The Official TGOD Game Comparisons Archive

by Mr Creosote (2016-12-02)

Until December 2016, what is now listed as “similar games” on game entries used to be “comparisons”. The difference was that those included pros and cons comparing the two games. The reasons for this change of policy have been discussed on the forums. In order not to lose information, they are archived here.

1869

Ports of Call (PC)

Ships... trading...
 +  Managable
 -  -
 =  An obvious inspiration of 1869


221B Baker Street

Cluedo Master Detective (Amiga)

Murder in a mansion - but who of the guests is the killer?
 +  Solution based purely on logic
 -  Cases always have the same structure
 =  The classic of mystery boardgames


3 Skulls of the Toltecs

Captain Gysi und das Raumschiff Bonn (PC)

Captain Gysi saves spaceship Bonn
 +  Graphics
 -  Shorter
 =  Even this promotial title is superior, in spite of similarly cranky humor

Maniac Mansion (C64)

Gang of three save the girl
 +  Puzzles, humor
 -  -
 =  A cartoony Adventure done right

Rex Nebular and the Cosmic Gender-Bender (PC)

Macho on a planet full of women
 +  Graphics, humor, puzzles
 -  -
 =  Far more advanced


3D Cyberpuck

Projectyle (Amiga)

Two futuristic teams trying to shoot the ball into a goal
 +  More tactical
 -  No technological upgrades
 =  Very interesting concept


3D Spacewars

Battlezone

Three-dimensional tank battle
 +  Excellent vector graphics in the arcade version
 -  Dull pixel graphics on the home consoles
 =  A famous 3D game which did not translate very well onto the home systems of the time

Transplant

Lone space ship blowing up countless enemies
 +  Many varied types of enemies
 -  No 3D
 =  Excellent PD space shooter in the classic top-down perspective


9:05

Bliss (Interpreter)

An upstanding knight things he's fighting the monsters if an evil wizard
 +  There are puzzles
 -  A bigger cliché
 =  Once again, nothing is as it seems


A New Beginning

Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Father

Great urban fantasy story
 +  -
 -  A graphic adventure which excels at dark story telling

Kampf um Trubelland

Nuclear energy to save Germany from totalitarism
 +  -
 -  Another pamphlet game
 =  Shares a common worry, and country of origin


A320 Airbus

Solo Flight

Deliver mail to remote US-American towns
 +  -
 -  Simplistic graphics
 =  Pretty much the same gameplay already in the early 80s

Microsoft Flight Simulator 3.0

Another civilian flight simulator
 +  Recognizably modelled cities, multiplayer mode
 -  No career mode
 =  Arguably more advanced


Aaargh!

Rampage (Atari ST)

A group of giant monsters destroys a city
 +  Multiplayer option
 -  No 'higher goal'
 =  The obvious inspiration for Aaargh!


Abenteuer Europa

Auf dem Weg nach Europa (Amiga)

Answer trivia questions while travelling through Europe
 +  Educational
 -  -
 =  Good one

Captain Gysi und das Raumschiff Bonn (PC)

Another political party trying to cram their ideology down your throat
 +  Puzzles, Humour
 -  -
 =  Clearly the better choice


Abobo's Big Adventure

Return of Double Dragon

One of the many sequels of the original beat'em up
 +  Better graphics, stronger focused
 -  Only one kind of game, somewhat mediocre
 =  Very similar to level one

The Legend of Zelda

The RPG everyone thinks of when mentioning NES
 +  Started its own genre
 -  The old man is to be taken seriously
 =  If you couldn't get enough of the dungeon level in Abobo's Big Adventure you might love the original game

Retro City Rampage

The name says it all!
 +  Combines more than one gaming system, more customisation, more freedom
 -  Not freeware
 =  Different game, very similar background


Abrams Battle Tank

F29 Retaliator


Abuse

Super Metroid (SNES)

A bounty hunter with an energetic armour
 +  Exploration and upgrades makes this game distinctive
 -  I can't think anything bad about this one
 =  Quite similar, but this one isn't so fast


Aces Of The Deep

Wolfpack (PC)

Submarine warfare with the possibility to play the other side
 +  Multiplayer support, Option to play the other side and defend the ships
 -  No global Scenario only single Missions
 =  More action based version of the submarine scenario


Aces Of The Pacific

Aces over Europe (PC)

Airwarfare simulation for advanced players with campaigns for both fractions
 +  More flyable Planes, more targets, harder missions
 -  -
 =  If you like airwarfare based games, this one's for you


Aces Over Europe

Aces of the Pacific (PC)

Fly various missions during the Pacific War
 +  Mission targets are easier to reach
 -  Less flyable planes
 =  Beginners should start with this part of the series

Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe (PC)

World War 2 dogfights in the sky over Europe
 +  Much playing variations from training mission up to big campaings
 -  Sound and graphics
 =  A true classic which defined the genre


Advanced Destroyer Simulator

Silent Service 2 (Amiga)

Submarine warfare in the pacific
 +  Elements of sneaky attacks and hit & run tactics
 -  Hardly an pre-made missions
 =  Similar looks and functions, yet superior due to tense battle scenes


Advanced Lawnmower Simulation

Barschsoft Special (PC)

All games made by the promising startup company Barschsoft
 +  Four completely distinct releases
 -  Graphically weaker
 =  Appealing to the same elite target audience


Adventure

Flug 714 nach Sydney (PC)

Strange things occur after a plane crash
 +  Small mini game included
 -  -
 =  Just as amateurish


Adventure

Castle Master

ZORK I: The Great Underground Empire

Find & retrieve treasures from a hostile cave system
 +  Depth
 -  No graphics
 =  Another Adventure-inspired game in a very different tradition


Air Support

Campaign

Complex and extensive tank simulation
 +  Adequate graphics for the time
 -  Weak AI
 =  For those who want something larger


Akalabeth

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord

Fight the evil guy's horde
 +  A more advanced dungeon crawler
 -  Can be a nightmare to play
 =  Still, it became much more influential than this game


Albion

Ultima VII: The Black Gate (PC)

The Avatar comes back in a time of need, only to find nobody needs him
 +  Elaborated world, nearly all the characters have personality
 -  The game engine can be a nuisance sometimes
 =  The most similar game you will find


Alien Bash II

Chaos Engine (Amiga)

Scientific experiments in Victorian England gone awry...
 +  Two player mode
 -  -
 =  Alien Bash's big commercial idol

Warlock: The Avenger (Amiga)

Old magician saves fantasy world once again
 +  Spell management
 -  Unfair
 =  Another single-player Gauntlet


Alien Carnage

Bio Menace

Saving the world from the mutant menace
 +  Fun and action filled
 -  -
 =  Another game of the same style, but a bit more cartoonish


Alien Legacy

Die Siedler (Amiga)

Build buildings and roads to create a city
 +  It's about resource management
 -  It can be simple and repetitive
 =  Another game where surviving is the point, but where the story is not as important for the game

StarControl II (PC)

Travel through the galaxy and create a powerful alliance
 +  Good combat system and a lot of exploration
 -  There is a time limit and resource gathering takes a lot of it
 =  A similar game, but where the adventure is the main point


Alley Cat

Joust


Alleyway

Super Mario Land

Thank you Mario. Oh! Daisy
 +  Longer, more variety, a real Mario game
 -  Less levels
 =  A real Game Boy classic

Arkanoid

The era and time of this game is unkown.
 +  Bonus items, more variety, colours, memorable soundtrack
 -  Lot more difficult
 =  Still one of the best Breakout clones out there


Alone In The Dark

Alone in the Dark 3 (PC)

Carnby's third case takes him to a Wild West town
 +  Longer
 -  Nonsensical storyline
 =  On the whole, unfortunately not up to the precedent the first part set

Ecstatica

Little Big Adventure (PC)

Twinsen, citizen in a big brother state, gets into trouble with the law
 +  Graphics, gameplay complexity
 -  Complicated save game concept
 =  Made by the same team - an almost unbelievable evolution in so little time


Alone in the Dark 2

Little Big Adventure (PC)

A reluctant rebel fights an oppressive regime in Playmobil country
 +  Graphics, puzzles, fights
 -  -
 =  The real successor of the Alone in the Dark


Alone in the Dark 3

Shadow of the Comet (PC)

Are you looking for a horror game? Try this
 +  Based on the Cthulhu mythos
 -  Gets dull as it advance
 =  This same company did it better before, but still not perfect


Ambush at Sorinor

Walls of Rome

Roman armies against 'barbarians'
 +  Fewer icons
 -  Unimaginative levels
 =  Tired Siege rehash

Prince

Medieval armies clashing on an island
 +  The same zoom level problems you're already used to dealing with
 -  The side with the bigger army wins
 =  A large number of toy figures don't automatically make a game


Anchorhead

Shadow of the Comet (PC)

An evil comet and an evil cult
 +  Graphics make this more accessable
 -  Some pixel hunting
 =  Approximately on the same quality level

The Lurking Horror (PC)

Ancient evil waits patiently under the university campus
 +  Massive size
 -  Less story development
 =  One of Infocom's finest moments


