PLATFORMS

This is the earliest home computer incarnation of Horn Abbot International Ltd’s classic board game, Trivial Pursuit. The game involves answering questions on one of six subject categories to gain moves, and answering questions on special squares to gain one of the six ‘Wedges’ you need to gain the right to take on the final winning … Continue reading “Trivial Pursuit”

Year: 1986

Platforms: Amiga CD32, Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Atari ST, BBC Micro, CDTV, Commodore 64, DOS, MSX, SEGA Master System, Thomson TO, ZX Spectrum

Genre: Puzzle

Theme: Board game, Turn-based strategy


Five events are on offer in this Olympics-style sports game. These can be played individually or as part of a complete tournament, with the chance to choose your nationality first. The events are Hurdles, Triple Jump, Skeet Shooting, Diving and Fencing. Each event’s control system involves rotating the joystick and pressing fire at the correct … Continue reading “Summer Challenge”

Year: 1988

Platforms: Amiga, Atari ST, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, DOS, Electron

Genre: Sports

Theme: Sports


An action/puzzle game, the object is to catch assorted color falling tiles and create rows, columns, or diagonals of a single color. Each level requires a different pattern to be made, and the tiles fall faster, more at a time, and in an increasing number of colors as the game progresses.

Year: 1990

Platforms: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Arcade, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 7800, Atari ST, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, DOS, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Gear, Genesis, Lynx, MSX, NES, PC-88, PC-98, SAM Coupé, SEGA Master System, Sharp X68000, TurboGrafx-16, ZX Spectrum

Genre: Action

Theme: Puzzle elements


Cells & Serpents is a roleplaying game for multiple systems. The player explores a series of unending randomized dungeon rooms fighting monsters and looking for treasure. At any time the player can choose to move left, right, or forwards. These can take the player to stairs up, stairs down, a blank wall, corridors, rooms, or doors. … Continue reading “Cells & Serpents”

Year: 1983

Platforms: Atari 8-bit, BBC Micro, Commodore PET/CBM, Sharp MZ-80K/700/800/1500, TRS-80, VIC-20, ZX Spectrum

Genre: Role-Playing (RPG)

Theme: Turn-based strategy


MAD magazine’s comic strip of the same name comes to life in this game which was designed for one or two players. The split-screen shows both spies at the same time. Play with a friend or against the machine. The black spy and the white spy are out to outsmart each other before the time bell … Continue reading “Spy vs Spy”

Year: 1984

Platforms: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, BBC Micro, Commodore 16, Plus/4, Commodore 64, Electron, NES, PC-88, SEGA Master System, Sharp X1, ZX Spectrum

Genre: Action

Theme: Puzzle elements


Originating in the arcades, Spy Hunter is a driving action game played from an overhead point of view. Your car is equipped with machine guns to help you get past the numerous enemies out on the road (be careful not to shoot any civilians, though!) Occasionally you will come across a weapons van, and if you drive … Continue reading “Spy Hunter”

Year: 1983

Platforms: Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Arcade, Atari 2600, Atari 8-bit, BBC Micro, Browser, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, NES, PC Booter, Palm OS, ZX Spectrum

Genre: Racing / driving

Theme: Arcade, Shooter


Depending on which title you use, and how you interpret it, this game is about a guy who a) rushes in before attacking b) attacks Russians (or is being attacked by Russians… in the mid-80s, when this game was produced, the Cold War was still in full effect), or c) wears a rather goofy hat. … Continue reading “Rush’n Attack”

Year: 1985

Platforms: Amstrad CPC, Arcade, Atari 8-bit, BBC Micro, Commodore 16, Plus/4, DOS, MSX, NES, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Thomson MO, Thomson TO, Xbox 360, ZX Spectrum

Genre: Action

Theme: Platform


Terrorists have overrun an embassy and hold the people inside as hostages. You control six counter-terrorists whose mission is to eliminate the terrorists. In the first part of the game, you have to bring three men into position so they can snipe the building. The second part involves entering the building with the other three … Continue reading “Rescue: The Embassy Mission”

Year: 1988

Platforms: Acorn 32-bit, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple IIgs, Atari ST, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, DOS, Electron, MSX, Macintosh, NES, Windows, ZX Spectrum

Genre: Action

Theme: Shooter


Each level of this abstract puzzler challenges the player to set up a network of pipes to allow an unspecified substance known as ‘flooz’ to flow through as many of those as possible. The pieces are offered in random order, and there are seven different types – straight lines going horizontally or vertically, corners rotating … Continue reading “Pipe Dream”

Year: 1989

Platforms: Acorn 32-bit, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Apple IIgs, Arcade, Atari ST, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, DOS, Electron, Game Boy, Macintosh, NES, PC-88, PC-98, SAM Coupé, SNES, Sharp X68000, Windows 3.x, ZX Spectrum

Genre: Action

Theme: Puzzle elements


The object of Paperboy is to deliver papers to your customers while inflicting as much damage as possible to the houses of your non-customers. To make things more difficult, numerous obstacles get in your way including construction workers, rogue tires, skateboarders, dogs and cats, cars, and even the occasional tornado.

Year: 1984

Platforms: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Apple IIgs, Arcade, Atari ST, BBC Micro, BlackBerry, Commodore 16, Plus/4, Commodore 64, DOS, Electron, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Gear, Genesis, J2ME, Lynx, NES, SEGA Master System, Xbox 360, ZX Spectrum

Genre: Action

Theme: Arcade


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