California Dreams 1990
Genre: Sport, Action
Rating: 4/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

It's the early 60s. You're one of those 'cool rebels' who spend all day in their garage with your car. Tuning the motor, polishing it and in more intimate moments, probably even stroking it. However, what's the worth of a beautiful girlfriend which nobody else knows about? Exactly. That's why you're taking part in illegal road races.

SSI 1993
Genre: Strategy, RPG
Rating: 4/6
Language: English, Deutsch
Licence: Commercial
System: PC

Now this game truly deserves to be called 'Real-Time-Strategy'! But if I called it like that, most of you (the readers) would get a completely wrong idea of what it is like because this term is being completely misused in my opinion. Games like the Command & Conquer or Age of Empires series don't require much thinking. It's all about speed! And even if it was different, the word 'strategy' would still be wrong because it would mostly be tactics then!

Microstyle 1988
Genre: Sport, Simulation
Rating: 4/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

Before he began to make "serious" racing sims like Formula 1 Grand Prix, Geoff Crammond created this Amiga classic. It is set in a fictional (or let's say I hope it is fictional) Stunt Car league. There are four divisions and the player of course starts in the fourth. In each division there are two courses on which all three drivers (of the division) have to race against each other in head-to-head duels. Points are awarded for the best lap and the winner. At the end of the season, the best driver of each division gets to the higher division, while the last one is relegated.

Disney 1992
Genre: Simulation, Action
Rating: 5/6
Language: English, Deutsch
Licence: Commercial
System: PC

Stunt Island is one of the most original games in existence! To write a comprehensive text about it would be completely impossible because of the sheer mass of features and the fact that they are all cross-linked. So I'll just describe the individual parts. Basically, you're working in the film business. Your main job is stunt pilot. Hollywood owns a complete island to shoot these scenes: Stunt Island. Here you can find different scenarios ranging from a farm to a metropolis and from desert to mountains. Even some sites like the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz have been imitated! Depending on which surroundings are needed for the particular movie, the stunts are shot in another corner.

Magnetic Fields / Gremlin Graphics 1990
Genre: Sport, Action
Rating: 4/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

Racing games weren't always in pseudo 3D. For instance, there were Sprint and Super Sprint (which was never ported to the Amiga, but that's a story for another day). Super Cars is a home-computer-original variant of the same idea, and quite a good one.

Atari Games / Electric Dreams 1986
Genre: Sport, Action
Rating: 3/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: Atari ST

Finally - the classic when it comes to top-down racers. You'll find exactly the same elements as in the later imitations. Namely: Fast and simple racing round courses which stretch exactly across the screen and randomly appearing power-ups which can be picked up by driving over them. In this case, the latter consist of bonus points and wrenches. Wrenches can be used to tune your car (motor, tires, you name it) - another standard feature.

Silvertime 1986
Genre: Sport
Rating: 2/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: C64

First there was ping-pong. Then it got more 'official' and was called table tennis. Then nothing happened. And people waited for another evolution. But they really had to wait for a long time! Until the late 20th century to be exact. Then the messiah arrived: Pong! It took the basic ping- pong concept to whole new heights by adding an artificial opponent and making it all digital.

Infocom 1984
Genre: Adventure
Rating: 5/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: PC

Yet another case of murder in yet another feudal mansion. And yet another time, it's up to you to solve the case before time runs out. Only this time, there's a twist to the usual procedure: You're not the police detective called to the scene of crime, but the main suspect. It all began with an invitation from Veronica Ashcroft to her annual Halloween costume party. What a chance to write an article for your paper about this event of the high society!

Bally Midway 1983
Genre: Action
Rating: 3/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: PC

A very simple game for quick fun. Its attractiveness is caused by its original theme: As a waiter you have to serve the rushing-in customers.

But they are very impatient. Aparantely they are alcoholics. Their appearance points to that: unkempt beards and hair hidden under (probably) greasy hats. But also their behaviour lets you become suspicious about their addiction. They can't even wait for their beer (the game does not know other drinks) for some seconds. No, they need it immediately! And if you do not serve them at once, they will pull you over the bar.

Telekom / Art Department 1993
Genre: Adventure
Rating: 3/6
Language: Deutsch
Licence: Freeware
System: PC

And "Ron Sommer" said: "Let's pretend to to cool. It'll look as if we actually care for our customers and as if we were a young and modern company." And his disciples went into the wide world to spread his word. One came back with something he called a 'computer game'. And "Ron Sommer" saw it was good. Or at least he thought it was good...