Ancient Domains of Mystery

Dragonstone

Free a princess by tapping into elemental powers
 +  Intuitive gameplay
 -  Gameplay laughable in places
 =  Although similar motifs are used, the games have little in common

Telengard

50 dungeon levels full of treasure open for exploration & looting
 +  No complex plotlines, quests
 -  Exploration & looting is an end in itself
 =  Classic Rogue gameplay


Andromeda Apocalypse

Snowquest

On a survivial mission in a vast land covered with snow and ice
 +  More puzzles
 -  Laughable plot
 =  Another game with similarly misconstructed flashbacks


Andromeda Awakening

Damocles

A comet is approaching a colonised planet – time for action
 +  Huge world...
 -  ...making it easier to get lost
 =  Less condensed, epic graphical Adventure


Anno 1602

Die Siedler (Amiga)

Tribes are struggling for supremacy which can only be achieved by building up a functioning economy
 +  Interconnected economic model
 -  War is kind of unspectacular
 =  The more complex role model


Another World

Goody (PC)

Another classical platformer
 +  Lots of ways to go
 -  Can get confusing and hard
 =  Try it for something different

Bermuda Syndrome (PC)

WWII USAF pilot Jack and an exotic savage princess fighting dinos on a mysterious island
 +  SVGA graphics, huge, arty packaging
 -  Difficult controls, stupid sidekick, awful voice acting
 =  Very similar but slightly inferior game, featuring dinos as main antagonist instead of aliens


Anvil of Dawn

Dungeon Master (PC)

The source of computer dungeon crawlers
 +  Fun and diverse
 -  It can be bit simplistic
 =  The first, yet one of the best

Might and Magic: World of Xeen (PC)

Your heroes save two worlds in one
 +  Plenty of places to explore and monster genocides to do
 -  It can get repetitive
 =  You just kills monsters and crawl through dungeons, yet it is quite fun


Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura

Ultima VII: The Black Gate

After a long leave of absence, the Avatar returns to Britannia
 +  NPC have a life besides quests, even more elaborate world
 -  Less character customisation, combat is even less involving, no steampunk
 =  The influence this one had on Arcanum is undeniable… especially of you set the combat to turn-based

Fallout

Shares many of Arcanum's creators
 +  Bantering NPCs, things happening without your character having an immediate influence, combat that involves at least a bit of tactics
 -  Orcs, elves, dwarves, gnomes, steampunk
 =  Better role playing experience, slightly less original setting


Archipelagos

Alpha Waves

Open the current room's door to escape to the next one, using special crystals and minding strange gravity
 +  Many levels become a test of skill
 -  Overall fewer game elements
 =  Another fairly weird game from around the same time


Arkanoid II: Revenge of Doh

Battle City

Destroy your enemy's HQ
 +  Destructible terrain
 -  Simplistic gameplay
 =  A great NES arcade classic


Ascii Sector

Frontier: Elite 2 (PC)

The vastness of space... simulated as accurately as possible
 +  Huge proportions
 -  Most of the planets are completely interchangeable
 =  Commercial classic


Ashes of Empire

Dune

The young son of a freshly arrived foreign duke turns out to be the messiah the desert people have been waiting for
 +  Easy to learn and play
 -  Easy to win, less varied gameplay
 =  A similar structure, but executed in a lightweight fashion

Crisis in the Kremlin

The SU's economy is heading for total breakdown; how will the head of state manage?
 +  Realistic (historical) events
 -  Mostly reactive gameplay
 =  A pure strategy game built around the same historical background


Atlantis

Paratrooper (PC)

A stationary cannon shooting down attacking paratroppers
 +  -
 -  Ugly colours, just one cannon
 =  Similar, but worse


Atomix

Sokoban (PC)

Move boxes in a warehouse
 +  The grandfather of all move-something-to-solve-the-puzzle games
 -  After playing a few hours you start searching for markers in your own living room to arrange your furniture
 =  You like coming up with organizational schemes? Play Sokoban!


Auf dem Weg nach Europa

Gesetzgebung (PC)

Learn how a bill becomes a law (in Germany)
 +  -
 -  Learning and playing is more seperated
 =  If you like one, you'll like both


ああ播磨灘

Super Street Fighter 2

“Street fighting” tournament
 +  Many very different fighters with many very different moves & tactics
 -  Requires a lot of practice to play well
 =  Considered the gold standard of the genre

WWF Raw

Acrobatic show fights
 +  Useful grappling mode, varied moves, many game modes
 -  Fighters are also all rather similar
 =  Excellent fighting game


B.A.T. II

Mean Streets

A private eye trying to get to the bottom of a apparent suicide case in 2037 San Francisco
 +  Classic detective flair
 -  The different parts of the game don't flow quite as organically into one another
 =  Another interesting, but slightly more conventional attempt in a similar direction


B.C. Kid

Soccer Kid (Amiga)

English teenager retrieves the stolen World Cup trophy from an alien
 +  Innovative use of a football as a weapon
 -  -
 =  Pure, innocent fun

The Great Giana Sisters (C64)

Two punk sisters looking for diamonds
 +  -
 -  -
 =  Classic on the same quality level


Back to Skool

Skool Daze (ZX Spectrum)

Eric opening the school safe for the first time
 +  Feels fresher
 -  Less complex
 =  The original which laid the basis


Backstage

Bi-Fi Roll: Snackzone (Amiga)

Hero 'Lukas' is looking for the 'production secret' of a certain fast food snack
 +  Action elements
 -  Dying
 =  Two very similar promotial games made by the same company

Captain Gysi und das Raumschiff Bonn (PC)

Clashing political ideologies in space
 +  Puzzles
 -  Obstrusive advertisement
 =  Superior gameplay-wise


Bad Machine

Paradroid

A lone robot has to overcome a freighter full of hostile droids
 +  More action, nice hacking mini-game
 -  No puzzles, not as though-provoking
 =  Slightly different focus, but overall very similar game

Hacker 2

Be a human, hack for the goverment!
 +  Hacking certainly is more versatile
 -  Horrible GUI, awful graphics
 =  Something of an inversion of Bad Machine


Balance of Power - The 1990 Edition

Conflict: Middle East Political Simulator (PC)

Cold & hot war in the middle east
 +  Easier, less complex
 -  Easier, less complex
 =  Some sort of a 'light' version of BoP


Ball Raider

Arkanoid II: Revenge of Doh

Arkanoid sequel for home systems
 +  Many gimmicks and extras
 -  -
 =  It's still Breakout alright, but also done right


Ballyhoo

In the Dead of Night (Amiga)

Detective with less than honourable motives investigates murder
 +  Graphics
 -  Easy & short
 =  Nice try, but inferior

Suspect (PC)

Party guest proves his own innocence regarding the hostess' murder
 +  Clever story
 -  Trial & error gameplay
 =  Late example of 'classic' mystery style


Bananoid

Arkanoid

Smash bricks in an era and time unknown!
 +  More levels, more forgiving difficulty, more diversity, better ball physics, story
 -  EGA graphics
 =  As the name implies this one was a major source of inspiration for Bananoid

Electranoid

One of the many shareware variants of the tried and tested Breakout-formula
 +  Music, actual sounds, enemies, a lot more levels
 -  Worse graphics
 =  Yet another Arkanoid copycat


Banshee

Phobia (Amiga)

Shoot your way through various planets
 +  Original level design
 -  Unbeatable in the end
 =  The two best shooters - one 'horizontal', the other 'vertical'


Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior

Knight Games (C64)

Medieval duels galore
 +  Choice of weapons
 -  Fewer moves
 =  At least it pretends to have more variety

Mortal Kombat (PC)

Bloody fights for the sake of humankind's survival
 +  Different characters
 -  Even more bloody
 =  Received its attention for so-called 'finishing moves'...


