Art Department 1993
Genre: Adventure
Rating: 3/6
Licence: Freeware
System: Amiga

A local radio station is holding a competition: answer five questions about (male) rockstar 'Alex X. Pose' (for the younger readers: the singer of a then popular band called Guns 'n' roses was called 'Axl Rose') to win a romantic candlelightdinner with him. Our (male) hero is keen to be the chosen one. Yes... you'd better ignore the homoerotic elements of this story. Anyway, let's just say our protagonist is a huge fan, ok?

Art Department 1993
Genre: Adventure, Action
Rating: 3/6
Licence: Freeware
System: Amiga

The 'production secret' of 'Bi-Fi Roll' (greasy 'meatbar' imported from BSE-infected countries, hidden in a bread container), a single sheet of paper, has disappeared. Instead of taking the usual route of calling the lawyers to sue everybody in sight, Bifi can depend on volunteers who scout their cities for free, because they're aware that without constant supply of their drug, they won't survive for long.

Millenium 1993
Genre: Sport, Action
Rating: 4/6
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

In contrary to the potential expectations considering the name, Brutal Sports Football does not have very much in common with soccer or football (or even sports). Some elements have been adopted, though. Two teams try to put a ball into the enemy's goal while guarding their own.

Sensible Software / Virgin Interactive 1993
Genre: Action, Strategy
Rating: 4/6
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

Take the title. Take the slogan 'war has never been so much fun'. It's obvious Cannon Fodder is not a game to be taken seriously. Is war something to make fun of? Well, why not? However, it doesn't make a game automatically good as some people seem to suggest. It's still the game which counts, not the theme. So let's talk about the game.

Bitmap Brothers 1993
Genre: Action
Rating: 5/6
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

Like in most games the story of "Chaos Engine" is not really original: A "Baron" invents a machine in his experiments that "although primitive" becomes more and more powerful and finally changes all creatures in its surroundings to evil monsters.

Blue Byte 1993
Genre: Strategy
Rating: 5/6
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

British and American games usually keep their names when they're released in Germany - even if it's a translated version. That's good, makes international conversations about them easier. German companies on the other hand sometimes take really silly measures to increase their chance on the international market. Not that it has ever worked, but giving up would be silly, too. One of the effects is that German games have English names - even here. If you can't see anything strange about that, you're probably from the USA. What would you think if a game by an 'American' company would carry a title in Suaheli? To take it one step further: what would you think if a game by a German company was released in your country carrying a German title?

elefanten Schuh GmbH / WWF 1993
Genre: Strategy
Rating: 2/6
Licence: Freeware
System: Amiga

A well-known shoe company of the 80s teams up with a well-known environmental organization of the 80s to present you this economical simulation. Commercial advertisement mixed up with promotion for a 'good cause' - very, very questionable.

Rauser / BWMi 1993
Genre: Strategy
Rating: 2/6
Licence: Freeware
System: Amiga

Just a little more than ten years ago (in 1993), there was no 'Internet' of today's proportions. Computer magazines coming with CDs full of stuff were still uncommon, too. To be exact, the first 'one-shot issues' of this kind appeared in early 1994 in Germany. So, 1993 was still a year of game demos being spread on floppy disks, and those were available on quite a few magazine covers.

Coktel Vision 1993
Genre: Puzzle, Adventure
Rating: 3/6
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

The king may have been saved, but now, his son has been kidnapped. The evil Demon King wants to make the prince into his court jester. What an offense! Instead of the terrific trio of the first part, a gruesome twosome (see number of 'i's in the title) is sent: Fingus, the diplomat, and Winkle, the practical joker.

Starbyte 1993
Genre: Strategy
Rating: 4/6
Licence: Commercial
System: Amiga

A German strategy game with decent graphics and intuitive controls? What a novel idea! Ok, there are exceptions - think of Battle Isle and The Settlers. Hannibal can't quite reach that high level, but it comes close enough...