Home of Retro PC Gaming
Currently hosting 12 1997 games!
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Home of Retro PC Gaming
Currently hosting 12 1997 games! |
| Astro3D 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| User rating: No rating | DOS Shareware (partial game) | 3D Shooter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Developed by Jarrod Davis Software | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Published by Jarrod Davis Software, Xtreme Games LLC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Graphics: VGA 320×200×256c | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sometimes described as Asteroids on steroids, Astro3D is a 3D space shooter in which your job is to clear a field of debris from a massive three-dimensional space. Far more challenging than just shooting rocks, the debris field is full of alien ships and mines, and you are constantly in combat fighting for your life. You have an unlimited number of photon cannon shots, two nuke blasts to destroy everything within a large radius, seeker torpedoes that locks onto a target, and there are also cluster bombs in the registered version. Power-ups left behind can replenish your weapons and shields. Originally published by the developer, there was a second release listing the new publisher in the documents only, followed by a recompiled version that listed the publisher in-game and has a Win16 installer. Otherwise all versions are identical. There are 12 levels in this game, with only the first 3 playable in the shareware version. Downloads
AvailabilityI have found no ordering information for this game.
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| Balls of Steel 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| User rating: 7 | Win9x Shareware (partial game) | Pinball | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Developed by Wildfire Studios | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Published by Pinball Wizards (Apogee Software) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Screenshot | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Still regarded fondly as one of the best pinball games ever, Balls of Steel was the only game published under Apogee's Pinball Wizards label. The game has realistic graphics, sound, physics and gameplay, and there's even a table based on Duke Nukem! The graphics don't look great in Windows XP and newer, but Apogee has been supportive of a user patch that fixes several of the problems that the last official version had developed. There are 5 tables in this game, with only the first table playable in the shareware version. Tables: Darkside, Barbarian, Firestorm, Mutation, Duke Nukem DownloadsBalls of Steel v1.3 Shareware Episode (13 056k) AvailabilityApogee no longer sells this game.
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| Blood 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| User rating: 9.5 | DOS Shareware (partial game) | 3D Shooter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Developed by Monolith Productions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Published by Atari | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Based on the Build engine from Duke Nukem 3D, Blood is a horror-themed first person shooter with pop culture references to a number of movies and games. Its originality and mood made it a cult classic in the genre and is one of the best selling games to use the engine. Originally planned as a 3D Realms title, the rights were sold to Monolith Studios and the game was published by Atari. There are 4 episodes in this game, with only the first episode playable in the shareware version. Episode 1 - The Way of All Flesh DownloadsComplete version history:
AvailabilityAtari no longer sells this game. It can be purchased from Amazon: Blood: Full Uncut Version, or with expansion packs, Blood: One Unit Whole Blood.
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| Cybersphere Plus 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| User rating: No rating | DOS Shareware-turned-freeware | Paddle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Developed by Psycon Software | Compatibility guide | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Published by Psycon Software | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cybersphere Plus is the sequel to Cybersphere, with all new levels and identical gameplay. The graphics, music, and level design remain excellent. There are 5 sectors with various numbers of levels and 10 bonus stages in this game, with only one sector containing three levels and two bonus stages in the demo version. Downloads
AvailabilityAuthor Clay Hellman has generously released this game as freeware.