Barbie

Hot Wheels (C64)

A nameless guy driving around town in cool cars
 +  Some different challenges
 -  No girls...
 =  A game for boys coming from the same cooperation

Terraquake (C64)

He-Man battles the evil forces of Skeletor
 +  Challenging
 -  Strays pretty far from the source material
 =  Action figures for boys - in a text adventure


Barschsoft Special

Spielautomat (PC)

One-armed bandit
 +  -
 -  -
 =  For those crap lovers out there


Battle Bugs

Ambush at Sorinor (PC)

Lead mercenary groups into battle
 +  Strategical elements of mission selection
 -  Less detailed unit abilities
 =  If you're open to less 'fixed' mission 'solutions', this one is for you

Space Hulk (Amiga)

Lead a group of highly trainer super soldiers against alien hordes
 +  -
 -  Impossible to win
 =  If you like seeing your team slaughtered, this one is for you


Battle City

Battlezone (Atari 2600)

Fight with your tank on 3D
 +  In full 3D!
 -  Actually, it's a very simplistic game
 =  Even more action oriented than this one


Battle for Wesnoth

Battle Isle (Amiga)

Futuristic army conquers small islands
 +  Simultanous two-player mode
 -  Non-intuitive controls
 =  Nectaris-style classic

Panzer General (PC)

Historical army conquers Europe
 +  Non-fantasy
 -  Less 'visible' experience levels
 =  Commercial classic of similar quality


Battle Isle

The Perfect General (Amiga)

Perfectly balanced battles based on complex rules
 +  Attacker/defender dualism
 -  Less accessable
 =  If you want to get deeper into the genre


Battle Isle 2

Battle Isle (Amiga)

Tactical battles against the evil robot armies
 +  Simultanous playing
 -  Less overview
 =  The start of the series

History Line 1914-1918 (PC)

Tactical battles against evil foreign armies
 +  Simultanous playing
 -  Too easy
 =  Unfortunately abandoned branch of the series

Panzer General (PC)

Tactical battles against good foreign armies
 +  'Career' mode
 -  -
 =  Took one further step compared to Battle Isle 2


Battle Isle 3: Schatten des Imperators

Battle Isle 2

Benny boy's father saves the world from evil machines
 +  -
 -  -
 =  Basically the same game

Fantasy General

One general frees the world from evil wizard's armies
 +  Fundamentally different races
 -  Samey levels
 =  Fairly successful evolution of Panzer General

Incubation

A squad of elite soldiers versus monsters
 +  Unique units
 -  No production, simple supply system
 =  Blue Byte actually evolving


Battlezone

Armor Attack (Vectrex)

Jeep blasting tanks and helicopters
 +  Just more exciting
 -  Less ambitious graphically
 =  Will glue you to your chair


Beach Volley

Blobby Volleyball (PC)

Two jelly blobs playing volleyball
 +  A lot of fun in competetive mode
 -  Graphics and sound
 =  Fun freeware game


Beavis and Butt-Head in Virtual Stupidity

Der Schatz im Silbersee

Several parties looking for an Indian treasure
 +  Based on popular literature
 -  Stupid characters and dialogues
 =  Pixel-hunting fest


Beet the Devil

Tenth Plague

Bring death to the firstborn sons of non-believers
 +  Appropriately short
 -  -
 =  Well-made religiously-themed game


Being Andrew Plotkin

Interface

Stuck in a robot body
 +  Stands on its own
 -  Very easy
 =  Successful tribute game


Beneath A Steel Sky

Cruise for a Corpse (Amiga)

Solve the murder of your host on a cruise
 +  Graphics
 -  Few actual puzzles
 =  Recommended for Hercule Poirot

Curse of Enchantia (Amiga)

A linear collection of puzzles on a fantasy background
 +  -
 -  Horrible interface, ridiculous puzzles
 =  For masochists

Dark Seed (Amiga)

Gothic horror about aliens from a parallel dimension
 +  Great athmosphere
 -  Weaker puzzle design
 =  The right choice if you don't like the humorous aspects of BASS

The Secret of Monkey Island (Amiga)

Guybrush Threepwood wants to be a pirate...
 +  Humor, puzzles, story,....
 -  -
 =  The unreachable classic which defined the whole genre


Berlin Connection

Backstage

A rock band's fan wants to win a competition and manages with the help of 'Liveclub'
 +  Slightly more complex tasks
 -  Slightly more coarse-grained graphics
 =  Tries a similar advertising approach, but comes across more likeable due to the missing price tag


Bermuda Syndrome

Rick Dangerous (Amiga)

You're an Indiana Jones type who platforms his way to the end of the game (no plot or baddies to speak of).
 +  Rick only goes “whahahah” now and then, Jack talks...
 -  less captivating, more arcade-like
 =  equal value overall, but for (vastly) different reasons

Flashback (PC)

Amnesiac on an alien world in search for his identity
 +  Superior interface, no stupid sidekick
 -  Inferior graphics, shorter
 =  Similar appearence and gameplay, but with aliens instead of dinos and much denser atmosphere


Beyond Columns

Tetris (PC)

The original Russian falling block game
 +  Pieces are more diverse, placement allows some tricks
 -  Too many S-stones, too few I-blocks, no cascades
 =  Simply a matter of taste whether you prefer Tetris or Columns

Atomix

Put some molecules together
 +  Actual puzzles, learn a bit about chemistry, unique
 -  Too long (plus no savegames or passwords), larger molecules get a bit tedious, time limit
 =  Similar concept with a bit more depth (for better or for worse)


Bi-Fi Roll: Snackzone

Dunkle Schatten (PC)

Dialogue-based Adventure promoting 'civil courage'
 +  Mouse interface
 -  Even fewer puzzles
 =  Trying to promote a 'good cause', but inferior gameplay

Victor Loomes (Amiga)

Detective Loomes makes sure his client's financical situation remains safe
 +  Very good graphics
 -  Involuntarily funny
 =  Yet another promotial time-travelling Adventure


Bio Menace

Commander Keen

A genius kid in a quest to rebuild his ship
 +  A MS-Dos game comparable to a NES platformer
 -  -
 =  The beginning of the Apogee platformers


Black Crypt

Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon

The powers of evil have taken over a monastry (which sports a sizable dungeon)
 +  Not quite as hard
 -  Missing convenience features like automapping
 =  A popular Dungeon Master clone


Black Dahlia

Dark Seed

Wander through H.R. Giger nightmares
 +  Even more absurd images, very distinct style, slightly better Adventure parts
 -  Less engaging story, time limits
 =  Does not have as engaging story as Black Dahlia, but seems a bit more seamless

Harvester

Extremely gory mystery game
 +  More focused, puzzles are more organic, moral dilemma
 -  Very 'adult', bugs, moral dilemma
 =  Interesting idea, at times horrible presentation

Zork Nemesis: The Forbidden Lands

The only dead serious Zork game
 +  Better puzzles, great atmosphere, lots of details to discover, even more interesting plot
 -  Depending on your taste a bit too many puzzles, graphics might be slightly worse
 =  One of the very few really great interactive movies


Black Gold

Steigenberger Hotelmanager (Amiga)

Managing a hotel
 +  Original subject
 -  Fairly boring execution
 =  On a similar level

Yuppi's Revenge (C64)

Worldwide oil drilling
 +  Not set in a historic period for once
 -  Too few fresh ideas
 =  For fans


Black Thorne

Flashback

Try to get your memories back in a cyberpunk world
 +  Great mix of action and adventure
 -  The change of pace from a level to another can feel strange
 =  In several aspects, the clear predecessor


Blade Warrior

Fist 2: The Legend Continues (C64)

Collect scrolls and fight enemies
 +  -
 -  Bad controls, weak fighting
 =  Very similar approach, but bad execution

Wild Streets (Amiga)

Free a hostage from a gang of street thugs
 +  -
 -  Too hard, too repetetive
 =  A pure arcade approach - not good, not bad


Blake Stone

Strife (PC)

Fight for resistance in a world that mixes knigth armors and cyborgs.
 +  Mixes FPS with adventure, and a weird setting
 -  As game advances it gets dull
 =  One of the first good shooters

Descent (PC)

Fight on real 3D agains berserk robots
 +  Real 3D on zero gravity
 -  -
 =  A different kind of shooter


Blaster Master

Super Metroid (SNES)

Explore an alien world inside your power suit.
 +  Exploration. Alien world. Upgrades.
 -  If you are looking for anything bad you haven't played it
 =  This is what exploration mixed with action is


Blasteroids

Banshee (Amiga)

Classical vertical shooter
 +  Graphics, level design
 -  -
 =  Impressive final entry to the genre

Invasion Of The Mutant Space Bats Of Doom (PC)

Space Invaders clone
 +  -
 -  -
 =  Neither is better - the games are just different

Phobia (Amiga)

Horizontal shooter
 +  Imaginative levels, exact controls
 -  -
 =  Long-term winner of the battle of the games


Blind

Interface

Escape from the locked house of an evil guy – trapped in a clunky robot body
 +  Puzzles originate organically from the premise
 -  Very easy
 =  Uses the approach of a restricted protagonist effectively


Bliss

Shannara (PC)

Fighting an evil wizard...
 +  At least a few decent puzzles
 -  Horribly clichéd
 =  This is what Bliss parodies...


Blockout

Tetris (PC)

Complete lines with random falling blocks.
 +  2D, easier to control, classic
 -  -
 =  If you like Blockout, you'll love Tetris, but not every fan of Tetris will like Blockout.


