (PC Speaker anyone??) but long on atmosphere and decent storyline, each of these are Hall of Fame material and among the first games to feature both a female protagonist and a play style that didn't involve "Find Artifact A and Insert it into Idol B to move on to Chapter 2". You had to save often, mostly because there was a real chance that you might miss an important clue and once the big clock chimed, the clue was gone. You could always replay the game to see what you might have missed and get a better score. Play it at night with the lights off. If you suspend just a little disbelief, you're in for a treat.
Hell, I have a few more cool old programs lurking on my hard drive I may get to later. For now I'm having a ball with these two.
But tell us about yours. I know you have them, might as well admit it.
First up was Transport Tycoon. Man, I had forgotten how addictive this stupid game was until I fired it up, built my first couple bus stations and started making the paying green! Three hours later I was still playing and only my screaming bladder could testify to how much time had passed. Buses, Trucks, Trains, Planes, and Boats are all available for your money-making mogul's heart to enjoy sending on routes to pickup and deliver people and goods. You can play a "light" version which rachets down the economic model and put more emphasis on building cool stuff. They now make a Deluxe bundle you can get for a song which adds new landscape styles and such.
Next up was a duo of role-playing mystery games I once owned in high school. I found them again on my Abandonware site. Both were made by Sierra On-Line and featured the intrepid reporter and mystery-solver Laura Bow: "The Colonel's Bequest" and "The Dagger of Amon-Ra". Short on graphics and sounds (PC Speaker anyone??) but long on atmosphere and decent storyline, each of these are Hall of Fame material and among the first games to feature both a female protagonist and a play style that didn't involve "Find Artifact A and Insert it into Idol B to move on to Chapter 2". You had to save often, mostly because there was a real chance that you might miss an important clue and once the big clock chimed, the clue was gone. You could always replay the game to see what you might have missed and get a better score. Play it at night with the lights off. If you suspend just a little disbelief, you're in for a treat.
Hell, I have a few more cool old programs lurking on my hard drive I may get to later. For now I'm having a ball with these two.
But tell us about yours. I know you have them, might as well admit it.
