Bullfrog 1990
Genre: Strategy
Rating: 5/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

Bullfrog entered the market relatively late - their first own development was Populous in 1989, before, they had just done some conversions of existing games. Surprisingly enough, Peter Molyneux still managed to become a kind of 'cult-designer' even though the industrialization (and thus non-personification) of gaming was already dawning. Must have been because of the pure originality and quality of his design! Between the first two (and only worthy) parts of the famous first god-series, Molyneux designed a somewhat similar, but still again groundbreaking game: Powermonger.

Gremlin Graphics 1992
Genre: Sport, Strategy
Rating: 5/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: PC

Released roughly at the same time as the first Championship Manager, Premier Manager was different enough to attract its own crowd of fans. This game has started a battle that, in a sense, rages until today: a battle between two styles of soccer management games. Where Championship Manager was heavy on different statistics and on putting together to optimal squad for each match, Premier Manager by Gremlin, and later its spiritual successors ? Premier League Manager and Total Club Manager series by EA ? took on a more user-friendly approach and mixed in the business and training aspects of managing a soccer team.

Gremlin 1993
Genre: Sport, Strategy
Rating: 4.5/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: PC

Premier Manager 2 is a nice football manager game with many different features. Up to two players can select a team which is always starting in Englands lowest division, the Conference League. From here you have to battle your way up or you could also choose to coach another, higher placed team.

Gremlin 1995
Genre: Sport, Strategy
Rating: 4.5/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: PC

The third part of this series is very much similar to the second part so I just want to point out the major differences. For a more thorough description of the game concept itself have a look at the review of Premier Manager 2 on this site.

Frames / Arc Software Publishing 1989
Genre: Strategy
Rating: 2/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

Touted as a "wargame for people who don't usually play wargames", Prince is one of the many attempts to make the genre more appealing to a broader audience by adding attractive graphics, easy mouse controls and make the gameplay a little less complex (or more shallow, depending on your point of view). It is also one of the many in the long line of games to have tried this and failed.

Infogrames 1995
Genre: Adventure
Rating: 3/6
Language: Francais, English, Deutsch
Licence: Commercial
System: PC

Prisoner of Ice holds a special place in my heart, because it's one of the last three games I've ever bought for 'full price'. I ordered it immediately after it came out. So quickly that there weren't any walkthroughs for it. Remember those were the days when Internet access was unthinkable, and even if I had had it, I probably wouldn't have found any cheat sites/newsgroups/mailboxes. The only way to get solutions for games was with next month's computer magazine. That one wouldn't arrive before three weeks. I was on my own to successfully play the game. Not that I usually use walkthroughs to finish Adventures, but it gives a good feeling of security to have one lying around...

Origin 1993
Genre: Action, Simulation
Rating: 5/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: PC

Right. What can I write about such an immensely popular game which hasn't already been said. Obviously not much. Also, what should I describe it for - everybody already knows it! Then again, maybe not really everybody. So, a brief introduction.

Electronic Arts 1990
Genre: Sport, Action
Rating: 5/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

Team sports are all more or less the same: two opposing teams on some field trying to score more than the other. The method of scoring might differ a bit, but that's it. Relatively innovative computer sports games like for example Speedball started their changes at the same aspect: the way of scoring. Just looking at this, Projectyle goes the most conservative of all possible ways: 'players' have to 'shoot' a 'ball' into a 'goal'.

Silicon Commander 2000
Genre: Strategy
Rating: 5/6
Language: English
Licence: Freeware
System: PC

The "Treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons" was signed in 1968. It was the attempt to stop all the small countries from gaining access to nuclear weapons. Only the five major 'official' powers were allowed to own atomics: the USA, Great Britain, France, the USSR and China. So this treaty secured the monopoly of these countries to nuclear weapons!

British Software 1986
Genre: Action
Rating: 4/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: Plus/4

At dusk, somewhere in a dusty desert village, the work of Prospector Pete begins. As always, he descents to the dark tunnel, and as always, a colleague takes the ladder away after him to corral him. He knows the feeling of being jailed.