Blood & Magic

Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty (PC)

The original RTS
 +  Variety of units, base building
 -  Lacks skirmish mode, repetitive
 =  Even with it's downsides, the first one is better than this one

Fantasy Empires (PC)

A D&D strategy game
 +  Complex game system
 -  Sometimes, it's too complex
 =  A great game based also on the D&D license

Stronghold (PC)

A city simulator on a D&D world
 +  Let's you handle a town
 -  Can be hard to learn
 =  More D&D strategy, even if it's mostly a simulation game


Body Bargain

One Eye Open

Time-travel / reality-distortion horror in a hospital
 +  Long, detailed story
 -  -
 =  Successfully finds the balance between hiding different endings behind puzzles which are not too obscure


Border Zone

Covert Action (PC)

Carry out covert spy operations
 +  Completely different scenes
 -  Not much of a story
 =  Interesting alternative offering a different perspective

Moonmist (PC)

Private eye looking for a ghost
 +  Slightly different versions of the story available
 -  Relatively easy
 =  Not bad at all


Borrowed Time

Deja Vu: A Nightmare Comes True (Amiga)

Private detective fights his amnesia
 +  A little less deadly
 -  -
 =  Similar theme, similar style


Boxing

Yie Ar KUNG-FU (C64)

Kung-Fu novice fighting his way up
 +  Graphics, varied opponents
 -  -
 =  Very modern fighting game for its time


Breakout

Breakthru in 3D

It's Breakout… in 3D!
 +  3D
 -  3D
 =  Delivers what it promises

Quad

Breakout from four sides
 +  Thought-through four-player extension
 -  Not the original
 =  An original variant


Broken Sword II: The Smoking Mirror

Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars (PC)

George and Nico looking for a murderer in a clown costume
 +  Slightly higher complexity
 -  -
 =  A little better concerning gameplay


Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars

Beneath a Steel Sky (Amiga)

Outsider versus a big-brother-like computer system
 +  Puzzles
 -  -
 =  The development teams best offering

Prisoner of Ice (PC)

Navy officer versus nazi-backed frozen monsters
 +  Better story
 -  Graphics, even easier
 =  Another typical Adventure game of the same time


Brutal Sports Football

Wild Cup Soccer (Amiga)

Score more goals than the other team - or behead its players
 +  Player transfers
 -  Way too easy
 =  Could have been good if there were decent computer players


Brutal Sports Football

Grave Yardage (C64)

American Football with monsters on a mine field
 +  Different types of players
 -  Graphics
 =  Funny game


Brutal Sports Football

Wild Cup Soccer (Amiga)

Score more goals than the other team - or behead its players
 +  Player transfers
 -  Way too easy
 =  Could have been good if there were decent computer players


Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show

Knight Games (C64)

Knights in competition
 +  Two-player mode actually competitive
 -  Very focused on fighting
 =  Not a bad compilation of mini events


Bugged

Pick Up the Phone Booth and Die (Interpreter)

...so you better don't.
 +  Funny
 -  Just a single move
 =  Good idea

The End of He-Man! (Interpreter)

He-Man is once again called to put an end to Skeletor's scheming
 +  -
 -  -
 =  About as good as the game within Bugged

Undo (Interpreter)

You've almost completed the game, but then, the bugs strike!
 +  More varied humour
 -  Just a single puzzle
 =  Similar idea, slightly better execution


Bumpy's Arcade Fantasy

Marble Madness (Amiga)

Move a marble ball around to the exit
 +  Original and fun
 -  -
 =  There are few things similar to this, something to play

Nebulus (PC)

Climb a tower just walking and jumping
 +  It is fun
 -  Never got my attention
 =  Maybe thing of personal taste, the game is original but never found it too interesting


Bundesliga Manager Hattrick

Bundesliga Manager Professional

 +  Simpler, concentrates on the important things
 -  Weaker graphics
 =  The predecessor


Bunny Bricks

Bananoid

Freeware Arkanoid clone
 +  Extra-wide, side-scrolling levels
 -  Rather abstract graphics with virtually no animation
 =  Called a technology demo by some, but a fun one


Bureaucracy

Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy (PC)

Earth is demolished to make room for a galactic highway - and that's just the beginning
 +  Very close to the source material
 -  Incredibly absurd puzzles at times
 =  More Douglas Adams fodder


Burntime

Der Clou! (Amiga)

Make a live stealing from homes
 +  Planning your crimes
 -  Some of the story missions aren't that great
 =  If you like strategy coordinating a small group try this one


Byzantine Perspective

Bugged (Interpreter)

A buggy game needs to be beta tested
 +  Longer
 -  Not too imaginative
 =  Could have done more with its idea

Undo (Interpreter)

The end of an imaginary game is severely broken, but you still want to finish it
 +  Some funny effects
 -  The solution doesn't really originate naturally from the premise
 =  Nice diversion


Caesar

Risk (Amiga)

Read the game's name...
 +  Missions
 -  Just one map
 =  Another good implementation


Caesar II

Sim City 2000

Build the city of your dreams
 +  Original administration game
 -  Forces you to play according the developer's logic
 =  In the end, both are the same game with different cover


California Games

Caveman Ugh-lympics

Another attempt at making original sport games
 +  Funny cavemen
 -  Boring
 =  More of the same


Callahan's Crosstime Saloon

Spellcasting 101: Sorcerers Get All the Girls (PC)

Apprentice Ernie trying to become a sorcerer - and to get girls
 +  Puzzles
 -  Not much of a coherent storyline
 =  Similarly episodic game with superior wordplay-based puzzles


Campaign

Abrams Battle Tank

A tank simulation from the year 1988
 +  More ammunition types, targets will be marked
 -  The game recalls a 1980s console game rather than a true tank simulator
 =  1992, Abrams Battle Tank was already obsolete

M1 Tank Platoon

A tank simulation from the year 1989
 +  Better AI than in Campaign
 -  Only few kinds of tanks, Campaigns graphics are slightly better
 =  1992, M1 Tank Platoon was the leading tank simulation on the market

Armored Fist

A tank simulation from the year 1994
 +  Better graphics, tanks move through rough terrain
 -  The enemy targets are tiny
 =  Armored Fist continues the technical evolution of the genre. Because of its success, there were two sequels.

World of Tanks

A mutiuser tank simulation (https://worldoftanks.eu)
 +  Allows for playing similarly numerous tank models
 -  It's an online game, premium contents are quite expensive
 =  This current online game is basically the great-grandchild of Campaign


Cannon Fodder

Syndicate (PC)

Lead a group of cyborgs in a war between corporations
 +  More strategic, deeper
 -  Less accessable, slower
 =  Probably the more 'serious' game, but not necessarily better


Captain Gysi - Galaxis Futura

Captain Gysi und das Raumschiff Bonn

Captain Gysi's saves Spaceship Bonn from falling into a black hole
 +  Puzzles, graphics
 -  -
 =  Far superior outing of the Captain

Abenteuer Europa

Investigative reporter discovers which political party is the best
 +  Not unfair
 -  Not funny
 =  Ridiculous attempt by another political party


Captain Gysi und das Raumschiff Bonn

Abenteuer Europa (PC)

A reporter discovers which political party is the best one
 +  Involuntary humour
 -  Shallow
 =  Inferior competitor game-wise

Geheimprojekt DMSO (PC)

A private detective promoting rheumatism ailments
 +  Thematically bizarre
 -  Thematically bizarre
 =  On a similar quality level


Captain Verdeterre's Plunder

Redhook's Revenge

A couple of pirates in a competition to see who can loot the most
 +  Multiplayer fun
 -  Basically random
 =  A nice virtual board game


Car and Driver

Stunts

 +  Freedom to roam track, track editor
 -  No reverse gear
 =  Very similar graphic-wise, but you can make more tracks

Vette!

 +  Race against opponent or roam, nice map to explore
 -  Needs better graphics, especially brakelights, better shading. similar with views
 =  Similar in multiplayer and with views options


Caribbean Disaster

Hurra Deutschland

A nobody runs for the post of German chancellor
 +  Involves many (by now historical) real (parody) characters
 -  Similarly formulaic gameplay
 =  Surprisingly similar political satire

Mad News

Tiny yellow press paper on the way to the top
 +  Funny in-game articles, more player freedom
 -  -
 =  Undoubtedly the superior game


Carmageddon

DeathTrack

An earlier game also featuring car battles.
 +  Also relevant for hi's time. Weapons!
 -  No pedestrians nor physics engine.
 =  A good precursor.

Destruction Derby

Another car battle game.
 +  Most crash spectacle centered.
 -  No pedestrians nor sandbox.
 =  Lot of fun and skills needed.


Castelian

Solstice

Explore an isometric castle
 +  Isometric platforms
 -  -
 =  This manages to be a different NES platformer


Castle Adventure

Cursed

Young aristocrat accused of murder has to prove his innocence trapped in an animal body
 +  Puzzles & implementation depth
 -  -
 =  Excellent modern game in 'old-school' style

Castle Master

Rescue the princess from an evil wizard's castle
 +  Groundbreaking three-dimensional graphics
 -  Shallow gameplay; graphics, although featureless, render slowly
 =  An action game in a similar vein


Castle Master

Shadowgate (Amiga)

An evil sorcerer is summoning a monster and the player enters his castle...
 +  -
 -  Stupid torch handling
 =  Regarded as a classic for all the wrong reasons

The Prophecy (PC)

Save the world from a cardboard cutout baddie
 +  Unique style
 -  Fairly predictable
 =  Not bad, but not too great, either


Castle of Dr Brain

Pub Trivia Simulator (Amiga)

A recreation of old puzzle arcades
 +  You don't have to pay for playing
 -  It may not be the greatest puzzle game
 =  A different game, more puzzles


Castles II: Siege and Conquest

StarControl II: The Ur-Quan Masters

Explore and save the galaxy
 +  Open world and great dialogues
 -  -
 =  Another great sequel which changed a lot from the first game

Kingdoms of England II, Vikings: Fields of Conquest

Conquer England
 +  Some nice ideas for a war game
 -  Doesn't work so well on the end
 =  Lacks the streamlined simplicity, but seems to share influences.


