Unlimited Software / Konami 1990
Genre: Action
Rating: 3/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: PC

Released for the PC three years after its NES appearance, Castlevania is the first of a long series of horror platformers. That is, the first to bear the name "Castlevania". The game is a sequel to Vampire Killer, which appeared in Japan in 1986 for the MSX2 Home Computer system. This fact was apparent immediately for everybody who played the original games, as most sprites were directly taken from Vampire Killer, and only the backgrounds and music were improved.

Bits of Magic / Electronic Arts 1990
Genre: Strategy, Action
Rating: 4/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: PC

Centurion: Defender of Rome was one of those overly complex yet simplistic games that had their heyday in late 1980s and early 90s. Designed by Kellyn Beck, the mastermind behind Defender of the Crown, the game is built on the same principles, only set into a different time period.

Microprose 1991
Genre: Strategy
Rating: 6/6
Language: English, Deutsch, Francais
Licence: Commercial
System: PC

Without any doubt, Civilization is the greatest and most addictive game that ever graced a computer screen. Designed by Sid Meier, who at that time was already a household name among gamers, the game introduced the world to a new level of empire management: from settling whole continents, through researching new technologies, to building military units, city improvements and even wonders of the world. The game has spawned several sequels and copies, out of which only a single one (Alpha Centauri) comes close in the terms of gameplay and overall fun. Civilization has never left my hard drive, and probably never will, remaining the main reason why I still keep MS-DOS on a separate partition.

Silmarils 1990
Genre: RPG
Rating: 5/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: PC

Effectively Ishar 0, Crystals of Arborea introduces the player to the land of Arborea, which has later spawned three Ishar game. The evil god Morgoth has submerged most of the world, save for a small island, where he keeps the enslaved humans, elves, gnomes and others. Only you, the elven prince Jarel and your six companions were not influenced by Morgoth, and now have to defeat him. To do so, you will need to find four crystals and place them on the top of four towers. Morgoth takes you quite seriously, though, sending legions of his followers to stop you or find the crystals first. If everything else fails, he will meet you at the last tower to personally prevent you from placing the last crystal.

Cinemaware 1987
Genre: Strategy, Action
Rating: 5/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: PC

Cinemaware was always known for producing very unique games, merging strategy, adventure and action. One of its first game, Defender of the Crown, has set this trend, which has proven to be the winning combination for years to come. The game was also the first designer work of Kellyn Beck, who while later designing such great games as S.D.I., Rocket Ranger and Centurion, will always be remembered for his best game, Defender of the Crown.

Nintendo 1983
Genre: Action, Puzzle
Rating: 5/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: NES

Donkey Kong is the signature game of NES. While originally developed as an arcade game by Nintendo and later ported to every single console available at that time, NES has been the flagship product of Nintendo, and so it's only natural that it was here that the game was most visible. This game not only started the most successful game franchise of all times, it also transformed a 90-years old game cards company into an electronic entertainment behemoth and in the process set one of the most important legal precedents for the gaming industry.

Naughty Dog / Baudville 1987
Genre: Adventure
Rating: 4/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: PC

I have played many weird games, but Dream Zone remains among the weirdest. What would you say if I told you that all bureaucrats are pigs? I mean real pigs. Or how about the fact that all you need to marry a woman is to wash your face? Or that your little brother's toy gun can kill nearly everything? You'd say that I should keep dreaming. Well, that's exactly what I did in this game.

Westwood / Virgin Interactive 1992
Genre: Strategy, Action
Rating: 5/6
Language: English, Francais, Deutsch
Licence: Commercial
System: PC

Despite popular beliefs, there is nothing original about Dune II. Except of one thing, which enabled Westwood to become a powerhouse among games developers. As for gameplay, however, the game did not "revolutionarize", "create a new style of gaming" or "became the first of its kind." All it did was to combine several games already out in the market. The developer did this very skillfully, however, creating an unique experience and one of the most entertaining games ever.

FTL 1989
Genre: RPG
Rating: 6/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: PC

If there ever is a list of computer games that changed the world of gaming forever, Dungeon Master would figure prominently on the top, among such classics as Civilization and Doom. Dungeon Master was not the first roleplaying game to be viewed from a first person perspective; that honor goes to Akalabeth by Richard Garriot. It wasn't the most difficult game, either. However, by combining a very unique spell casting system with real-time combat, unprecedented graphics and awesome sound, the game managed to create such an authentic atmosphere that only Ultima Underworld, many years later, was able to match it.

Gremlin Graphics 1991
Genre: RPG
Rating: 5/6
Language: English, Deutsch, Francais, Castellano, Italiano
Licence: Commercial
System: PC

HeroQuest came into being as the McDonald's version of Dungeons and Dragons. Fast, flashy and without taste, was the motto. Well, not exactly; there was some taste, and it was up to the dungeon master to create it. The original version of HeroQuest involves a big cardboard playing field, lots of plastic monsters, four heroes and 14 levels of fun (later extensions of the game, which was immensely popular in Germany where I've gotten it, added the level total to about 25). The game became incredibly populare. You didn't need to remember all those complicated stats, which dice to throw and how many times to throw them. Instead, everything was laid out for you, including the walls, which you could erect on the board. It comes as little surprise that the board game created a few spin-offs. The only successful one, however, was Space Hulk, which spawned the game of the same name by the same company - Gremlin.