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| Dinner With Moriarty 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| User rating: No rating | Win16 Win9x Shareware (partial game) | Puzzle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Developed by Everett Kaser Software | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Published by Everett Kaser Software | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Screenshot | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Also known as Sherlock II: Dinner With Moriarty, this game is the sequel to the popular game of deduction inspired by Sherlock Holmes. This time a group of people are sitting around a table, and one of them has had their food poisoned. To complete the puzzle you must determine who is seated at each chair, what color their plate is, what they're having to drink, and what food they are eating, based on a set of clues provided to the right of the table. At the most basic level, the game is very easy – much easier than Sherlock. However, the game concept scales very well. At higher difficulty levels, more people sit at the table, things can be set at the corners of the table, and you can have to figure out what hat everyone is wearing and what (presumably) their favorite number is. It's extremely easy to jump right into playing the game because hovering the mouse over the hints triggers a pop-up explanation of what the hint is telling you. The hints can tell you that two things are at the same place, between two other things, directly across from something, or above/below or to the left/right of something. Through the process of deduction, you eliminate possibilities until you know what's in each square. Every puzzle can be solved with the hints that are given, but if you ask for a hint, the game will explain to you in plain English how one of the hints helped you to eliminate one of the possibilities. Getting a hint will cost you 30 seconds on your clock. When you no longer need one of the clues, you can send it to a holding bin, where you can still see it if you change your mind. Version 2.0 converted the game to Win32-only. There are 65 536 puzzles in each of the six difficulty levels of this game, with only the first 25 from each difficultly level playable in the shareware version. Downloads
AvailabilityEverett Kaser Software still sells this game for $19.95 by download or CD-ROM.
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| MVP Cribbage 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| User rating: No rating | Win16 Shareware (partial game) | Traditional | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Developed by Craig W. Kellogg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Published by MVP Software | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Screenshot | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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MVP Cribbage is a Windows version of the classic card game. Pick a computer opponent, or play with other humans over a network or the internet. Each player gets 6 cards and must discard 2 into the dealer's crib. A cut of the deck selects a "starter" card, and the dealer gets 2 points if it's a Jack. Players then take turns playing cards, and they score points for causing the total to reach 15 or 31, or for playing a pair or set of 3 or 4, or for creating a run of 3 or more, even if it's not in order (i.e. 3, 5, 4 is a non-sequential run of 3). Once the value of the hand reaches 31, or neither player can play, the count returns to 0 and a new hand starts and play continues until all cards have been played. After play ends, both players score points by combining their hand with the starter for every combination of 15, pairs or sets of 3 or 4, runs, or flushes. The dealer also gets to combine the crib with the starter to score a second set of points, so the non-dealer has to be careful what he puts in the dealer's crib. The non-dealer becomes the dealer, and play continues this way until one player reaches a score of 121. The players keep track of the score by moving pegs around a board. Version 2.2 comes with a Win32 installer on MVP's website now, but the game is still Win16 once installed. There are 3 beginner and 3 intermediate computer players to play with or against, with 3 experts added to the Deluxe version.
AvailabilityMVP Software still sells the registered version of this game for $9.95 by CD-ROM or download.
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| MVP Hearts 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| User rating: No rating | Win16 Shareware (partial game) | Traditional | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Developed by Craig W. Kellogg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Published by MVP Software | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Screenshot | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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MVP Hearts is a Windows version of the classic card game. Pick three computer opponents, or play with other humans over a network or the internet. Each player gets 13 cards and plays one card per hand. The goal is to not win hearts or the Queen of Spades. After the first card is played in each hand, all other players must play a card from the same suit if they can. No one can lead with a heart until hearts have been "broken", meaning that a heart or the queen of spades was played by a player who had no cards of the suit being played. The highest card of the suit being played wins the trick, and a player gets 1 point for each heart, and 13 points for the Queen of Spades, that he wins with the trick. If a player wins all of the hearts and the Queen of Spades, he "shoots the moon" and 26 points are awarded to all of his opponents. The player with the lowest score when someone has over 100 points at the end of a round is the winner. Version 2.2 comes with a Win32 installer, but the game is still Win16 once installed. There are 3 beginner and 3 intermediate computer players to play with or against, with three 3 experts added to the Deluxe version.
AvailabilityMVP Software still sells the registered version of this game for $9.95 by CD-ROM or download.