Castlevania

Bio Menace

As an action hero, it's your job to get rid of all kinds of monsters
 +  Levels with non-lineal designs
 -  -
 =  A great action platformer

Little Samson

Traverse levels with the help of your alternate forms
 +  Alternate forms give a nice twist
 -  The levels end lacking anything to avoid monotony


Castlevania II: Simon's Quest

Gargoyle's Quest 2

Save the monster world
 +  Original and fun platformer
 -  Mostly just an enhanced port of the GB original

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

A Zelda game with a newer face
 +  Attempts to innovate instead of copying the first game
 -  Too different from what we have grown to consider a Zelda game


Catch the Kreis

Clean Sweep (Vectrex)

Vacuum your money before the robbers get it
 +  -
 -  Unflexible level design
 =  Nice Pac Man clone


CatFight: The Ultimate Female Fighting Game

Brutal: Paws of Fury

A fighting game featuring various animals as martial artists
 +  Better set of characters
 -  Cartoonish graphics if you seriously think that low quality rotoscoped crap is any better
 =  Terrible framerate, unresponsive controls and zero fun as a result

Mortal Kombat

A legendary fighting game needing no introduction
 +  Better set of characters, animated backgrounds, smooth animation + catchy plot
 -  None
 =  Similar rotoscoped hazy sprites, audio

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior

A legendary fighting game needing no introduction
 +  Better set of characters, animated backgrounds and... was just great at the time.
 -  Crappy audio and cartoonish graphics, if really an issue
 =  Jerky animation

Tongue of the Fatman

An old ass aliens vs humans fighting which I always deemed the worst (I was wrong)
 +  Unbelievably diverse selection of characters
 -  Too difficult, inferior audio, cartoonish graphics
 =  Jerky animation, bad controls


Champion of the Raj

Lords of the Rising Sun

Warlords struggling for supremacy over Japan
 +  More local colour
 -  Slightly fewer tactical elements
 =  The obvious inspiration

Power Struggle

World war: east versus west
 +  -
 -  Much simpler
 =  Not bad, but very limited in comparison


Champions of Krynn

Pool of Radiance

Explore and recover an old city to find out it's secrets
 +  Revolves around exploration
 -  Things like exploring outside the city aren't well thought
 =  The starting point for the Golden Box games

DragonStrike

Take you dragon and fight the bad guys
 +  No other dragon flight game around
 -  Collision detection, being so important in this game is not too impressive
 =  Another game in the DragonLance world


Chaos Engine

Zombies Ate My Neighbors (SNES)

Suburbs are terrorized by undead beings
 +  More balanced difficulty
 -  Worse atmosphere, no different characters
 =  Chaos Engine remains the reference


Chaos Engine 2

Chaos Engine (Amiga)

The mercenaries versus an evil machine mutating innocent people
 +  Cooperative gameplay
 -  -
 =  Unfortunately, the sequel is clearly inferior


Chase H.Q.

Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge (Amiga)

The 'defining' 'classic' of the genre
 +  -
 -  Not even the nice try at a plot
 =  Similar gameplay-wise, but gets boring faster

Street Rod (Amiga)

Improve your status amongst the street racers until you're on top
 +  Better driving feeling, car tuning
 -  -
 =  Good fun


Chewy: ESC von F5

Discworld (PC)

Wizard Rincewind ponders questions of faith and dragons on Discworld
 +  Great plot and great dubbing
 -  Technical problems in the end game
 =  In spite of the technical deficiencies, this is the superior recommendation. For fans of the books, it is a must.

Prisoner of Ice (PC)

American Lieutenant fights nazis and the Old Ones from the Lovecraft universe
 +  Technically competent and with Lovecraft imagery
 -  Similarly half-baked puzzles
 =  For those who like it very easy


Chicken Invaders

Invasion Of The Mutant Space Bats Of Doom (PC)

Nice looking Space Invaders Clone
 +  More of a story wrapped around it...
 -  -
 =  Worth a look if you like this one.


Christoph Kolumbus

Conquestador

A game from 1992 (for C64 and Amiga)
 +  Interesting sea and land battles
 -  A lot of micromanagement, inferior graphics
 =  An alternative for C64 and Amiga fans

Conquest of the New World

A game from 1996
 +  Colony management in Sim City style, cool land battles
 -  Sea battles are even less interesting than in Christoph Kolumbus
 =  A strong alternative; highly recommended.


Claas APS-Spiel

Advanced Lawnmower Simulation

Mow your neighbours' lawns – for a sandwich
 +  Nice joke
 -  Nothing more than a joke
 =  If only “Gardensoft” had known how popular similar games would become two decades later...


Clock Tower

Sweet Home (NES)

Travel through a haunted home in search of frescos
 +  Characters with different abilities
 -  Combats can get repetitive
 =  Consoles have some great horror themed games, and this is one of them


Cluedo Master Detective

221B Baker Street (C64)

Sherlock Holmes and his regulars solving scripted cases
 +  Each case has at least the hint of an individual story
 -  Hints are very cryptic at times
 =  Quite similar, but also requires some knowledge to understand the hints instead of just logic


Cohort: Fighting for Rome

Fields of Glory

Prince


Cold Iron

Die rote Blume

A sorceress has kidnapped your fiancee and turned her into a bird
 +  Writing & interaction
 -  -
 =  This is how such a game should be

The Warbler's Nest

Evil spirits have exchanged a woman's baby for another one... or have they?
 +  Writing & interaction
 -  -
 =  Another fine example of the genre


Colonial Conquest

Diplomacy (C64)

Europe's superpowers waging cold and hot war
 +  Diplomacy not an afterthought, but central theme
 -  Stiff production model, no spying or bribing
 =  The best computer conversion of the board game of the same name

Proliferation (PC)

Superpowers fighting for world supremacy with nuclear weapons
 +  Economic system, ecological issues
 -  No 'diplomatic' options (bribing,...)
 =  Excellent

WinRisk (PC)

Conventional world war
 +  Simplicity
 -  Extreme simplicity
 =  Faithful board game conversion


Colonization

Anno 1602 (PC)

Settle untouched islands
 +  Multiplayer mode
 -  Simple economic system
 =  One of the most popular games ever

Civilization (PC)

Lead your tribe to world supremacy
 +  Technology
 -  Hardly any economic aspects
 =  The original


Colony Wars 2492

Akte Europa

Colony Wars 2492's sequel
 +  More video material to illustrate the levels
 -  Similarly hard
 =  The game is very similar to Colony Wars 2492

Z

Cool real-time strategy game
 +  More action, more fun, clever AI
 -  Not suited for defensive players
 =  Good for adrenaline junkies


Color the Truth

Cluedo Master Detective

Murder on the Zinderneuf

The Blackwell Legacy

The Hollywood Murders


Colorado

Livingstone supongo (PC)

Travel the savage Africa in search of Livingstone
 +  Several tools to help you advance
 -  Unforgiving
 =  Action, survival and exploration well done

Metal Mutant (Amiga)

A cyborg traveling and killing
 +  Original and variated
 -  -
 =  It's quite similar to Colorado, but better


Colossus Chess X

Archon – The Light and the Dark (C64)

'Chess' with action-packed fights
 +  Different abilites of 'pieces'
 -  Depends less on tactical thinking
 =  Interesting premise using the capabilities of the computer


Comanche

Descent (PC)

Infiltrate mines with your glider and kill the rebelling robots
 +  Flying through claustrophobic tunnels
 -  Even less on the 'simulation' side
 =  Very good choice if you're looking for more action

The Shadow of the Third Moon (Amiga)

Futuristic vehicle flying through voxel landscapes
 +  Many missions
 -  Controls take some time getting used to
 =  A good followup once you're through with Comanche


Command HQ

Global Conquest (PC)

War in semi-real-time
 +  More complex
 -  Constant need for reconnaisence can get annoying
 =  Very original sequel

Modem Wars (PC)

Two armies taking each other out in real time
 +  No economy / resources
 -  -
 =  One of the first games which could be played over the phone line


Commander Keen

Bio Menace (PC)

Save the world from the artificial monsters menace
 +  Fast, fun and smooth
 -  There aren't any cons
 =  Play it, a great platformer


Conquest of the New World

Colonization

The same theme
 +  There are more goods which can be produced and traded
 -  Battles are always random
 =  The game is more focused on the acting people. The war of independence is sometimes a lot harder than in CNW.


