My favourite games

Dizzy series (1987-91)

The cheap and cheerful adventures of an egg called Dizzy who jumps and rolls about collecting objects, solving puzzles, rescuing his Yolkfolk buddies, and generally being a smarmy hero. They are a good combination of action and logic.

Rainbow Islands (1987)

Cutesy Japanese platformer (sequel to the equally enjoyable Bubble Bobble) in which you fire rainbows at enemies to knock them out. You can also climb the rainbows as you try to reach the boss at the top of every fourth level.

NetHack (1987-?)

Wonderful turn-based strategic RPG with randomly generated levels and incredible attention to detail. Designed by geeks, for geeks: it's open-source, multi-platform, playable in pure text mode, and still being maintained 20 years on.

Lemmings (1991)

One of the most original puzzle games ever. Lemmings drop out of a hatch and wander blindly ahead. You can pick individual lemmings and give them special abilities like climbing, digging, and building. The aim is to make a path that will lead as many as possible safely home.

Commander Keen series (1990-1)

Popular shareware platform game from the MS-DOS era. Kid genius Billy Blaze takes on all kinds of bizarre aliens in his quest to save the human race. Colourful levels, tasty junk food to collect, and lots of hidden secrets.

Pang series (1989-?)

Frenetic globe-trotting arcade game, a distant descendant of Space Invaders (but what isn't?). Fire harpoons at the bouncing bubbles to split them into pairs of smaller ones. Tight time limit + screen full of tiny bubbles = guaranteed panic.

Zombies Ate My Neighbors (1993)

Amusing B-movie spoof with silly weapons (tomatoes, plates, water pistols) and a range of themed monsters from werewolves and chainsaw maniacs to Egyptian mummies and mad scientist Dr Tongue. Even better with two players.

Rick Dangerous (1989)

Gloriously unfair platform game. Gun-toting Rick is sent into various danger zones bristling with spikes and falling blocks. Traps are generally invisible until activated, so exploring a new area is a terrifying ordeal of trial and error.

Monkey Island series (1990-?)

Guybrush Threepwood's classic point-and-click adventure on an island full of pirates and voodoo. The situations and player-driven dialogue are brilliantly funny, and sword-fighting turns out to be done with insults. The first two games are the best.

Streets of Rage series (1991-4)

Possibly the best scrolling beat-'em-up games ever, owing a lot to golden oldies Renegade and Double Dragon. Fight your way through bikers, wrestlers, punks with knives, and chuckling fat men who breathe fire. Play with a friend and you can even attack each other.

Ballance (2004)

Thoughtful 3D puzzle game in which you steer a ball around precarious ledges, trying not to let it fall. Stone, paper, and wooden balls have different weights and speeds, and you need to switch between them to make progress. The dreamy, meditative music suits the game well.

Magic Mushrooms (1985)

Little-known platformer, only released on the BBC and Electron, with brilliant sound effects and lots of moving parts like conveyor belts and escalators. The level editor gives it a lot of replay value: you can even get semi-playable levels by loading random data files.

Super Mario series (1985-93)

Who doesn't love Super Mario? I lost interest when it all went 3D, but I still love the older games. Tight control is needed because of Mario's propensity to skid off platform edges. Some secret areas are ridiculously difficult to reach, but you won't be satisfied until you've been everywhere.

Doom & Doom II (1993-4)

Two of the earliest FPS (first-person shooter) games, and the only ones I really enjoyed. The demon-infested space stations and factories are chaotic and eerily silent by turns, and you need strategy to survive. Hook up a few PCs and you can play a hectic four-player deathmatch.

The Fool's Errand (1987)

This is a very odd game: a story about a fool's trip through a fairytale land of kings and queens. You can tackle the chapters in any order: there are word games, shape-matching puzzles, mazes with special rules, and a big overarching metapuzzle at the end. The fool's story ties the whole thing together in a whimsical and captivating way.

Jet Set Willy (1984)

The first really big platform game, designed by the legendary Matthew Smith. After a party, a hung-over Willy has to tidy up his vast, surreal mansion full of wacky enemies. There are some pixel-perfect jumps, and the game has a few bugs and glitches that make it all the more memorable.

Sonic the Hedgehog series (1991-4)

Sega's flagship console title with the cooler alternative to Mario. Lots of high-speed action with springs, loop-the-loops, and rising water or lava. The varied soundtracks match the beautiful background graphics, from lush countryside to toxic chemical plants.

Earth Shaker (1990)

I like most Boulder Dash-style games, but Earth Shaker is especially great. Devious boulder-stacking puzzles, some unique game elements (anti-gravity switch, anyone?), a quirky sense of humour, and the best music I've ever heard from a single-channel beeper.

The Addams Family (1991)

Not to be confused with inferior (but better-looking) console versions. One of the last commercial Spectrum releases, and very polished. You have to admire a game that gives you five sets of ten lives and remains almost completely impossible to finish.

Operation: Inner Space (1994)

Atmospheric Bosconian-style space shooter based on the contents of your hard disk, with viruses to shoot, icons to capture, and a sultry female narrator. The AI is great: rival ships may befriend you if you attack the same targets or develop grudges if you harass their team-mates. Unfortunately, the game doesn't run well on Windows XP.

This page was last updated 254 days ago.

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