5 of the Best 90s PC Games

Let's take a bittersweet journey through the PC games that I grew up with and no thanks to Bill Gates or the thrusts (good word THRUST!) of technology they are lost to society and not easily played (I don't understand DOSbox)- You may disagree and know of a way to play them, if so please enlighten me! For the time being I will keep the unusable floppy discs and CD roms and mourn.

Now, me and my sister were brought up on PC games and gameboys as we were not allowed playstations/xbox- yes, sheltered is the word. This isn't a list of all the 90s PC games I've played so there are many more classic games I played and miss!

1995- CD-Rom

Game Play: Discworld.

A tricky point-and-click game. Picking up and using objects that are carried around in your cute walking 'luggage'.

Based on the Terry Practchett novel 'Guards! Guards!' You control Wizard, Rincewind (voiced by Monty Pythons, Eric Idle). You don't have to be a Discworld fan to appreciate this game!

The game play is quite challenging and being young I didn't follow the storyline but its humorous- Eric Idle is fantastic! with the repetitive phrase- 'That doesn't work' and memorable quote: 'Shut up, sit down, no talking! If you're mad, you don't want to go around infecting everybody else!' There are 4 others Discworld PC games but this one was the best in my opinion!

Medieval Creativity Centre-1996- CD Rom

Dragonheart Game Play

Based on Rob Cohen's 1996 movie Dragonheart starring Dennis Quaid and Pete Postlethwaite (he was in James and the Giant Peach!) 

As a young knight in-training you  are tasked to solve puzzles, riddles, mazes etc You could design your own coat of arms, invent gadgets, mix a potion, make music...in order to win a jewel and unlock a clip from the Dragonheart movie. 

A deserved Reward!

A strange mix of puzzles and art activity but nice light entertainment with easy, medium and hard levels. 

1994- Floppy Disc

Crystal Game Play

Based on the hit 90s TV show by the same name hosted by the creepy and bald but fantastic Richard O'brian where an over enthusiastic bunch of adults have to solve mental and physical puzzles in order to win a crystal. The crystals amount to a time total in which the contestants have inside a giant crystal catching flying gold tickets that equal prize money. 

Like the TV show the games are split into zones: Aztec, Ocean, Futuristic and Medieval. 

The puzzles are simple and fun but still tricky. You get to choose your team mates from a selection of fugly characters too!

 1993- Floppy Disc/CD Rom

Scooter's Magic Castle Game Play

 A colourful educational pixilated gem aimed at children!

You control Scooter a little elf boy (?) exploring a castle.  There is unfortunately no back story to who he is, why he comes across this castle but at that age you don't ask questions! 

Scooter's Magic Castle is an easy point and click game with 3 levels of 'difficulty'. No speech just 'funny' sounds, calming sound scape, and a castle full of objects to click and explore: Plant flowers, build a monster, catch fish, mix paint, match sounds...what more could you want!?

 ....I'm seeing a medieval theme in all these games! How odd!....

1996-CD Rom

Muppet Treasure Island Game Play

Now you can't go wrong with the Muppets! This game retells the story in Muppet-form of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island (Read my review of the National Theatre's non-muppet production here) and based on the Muppet-movie by the same name.

You play as "Hawkins" accompanied by Rizo the Rat and Gonzo and 'Stevenson' a green parrot that holds hints, a compass and map in his feathers! Its an adventure game that is methodically played out through the story with ocean-themed piratey puzzles.

You can speak to Muppet-characters, watch movie clips, explore and click around different locations, sail the Hispanola and find the buried treasure!

And now to round off with a non-game 'played' ad nauseam:

GROLIER's ENCYCLOPEDIA

 1992-PC Rom

A very American program 'boasting' maps, old recordings, time lapse videos, paintings and general knowledge information. This was basically our 'Internet' BEFORE the world-wide Internet was available! I am very strangely proud to have known the world before the wonders of the Internet. This PC Rom  took up a large chunk of me and my sister's computer-'play'. I have a very vivid memory of playing a clip of Scott Joplins, The Entertainer manually on repeat whilst prancing around the room. Then crowding round the computer to watch bread mould...

Check out recordings we watched here

I do not own the images.