Conquestador

Discovery - In the steps of Columbus

European powers struggling for supremacy over the new world
 +  A bit more accessible
 -  Horrible controls
 =  Light-weight alternative


Conquests of the Longbow

The Hound of Shadow (amiga)

Fight against a curse of arcane magic
 +  Branching and good story
 -  Interactive Fictions are hard to play.
 =  At least try it


Covert Action

Hacker 2 (C64)

'Hack' into computer systems with the CIA's blessing
 +  Has an actual storyline
 -  Interface isn't exactly intuitive
 =  A slightly different kind of espionage


Crackpots

Tapper (PC)

Bartender serving drugs to violent addicts
 +  Funny setting
 -  Bad graphics
 =  Probably as good as these very simple concepts get


Creepers

Lemmings (Amiga)

Solve Puzzles to save your Lemmings from sure death
 +  Challenging puzzles and an incredible soundtrack
 -  The gameplay get's very hectic in later levels
 =  A true classic everybody should take a look at


Crime City

Jonathan

A wheelchair-bound student supported by his friends trying to solve a mystery
 +  Plot and characters are not as generic
 -  Plot and characters are embarassing
 =  A much more ambitious game storytelling-wise, but an abysmal failure

The Fourth Protocol

Oversee a counterintelligence investigation to prevent a terrorist threat
 +  Three fundamentally different parts in one game
 -  The parts are hardly of consistent quality
 =  Interesting and challenging


Crisis in the Kremlin

Hidden Agenda

Lead a (fictional) South American republic out of poverty
 +  More numerous explicit dimensions to consider
 -  The (comparatively) mundane issues of this minor country might not be as interesting to some
 =  An amazing classic


Cross Check

Karamalz Cup (Amiga)

Ice hockey...
 +  Actual fights
 -  Fiddly controls
 =  Not bad for a free promotial game!

NHL Hockey (PC)

Ice hockey...
 +  Official team and player names of the NHL
 -  Plays slower
 =  A little more 'realistic'


Crown

Ivanhoe (Amiga)

Ivanhoe slashes (and rides) his way to King Richard
 +  Graphics, gameplay
 -  Similarly unresponsive controls
 =  The riding level is actually the downpoint of this game

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (Amiga)

A group of backstreet brawlers trying to determine who's the best
 +  Challenging and elaborate fighting
 -  -
 =  The tournament / travelling around idea done right


Cruise for a Corpse

The Case of the Cautious Condor (Amiga)

Murder hunt in a plane
 +  Stilish
 -  Little actual action
 =  Boat - plane - where's the difference?

East vs West: Berlin 1948 (Amiga)

Spy hunt in the seperated Berlin
 +  Complex system to talk to people
 -  Confusing, unclear goals
 =  For real fans, not casual players

Victor Loomes (Amiga)

Money hunt through time, courtesy of an insurance company
 +  Free
 -  Advertisement
 =  Short & easy, but not bad for a promotial game


Crusader: No Regret

Crusader: No Remorse (PC)

The Silencer joins the resistence
 +  Base interaction (not just mission after mission)
 -  Less weapons
 =  Virtually the same


Crusader: No Remorse

Chaos Engine (Amiga)

Two mercenaries versus mutated monsters created by a machine gone awry
 +  Cooperative multiplayer action
 -  Less equipment, more 'in your face' action
 =  Closer to the classic Gauntlet style

Crusader: No Regret (PC)

The Silencer frees political prisoners forced into slave labour
 +  New weapons
 -  No base interaction (just mission after mission)
 =  A 'more of the same' sequel


Crystals of Arborea

Ishar: The Legend of the Fortress

Go in search of Ishar and it's evil master
 +  Open world and lots of varied dungeons for you to explore
 -  Sometimes it's so hard, or better said so cumbersome, that it can be a pain
 =  Reusing this game's world, this started a better saga of games


Curse of Enchantia

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (Amiga)

Indy has to beat the Nazis in the race for Atlantis
 +  Story, humor, controls, alternate ways
 -  -
 =  The exact opposite of CoE

King's Quest 1: Quest for the Crown (Amiga)

Knight Graham searches for trophies
 +  -
 -  Technical problems galore
 =  Obviously the role model for CoE

The Pawn (Amiga)

Another guy has been teleported into a fantasy world, too...
 +  Great parser, logical puzzles, coherent storyline
 -  Little character interaction
 =  Similar premise done right, i.e. not childish and boring


Cursed

Arthur: The Quest for Excalibur

Not-yet-king Arthur has to retrieve Excalibur by proving his virtues
 +  The player can take the form of different animals at will to use their abilities
 -  -
 =  Tough classic


Cyber Empires

Dark Legions (PC)

Two armies trying to catch each other's orb in an Archon-like environment
 +  Very good fighting scenes
 -  Not that much global strategy
 =  Good game

Fantasy Empires (PC)

Four wizards fighting for world supremacy
 +  Spells, heroes
 -  Many units are just cannon fodder
 =  A question of personal preference


獣王記 (Jūōki)

Return of Double Dragon

Two action guys giving away free punches
 +  Decently fun beatings
 -  It's yet another arcade action game
 =  It's not a marvel, but it's more enjoyable than this one


D/Generation

The Lost Vikings (PC)

Find your way with the help of the three vikings skills
 +  Great level puzzles
 - 
 =  More puzzle than adventure


Damocles

Castle Master (Amiga)

Save the princess from the evil guy's castle
 +  More action
 -  Nothing but action
 =  Similar graphical experience

Mean Streets (Amiga)

Investigate the death of Professor Linsky
 +  Adventure parts could be less frightening
 -  Travelling parts are rather annoying
 =  Damocles does the 3D-related parts better


Dangerous Dave in the Haunted Mansion

Bio Menace (PC)

Monsters attack the world and you attack the monsters.
 +  Fast and simple
 -  Oh well, it may be too simple
 =  It's an action game, don't expect too much and you will get plenty of fun


Dark Legions

Archon – The Light and the Dark (C64)

The forces of good and evil fighting on a chess board
 +  -
 -  Graphics, flexibility
 =  The original

Fantasy Empires (PC)

Strategic conquest of a fantasy world leading to large-scale battles
 +  Epic game
 -  Not suited for a quick session
 =  A masterpiece

StarControl (PC)

An alliance of free stars (good) fights the Ur-Quan hegemony (evil)
 +  Basic economics
 -  Ship (unit) capabilities aren't as distinct
 =  Archon in space


Dark Seed

Kult (Amiga)

Crude mixture of horror, fantasy, science fiction and humor.
 +  Well-done visual presentation
 -  Not very thrilling
 =  A little snack between the meals

Plan 9 from Outer Space (Amiga)

Find the original copy of the worst movie ever
 +  Very funny
 -  Some uninspired puzzles
 =  Aliens, vampires, zombies and ghouls can be really funny indeed...

The Hound of Shadow (Amiga)

An ancient curse is upon you...
 +  Character system
 -  Short
 =  Probably the best Lovecraftian game

Uninvited (Amiga)

Enter the classic 'haunted house' after a car accident
 +  Controls
 -  Contains a maze
 =  Classic horror for the same audience


Dark Seed II

Beneath A Steel Sky (Amiga)

Quest for identity
 +  Graphics, puzzles
 -  -
 =  Vastly superior classic

Dark Seed (Amiga)

Quest for pain medication
 +  Consistent graphics
 -  Time limits
 =  The first part is slightly better


Darkiss! Wrath of the Vampire - Chapter 2: Journey to Hell

Anchorhead

Die Höhle

Dracula

Hunger Daemon


Darklands

Privateer (PC)

Freely explore the space
 +  Freedom
 -  WW2 dogfights in space look a bit silly
 =  If you look for a game with freedom, play this one


Dart 'm Up

Pool 'm Up (PC)

Billiards and beer
 +  A little more complex
 -  Not darts...
 =  Another one from the Dommelsch line

World Darts (PC)

501 darts...
 +  -
 -  Graphics
 =  Older commercial variant


Das Erbe

Dunkle Schatten

Enlightened youth stands up to dumb nazis
 +  Avoids frustration…
 -  …by not providing any challenge
 =  Another well-intentioned promotional game with a semi-decent plot


Das schmutzige Erbe

Abenteuer Europa

Germany's social democrats pretend to have an environmentally-minded policy (all lies, of course)
 +  Varied settings all across Europe
 -  Huge gap between promoted values and actually implemented party policy (=double standards)
 =  Ironically funny

Das Erbe

Condition to receive your inheritance: renovate a house without polluting the environment
 +  More challenge
 -  Silly death scenes
 =  Sparked the promotional adventure game genre, but didn't age well

Die Enviro-Kids greifen ein

Kids stopping the pollution of the environment by a local factory
 +  Graphics, animation, puzzles, controls
 -  -
 =  Of course also preachy in its own way, but a much better game to go along with it


Das Schwarze Auge: Die Schicksalsklinge

Menzoberranzan

Go in search of the drow city
 +  A modernization of the D&D dungeon crawling games
 -  The modernization also changed things that were working well
 =  Another of the less known dungeon crawlers

Anvil of Dawn

Try to save the world through dungeon exploration
 +  Nice graphics, when they use 2D ones
 -  Otherwise, nothing to write home about
 =  This is one of the last DOS dungeon crawlers, and also one of the least know ones


Das Stundenglas

Der Stein der Weisen

Die Kathedrale (Amiga)

Hexuma – Das Auge des Kal

The Pawn


Daughter of Serpents

Murder Makes Strange Deadfellows (PC)

Locate your uncle's last will in a haunted house
 +  More (indirect) interactivity
 -  Some unfitting humor
 =  Similarly non-interactive mystery, but better execution

Prisoner of Ice (PC)

Lovecraftian ice-monsters running loose
 +  Puzzles exist
 -  Flawed plot
 =  Almost as easy, more of a game

Shadow of the Comet (PC)

Ancient gods coming back to earth...
 +  Everything
 -  -
 =  That's the way a Lovecraft-inspired game should be!