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| Shadow Warrior 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| User rating: 6.5 | DOS Shareware (partial game) | 3D Shooter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Developed by 3D Realms (Apogee Software) | Compatibility guide | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Published by 3D Realms (Apogee Software) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Based on the Build engine, Shadow Warrior improves on Duke Nukem 3D by adding features like voxels and transparent water. The game is a first person shooter in which Lo Wang is the protagonist. Formerly a body guard, his employer is attempting to conquer Japan with evil creatures from "the dark side". When he resigned, those creatures were sent to kill him. He can fight with his fists, guns, kitana, shurikens, and other Asian weapons. The game is full of voice clips, and Lo Wang makes funny comments throughout the game, usually based on Chinese or Japanese contributions to American culture. Although every bit as violent as other first person shooters, Shadow Warrior is supposed to be a humorous take on the genre. Much of the environment can be damaged or destroyed, and shurikens and bullet casings remain in the environment where they land. The graphics and realism are very impressive. There are 18 levels in this game, with only the first 4 playable in the shareware version. Complete version history:
AvailabilityApogee still sells the registered version of this game for $10 by download.
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| Solitile for Windows 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| User rating: No rating | Win16 Win9x Shareware (partial game) | Traditional | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Developed by Everett Kaser Software | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Published by Everett Kaser Software | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Screenshot | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Everett Kaser's mahjongg tiles game updated for Windows 3.1. The default layout isn't the one most people will be familiar with, and the default tileset uses English letters and numbers instead of Chinese symbols. The color depth increased to 256 colors at resolutions up to 1024×768. There are 131 072 puzzles for each of over 400 layouts in this game, with only 10 puzzles for each of 4 layouts playable in the shareware version.
AvailabilityEverett Kaser Software still sells this game for $19.95 by download or CD-ROM.
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| Super Angelo 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| User rating: No rating | DOS Shareware (partial game) | Platform | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Developed by Wiering Software | Compatibility guide | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Published by Wiering Software | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Angelo is a guy with a big nose and a mustache who must save a princess from a dragon in a world that has a lot of pipes and blocks in it. Yes, it's a Super Mario Bros. clone, including enemies that look like Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Spiny, Cheep-Cheep and Podoboo. Angelo becomes Super Angelo when he eats a strawberry, and can shoot bullets in a straight line when he gets a gun. If he gets another gun power-up, he can shoot three shots at once and run much faster. There are no mid-way save points, so dying requires you to start at the beginning, although you can save at any level. The game is short, but everything Wiering Software makes is kid-friendly, so this is a good diversion for younger gamers. There are 3 worlds in this game, with only the first world playable in the shareware version.
AvailabilityThis game has been discontinued, but registered users of Charlie the Duck can use their code to register Super Angelo.
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| TerraFire 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| User rating: No rating | DOS Shareware-turned-freeware | Shooter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Developed by ORT Software | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Published by ORT Software | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Based on the classic video game Thrust, you pilot a small spacecraft to various planets in search of nuclear bombs that are hidden in heavily defended bunkers. The game retains the look and feel of AstroFire but adds varying levels of gravity and adds 360° parallax scrolling levels to navigate instead of wraparound levels. There are weapons and other upgrades, and you have to earn the right to save your game by finding the save power-up. Once you've found the bomb, you grab it with a tractor beam and must pull it into space. Grabbing the bomb triggers a booby trap and you have a short time to escape. The bomb has mass and inertia, so it pulls you around in the direction of its momentum, or in the direction of gravity when you aren't moving, making for a challenging escape. The realistic physics are a great addition but, in an homage to AstroFire, there are also bonus levels where you must destroy asteroids and other space ships while in hyperspace, where there is no gravity and the screen becomes wraparound. Versions 2.0 and above have Win32-only installers but are still DOS games. There are 27 missions in this game, with only the first eight playable in the shareware version. Complete version history:
AvailabilityORT Software has generously released this game as freeware.
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| Three 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| User rating: No rating | DOS Freeware (always) | Puzzle | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Developed by Sverx | Compatibility guide | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Published by Sverx | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Graphics: VGA 320×200×256c | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A pretty decent version of Columns. The help file is in Italian, but do you really need instructions? Columns of three colored pieces fall from the top of the screen, and the colors can be rotated as they fall. Get three or more pieces of the same color in any direction, and they are removed from the screen, causing all of the other pieces to fall and fill in any gaps. Three Freeware (397k) AvailabilityThis game was originally released under a freeware license.
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