Andrew Newton on the video games of yesteryear…
Join me for a short while as we delve back through the misty years to May 1991 and look at some of the games that made those times so great. In stark contrast to the present day, May of 1991 (in the UK) was the third driest on record but it wasn’t warm or sunny, in fact the weather went well with the number one film in the UK box office which was Misery. However, what wasn’t Misery was the excellent variety of games keeping gamers occupied and entertained.
Eye of the Beholder – Westwood Associates – Amiga / PC
Developed by Westwood Associates and published by Strategic Simulations Inc, Eye of the Beholder became a firm favourite for gamers who enjoyed the earlier Dungeon Master game and D&D fans. This early first person RPG, based on the second edition AD&D Legend Series, took players to the city of Waterdeep where a great evil was beginning to stir within the depths of the catacombs that weaved beneath the streets.
The lords of the city have called for a band of four heroes to enter the tunnels, catacombs and sewers beneath Waterdeep and destroy whatever is causing the evil. However, to defeat it, players first had to get past numerous puzzles, locked doors, hidden doors and a wealth of enemies, including kobolds, skeletons, zombies, Mind Flayers and worse.
Players would select their 4 heroes from a huge selection of classes and experience for all four could be gained as players progressed with new loot such as weapons, armour, spells, potions and more being found along the way.
Eye of the Beholder earned an impressive 88% from Amiga Power magazine and an ACE magazine score of 780 on the IBM PC, it was also released a few years later on the Megadrive and Super Nintendo. The game proved so popular that two sequels were made, Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon, also released in 1991, and Eye of the Beholder III: Assault on Myth Drannor, released in 1993 by a different developer.
Railroad Tycoon – Microprose – Amiga, Atari ST, PC, Mac
This personal favourite was a business simulation developed by Sid Meier, whom many of you will know for the brilliant Civilisation game, that put players in charge of a railroad company. Although released a bit earlier than May it didn’t start to gain popularity until it was reviewed in the magazines during this month. I remember reading the review in the mag’ at the time and knowing I had to get that game.
Players could take charge of their own railroad company on four maps, East USA, West USA, Great Britain and Europe (no prizes for guessing which I always chose), and take charge of laying tracks, building stations, buying trains and deciding whether they pulled passengers, mail, cargo or a combination of all three. But it didn’t just end with trains, players could capitalise on the surrounding resources and build additional industries and hotels to boost income.
As time went by new and improved engines were available to purchase which would be stronger, faster and more efficient. It was essential to purchase and utilise these in the best possible way if players were to succeed in putting competing lines out of business.
Railroad Tycoon was very well received and earned 92% from Amiga Format, 87% from Zzap! and 88% from Amiga Action.
Skull & Crossbones – Domark – ZX Spectrum, C64, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST
Yarghh! Ahoy me hearties! Let me tell you a tale from Davey Jones’ locker (and other cliched pirate speak). Long before the likes of Sea of Thieves there was Skull & Crossbones, a game about pirates initially created by Atari for the arcades a few years earlier but converted by Domark for the majority of 8 bit and 16 bit systems.
Skull & Crossbones is a beat ’em up that focuses on two pirates, One-Eye and Red Dog, as they set out on an adventure to capture lots of booty from an evil sorcerer, however both pirates are only active in game if playing in 2 player mode. Players will need to fight their way through seven levels filled with a variety of enemies, including other pirates, ninjas, skeletons, and a level boss on each with the final boss being the powerful sorcerer. Once he’s beat it’s time for your character to run off with all the lovely loot.
Strangely, the game scored fairly decently on the 8 bit systems with Crash awarding it 73% and Zzap! giving it 81%, but sadly didn’t fare so well on the 16 bit with Amiga Power giving it a paltry 42%.
Was it good enough to get a sequel…. no!
Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo – Hi-Tec – ZX Spectrum, C64, Amstrad CPC, Amiga, Atari ST
Platform games were practically the bread and butter for software houses of the old 8 bit computers and when you had a super cool character like Scooby-Doo to base it around then you knew things were bound to be pretty decent. Unfortunately, it also had Scrappy-Doo in…. the irritating pup who thought he could beat up anything. Scrappy-Doo was the most annoying canine cartoon character and I was so relieved that the 2002 Scooby-Doo movie acknowledged that fact. I felt vindicated, I wasn’t alone.
Taking the role of Scrappy-Doo, players were tasked with finding Shaggy and Scooby-Doo who have managed to get lost while searching for food for their rumbling tums. Scrappy’s adventure would take them through a number of levels, including a cruise ship, a pirate island, a ghost town, a graveyard, a mansion and a dungeon. However, the amount of levels available varied between 8 and 16 bit systems. Through each level Scrappy had to avoid various monster enemies, though he could also give them a slapping with his ‘Puppy Power’ with extra lives being earned by collecting the Scooby Snacks.
So, was Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo any good? Actually yes it was. Spectrum’s Crash magazine awarded it a Crash Smash with 90%, Computer & Video Games gave it 88% and 90% from Amiga Power.
Hi-Tec did quite a few games based on Hanna Barbera cartoons and if memory serves they were all pretty decent. Maybe we’ll cover these one day.
That’s another trip down memory lane finished for another month. Join us again in June as we look at more games for the lovely computers of old. Until then, stay safe and stay happy.
SEE ALSO: Back in the Day: The Video Games We Were Playing in May 1981
Andrew Newton