The Hound of Shadow (Amiga)

Seance triggers an occult curse
 +  Puzzles
 -  -
 =  The predecessor wins - hands down


Dawn Patrol

Red Baron

The first war fought in the skies
 +  Thrilling dogfight mode, more varied missions
 -  Plain graphics
 =  Clearly the better game to play

Wings of Glory

Origin remaking Wings: a trademark soap plot combined with early aerial warfare
 +  More varied enemies/targets
 -  Clunky controls
 =  Another fairly disappointing WW1 flight simulation on a similar level


Day of the Tentacle

Monkey Island 2: Le Chuck's Revenge (Amiga)

Pirate Guybrush looking for Big Whoop
 +  Perfect
 -  -
 =  I guess it would have been impossible to maintain this level of quality...

Prisoner of Ice (PC)

Evil nazis summoning evil ancient mystical forces
 +  Nice Lovecraftian motifs
 -  Virtually no puzzles
 =  A glimpse of what became of the Adventure genre after being dumbed down...

Sixth Sense Investigations (Amiga)

Incompetent detective duo investigating dimensional chaos
 +  -
 -  Sometimes lacking logic, voices
 =  Obviously inspired by the good parts of DOTT


Deadline

The Case of the Cautious Condor (Amiga)

Solve the murder of Gerald Weltner
 +  More accessable due to graphical presentation
 -  Less diverse
 =  Not dissimilar, but purely passive gameplay

The Last Express (PC)

Solve the murder of Tyler Whitney
 +  Excellent 'Art Nouveau' style graphics
 -  Less subplots
 =  Pretty much a 'modern' version of the same idea


Death Gate

Discworld (PC)

Sorcerer Rincewind saving the world from a dragon
 +  Funny
 -  Puzzles
 =  The humourous take on the Fantasy genre

Shannara (PC)

The evil sorcerer Brona is back
 +  -
 -  Stupid story, stupid puzzles, stupid fights
 =  Legend's next game - unfortunately crap


Death of Schlig

Orion Burger

Prevent aliens from harvesting the earthlings... for food!
 +  Long
 -  Hardly strong enough to carry this length
 =  On a similar level


Deathbringer: The Sword of Abaddon

Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior (C64)

A series of one-on-one swordfights
 +  Playable
 -  Graphics
 =  Similarly depending on flashy effects, but at least there is a game behind it

Blade Warrior (Amiga)

Swordfighter cutting through monsters
 +  Playable, stylish 'shadow' graphics
 -  -
 =  Might not have the X level parallax scrolling, but still infinitely more fun


Deer Hunter

Deer Avenger

Similar Gameplay
 +  Hunt Humans instead
 -  Obviously a Parody

Deer's Revenge

Similar Gameplay
 +  Hunt Humans instead (Except that they look realistic as oppose to the cartoony humans in Deer Avenger)
 -  Obviously a Parody


Deja Vu 2: Lost in Las Vegas

Deja Vu: A Nightmare Comes True (Amiga)

“Ace” Harding's first adventure: He wakes up with memory-loss and a body next to him...
 +  More interesting story
 -  Shorter, less complex
 =  Pretty much the same

Mean Streets (Amiga)

Detective uncovers a huge conspiracy
 +  Modern graphics and sound
 -  Annoying arcade scenes
 =  For fans of the 'detective-feeling'

Shadowgate (Amiga)

Defeat an evil sorcerer
 +  Familiar interface
 -  Fatal traps, torch management
 =  The same game engine misused for a frustrating experience

Uninvited (Amiga)

Zombies and ghosts are loose in a far-off villa
 +  The same game engine
 -  Maze in mid-game
 =  Good alternative


Deja Vu: A Nightmare Comes True

Deja Vu 2: Lost in Las Vegas (Amiga)

“Ace” Harding and the mafia...
 +  Longer, more complex
 -  Less thrilling story
 =  Worthy sequel

Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel (Amiga)

Policeman Sonny Bonds chases a drug dealer
 +  -
 -  Ridiculously bureaucratic
 =  Laughable try to 'simulate' the work of a real policeman

Shadowgate (Amiga)

A hero-attracting dark fortress is standing around...
 +  Known controls
 -  Tedious, frustrating
 =  Only good as a historical curiousity

Uninvited (Amiga)

The undead population of a haunted house versus you
 +  Good old engine
 -  Useless maze in mid-game
 =  If you liked Deja Vu, try this


Demon's Crest

Gargoyle's Quest

The original
 +  Fun and different platformer
 -  Repetitive and simplistic
 =  Compared to Demon's Crest it look primitive


Der Clou!

They Stole a Million (C64)

Plan and commit burglaries
 +  -
 -  -
 =  Der Clou is the spitting image of this game


Der Patrizier

1869 (Amiga)

Global trade in the 19th century
 +  Very complex
 -  No political level, extremely hard
 =  One for the expert traders

Die Fugger 2 (PC)

Ground-based trading and political intrigue
 +  Many different political and clerical jobs
 -  Trading less interesting
 =  Similar combination


Der Planer

Mad TV (PC)

Scheduling a TV program
 +  Funnier
 -  Not too challenging
 =  Quite a bit more on the light side, but also more fun


Der Preis ist heiß

Geh Aufs Ganze (PC)

Choose from three boxes...
 +  Incredibly thrilling
 -  Completely random
 =  Better skip them both


Der Produzent - Die Welt des Films

Einmal Kanzler Sein

The German head of government handles its job via multiple-choice decisions
 +  Varied satirical situations
 -  Less comprehensive gameplay
 =  Funny, but only for a short time

Hollywood Pictures

From running a cinema centre to film producer
 +  One additional game level (running the cinema)
 -  Also not that complex
 =  Good alternative

Software Manager

The player is a game producer instead of movie mogul
 +  An even less ordinary topic
 -  Extremely non-complex
 =  Sympathetic game, but much too easy


Der Rasende Reporter

Victor Loomes (Amiga)

Detective delivers a client's money to a really great and secure “Bausparkasse”
 +  Nice graphics
 -  Involuntarily humor
 =  Both are promotial games, both aren't great, but good enough


Der Schatz im Silbersee

Gold Rush (Amiga)

City slicker going west to search for gold
 +  Less (involuntarily) silly
 -  Thousands of unnecessary death scenes, puzzle logic completely backwards
 =  A game which you'd like to like more, but is actually worse


Der Stein der Weisen

The Hobbit

Hobbit Bilbo on his famous quest
 +  Slightly more refined plot
 -  Weak and slow graphics
 =  Much more famous, but similar game


Die Akte Paul Bennet

9:05

The protagonist needs to get to work in time… or doesn't he?
 +  Funny
 -  Strictly speaking a one-trick pony
 =  The game which really established the knowledge gap between player and protagonist as an explicit plot device

The Duel in the Snow

The protagonist needs to survive a duel
 +  Atmospheric writing
 -  In the end, the plot is fairly straightforward
 =  Relies on player knowledge accumulated in previous playthroughs as well


Die Enviro-Kids greifen ein

Das schmutzige Erbe

Congratulations, you're a millionaire!
 +  A game about the morality of making money
 -  Mundane tasks
 =  Inferior treatment of the same subject

Der rasende Reporter

Child slaves are happy to work for the glory of a newspaper
 +  Touches upon varied subjects
 -  Quite talkative
 =  Lacks even a basic gameplay challenge, but well-intentioned

Eco Quest: The Search for Cetus

Little boy discovers the fantastic underwater world (threatened by human garbage)
 +  Long game, fantasy elements
 -  Holier-than-thou attitude
 =  Not for everyone


Die Fugger

Der Patrizier

Get rich to become the powerful head of the Hanseatic League
 +  Challenging economy
 -  Not that many actual player interactions
 =  Certainly the more demanding of the two games – whether it is also more fun depends on the company

Die Fugger 2

The mid-90s high-profile sequel
 +  Detailed title hierarchy including privilege system resulting from it; routine automation functions
 -  Still not that much of a single-player game
 =  A logical continuation which surpasses the original in many ways


Die Fugger 2

1869 (Amiga)

Worldwide trading in the age of Imperialism
 +  Detailed economy
 -  Nothing but economy, too hard
 =  Dull and frustrating


Die Höhle

Anchorhead

Weird things are happening in a college town
 +  Writing, length
 -  No graphics
 =  Clearly by far the superior game – and free

The Hound of Shadow

Lovecraftian hell hound threatening the world's balance
 +  Appropriately verbose writing, different solution paths, gorgeous graphics
 -  -
 =  One of the 'swan song' games of the commercial text adventure genre


Die Höhlenwelt-Saga: Der leuchtende Kristall

Der Schatz im Silbersee

Cowboys looking for an Indian treasure
 +  Not quite as frustrating
 -  Inherently stupid storyline
 =  Dull


