Electronic Arts 1984
Genre: Action, Puzzle
Rating: 5/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

Marble Madness was one of the first games on the new and fresh Amiga system. And what a way to get a system started! Although the game was also released for pretty much every other system out there at the time, it was the Amiga version which outshone them all. Closest to the original arcade machine (and even with the two player feature), it showed off the new computer's technical capabilities perfectly. A killer application, especially considering the direct competitor, the Atari ST, only had a greatly inferior port.

Silmarils 1991
Genre: Action, Puzzle
Rating: 4/6
Language: Francais, English, Deutsch
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

As everybody knows, technology is evil. Some day, it machines will take over control and make humans their slaves. Comparing the amount of fictional coverage this theory gets to visions of less grim futures, it seems impossible it'll not come true. This game is yet another version of this well-known story. This time, mankinds only hope is a cyborg, the Metal Mutant of the title.

Microsoft 1992
Genre: Puzzle
Rating: 5/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: PC

Microsoft Entertainment Package is a pack of 29 games, which were originally released for Windows 3.1. Over the time, some games disappeared, others are still to be found. Few of the games are original. Yet, they compose a fairly entertaining mix no office computer should be without. And home computers will bennefit from this package as well - some of the games are fun and addictive. Let us take a closer look what this package offers:

Konami 1990
Genre: Puzzle, Action
Rating: 5/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: NES

Use your head to break some blocks, move others, while a few enemies try to be annoying to avoid you from solving the many platform puzzles which form this game.

It seems the main character, a walking moai, an Easter Island statue, goes in search of smaller ones with some kind of relation to it. But well, as if one cares with this kind of game, the only impact it have is that you should get them to finish the level, so each one always is the same, but not in the same way. Start somewhere around the place, make your way to them and then reach the big doors to finish the level.

U.S. Gold 1990
Genre: Adventure, Puzzle
Rating: 4/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

Detective Adventures may not be the most common genre, but they do exist (especially here on this site). All of them are somehow linear in their story and limited in their puzzles. All but one: Murder.

Apogee 1994
Genre: Action, Puzzle
Rating: 4/6
Language: English
Licence: Shareware
System: PC

The Baron Baldric goes to the puzzle and trap filled lazarine towers of his wizard ancestors in a mission for clearing them of monsters in this isometric adventure.

Each time you go inside one of them the doors will close, and remain so until you have killed all the creatures and destroyed the monster generator, located always in the third and middle tower level, to avoid more of them from appearing. Only then you will get the main gate key and advance to the next tower.

Hewson 1987
Genre: Puzzle, Action
Rating: 4/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: PC

Nebulus is one of the most addictive puzzle arcades I have ever played. First encountered on my Spectrum, the game has followed me ever since, and still graces my hard drive. Created by the same people who released the hellish Impossaball, Hewson, the game is a little simpler, but even more addictive.

Tradewest Inc. 1993
Genre: Action, Puzzle
Rating: 4/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: SNES

Meet Plok, a rather strange fellow. He has a flag fetish, hates fleas, can shoot off his arms and legs and absolutely hates fleas. Did I mention that he hates fleas? If not, then... well, you get the idea. Plok wakes up one sunny morning to find that his most prized possession, a big square flag, has been stolen. Our brave red-and-yellow hero decides to go flag hunting, and sees his flag hanging on an island just off the coast. When, after much adventure (a level or eight) he has finally recovered his flag, he returns to his island, only to find that it has been overrun with big, ugly fleas! Of course, our intrepid protagonist immediately vows to rid the island of fleas once and for all...

Codemasters 1989
Genre: Puzzle
Rating: 3/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

Now here's a real test of important knowledge! Not sure what this has to do with pubs, though. Judging from the title screen, it might refer to some sort of quiz machine standing in a pub, but I've never seen one in real life. So, for me, this is a game about the things you might be talking about at a pub: TV, music, sports - you get the drift.

Taito 1990
Genre: Puzzle
Rating: 4/6
Language: English
Licence: Commercial
System: PC

Puzznic is one of the great games from the heyday of the puzzle-genre. The late 1980s/early 1990s brought a good number of these gems and well, here's one I really do like. The concept is fairly simple, which let's you concentrate on the problems the levels bring you. Basically you have to get matching pieces together to let them vanish. You can push them to the left and the right, but cannot lift them up. If you push them over an edge they fall down to the ground. Once all are gone you have completed the level. Simple as that, but difficult in many cases. While the first problems mainly consist of moving blocking pieces away and back again the higher levels face you with the problem of getting three pieces to vanish at once as there are uneven numbers of pieces of the same type. Also pretty soon the dreaded moving brick enters the stage - I seriously got to hate that thing! I have to admit I'm a bit weak in reacting fast, but you sort of have from time to time. You have to throw pieces on these moving things and down again. I tend to push my pieces too late... But seriously - don't think this game has any serious action-elements. It doesn't - I'm just slow. ;)