Die Siedler

Discovery - In the Steps of Columbus (Amiga)

European superpowers struggle for the domination of the new world
 +  Piracy
 -  Less complex economy, quirky controls
 =  Less popular, but nevertheless a good pick

Lords of the Realm (Amiga)

Turn-based war in medieval England
 +  Castle design
 -  Boring battles
 =  A more conservative game, but just as good


Die Siedler II: Veni, Vidi, Vici

Anno 1602

Develop an economy spanning various islands
 +  Varied luxury goods system
 -  Inconsistent goods handling, awful controls
 =  The start of a hugely successful, similarly themed series


Die Stadt der Löwen oder The Final Singapore Sling

Crime City

Wrongly accused finds the real murderer
 +  Unintentional humor galore
 -  Fussy gameplay
 =  Another attempt a an adventure game for grown-ups which fails across most counts

Die Kathedrale

One clerical conspiracy coming up
 +  The revolutionary inclusion of “puzzles” engages the player
 -  Some of those puzzles are rather illogical
 =  Good German text adventure from the same publisher

Private Eye

Marlowe looking for the ice pick killer
 +  Excellent audiovisual presentation
 -  Most of the perceived interactivity isn't real
 =  Very good semi-interactive cartoon


Die total verrückte Rallye

Auf dem Weg nach Europa (Amiga)

Travel through European countries to answer quiz questions about them and earn money in arcade scenes
 +  Higher educational factor
 -  Less attractive, few questions
 =  Not bad, but it still shows that this is basically a propaganda game

Redhook's Revenge (PC)

Pirates competing for loot
 +  Has pirates & pirate trivia questions
 -  Game length not scalable
 =  Another very good board game which hasn't been released as a board game


Dingsda

Wetten Dass..? (Amiga)

Boring memory tests and silly tests of dextirity
 +  Two different sub-games...
 -  ...which both suck
 =  If one game wasn't enough, this should convince you that a popular TV show doesn't automatically make a good game


Diplomacy

Diplomacy (C64)

Another conversion of the same board game
 +  Graphics, AI
 -  -
 =  The best computer version of the game so far

WinRisk (PC)

Risk conversion
 +  Looks good
 -  Not nearly as complex
 =  Decent Risk version


Diplomacy

Diplomacy (PC)

Earlier conversion of the game
 +  -
 -  Extremely bad AI, no diplomacy
 =  Weak


Discovery - In the Steps of Columbus

Die Siedler (Amiga)

Cute little people build up economy following your directives
 +  Better graphics and controls
 -  -
 =  Popular mainstream alternative


Discworld

Day of the Tentacle (PC)

Three 'twen' heroes prevent the world domination plans of a mad tentacle
 +  Imaginative use of time-travel aspects in puzzles
 -  -
 =  Probably even a little better than Discworld

Simon the Sorcerer (PC)

Teenager travels to another dimension where he becomes a wizard and saves the world
 +  More refined controls
 -  Not quite as funny
 =  Although it predates Discworld as a game, Simon obviously took many queues from the Discworld series


Dogs of War

Arnie 2 (PC)

Four more Commando-style missions
 +  Graphics
 -  Fewer missions
 =  Very late entry to the sub-genre when it was pretty much dead already

Cannon Fodder (Amiga)

Team of (up to) four versus the baddies
 +  Soldiers gain experience, a little more on the tactical side
 -  A little more on the tactical side
 =  In spite of being a little less quantity-driven (enemy-wise), this is only a slight variation of the original idea


Dogs of War

Colonial Conquest

Superpowers of the late 19th century fighting for world supremacy
 +  Some additional non-militaristic options
 -  Game can be over although the game is anything but decided
 =  A game which certainly also took some inspiration from Axis & Allies

Proliferation

Nuclear war and how to survive it
 +  Stronger economic aspects
 -  More complicated
 =  Deciding between these two computer games is like deciding between Axis & Allies and Supremacy in the board game sector


Don't Go Alone

Dungeon Master (PC)

Explore a dungeon and kill all that moves
 +  Fun, even thought it's a simple game
 -  The controls, mainly the magic system, can be pretty bad
 =  The origin of the computer dungeon crawlers

Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss (PC)

You are trapped in an utopic underground complex which became a horrible dungeon
 +  Good story, good mood and a really fun
 -  Being trully 3D it can be a bit confusing moving around
 =  One of the best dungeon crawlers


Donkey Kong Jr.

Solomon's Key

Use your wand to create bricks
 +  Original arcade game
 -  Lacks long term fun
 =  Another old arcade game ported to NES


Dr Franken

Metroid II: Return of Samus

Samus is back again, this time to get rid of the Metroids
 +  Great action-exploration game
 -  Still suffers the repetitiveness and easiness to get lost of the first game
 =  The basis for several exploration platformers

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue

Rescue the other turtles and take advantage of their skills
 +  Power-ups to open ways in the Metroid style
 -  Still suffers the simplicity of GB games
 =  A nice Metroid-clone


Dracula

Dracula Unleashed (PC)

Dracula is back in London
 +  'Multimedia' presentation
 -  Little complexity
 =  Even more of an 'athmosphere piece'

The Lurking Horror (PC)

Lovecraftian horrors await a student at his university
 +  Puzzles, texts
 -  -
 =  Superior entry to the horror niche of IF

Terraquake (C64)

He-Man defeats evil cronies
 +  -
 -  Extremely simplistic
 =  Fun and light-hearted, but with only few virtues


Dracula Unleashed

The Case of the Cautious Condor (Amiga)

Solve a murder case on a plane
 +  More complex solution
 -  -
 =  Very similar, just with drawn scenes instead of actors

Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. 3 (PC)

Three cases to solve for the master detective
 +  No way to die
 -  Less focused, cheaper sets and props
 =  Slightly inferior


Dragon Lore: The Legend Begins

Legend of Kyrandia

Save the strange kingdom of Kyrandia from dissapearing
 +  Strange and interesting world
 -  Some puzzles are simple tedious
 =  Works better as an adventure

The Prophecy

Again, save your kingdom from an impending evil
 +  Fantasy with the unique style of Coktel
 -  Some puzzles don't seem to be well thought
 =  A trully unique game, visually speaking


Dragon's Lair

The Town With No Name

Lonesome gunmen challenges Evil Eb's gang
 +  Somewhat clearer interaction
 -  Crappy graphics
 =  Early CD-ROM games making the same mistake as the arcade laser disc genre


Dragonsphere

Death Gate (PC)

You search a magic world to find your old oppressors
 +  An original take on a stereotypical world
 -  -
 =  This game should be played

Return of the Phantom (PC)

The Phantom attacks again
 +  Nicely done
 -  Short and easy
 =  Another good Microprose adventure


Dragonstone

Chaos Engine

Two mercenaries against the mutated world
 +  Graphics, controls, levels
 -  No non-hostile characters
 =  Amazing classic!

Darkmere

Sword & sorcery hero on sword & sorcery quest
 +  Graphics & depth
 -  -
 =  Exactly where Dragonstone should have picked things up again

Heimdall 2

Norse gods on a mission to prevent Ragnarök
 +  Character management, magic system
 -  Obscure puzzles
 =  Yet another similar games from the same company and from the same time


DragonStrike

Descent (PC)

Save miners from berserk robots
 +  Another flight game that is quite different to the usual
 -  More action game than a flying simulator
 =  Fast and fun


Dreadnoughts

Advanced Destroyer Simulator

Lone WW2 destroyer on patrol
 +  Fairly quick action
 -  Virtually no strategic depth
 =  Decent, but limited ship simulation

Great Naval Battles 4

Strategic sea battles of WW2
 +  Clear action points model, different complexity (difficulty) levels
 -  Doesn't quite have the geeky 'scientific research' appeal
 =  Undoubtedly the clearly superior game, even if (or because?) it is largely on a two-dimensional, abstract map


Dreamweb

Albion (PC)

A mining operation finds more than expected on a desert planet
 +  Great story
 -  Loooooooong dungeons
 =  Not as dark like Dreamweb, but a great game


Druid

Alien Bash II (Amiga)

On the search for prisoners
 +  Graphics
 -  No different spells / weapons
 =  Slightly different direction, but both basically come from the Gauntlet idea

Warlock: The Avenger (Amiga)

Druid's second sequel
 +  Graphics
 -  Level design
 =  Not more than a late re-hash - includes a graphically updated version of the original Druid, though


Druid 2: Enlightenment

Druid (C64)

The druid's first mission
 +  Clear cut action
 -  Simple spell management
 =  Make up your own mind

Fist 2: The Legend Continues (C64)

Karateka searching for scrolls
 +  -
 -  Slow and pointless outside the fighting scenes
 =  Another example of an attempt at an 'innovative' sequel - unfortunately, a failed one


Duke Nukem 3D

Duke Nukem 2

Part of the Duke Nukem trilogy
 + 
 -  Not a FPS
 =  Better then the 1st Duke Nukem

Duke Nukem

Part of the Duke Nukem Trilogy
 + 
 -  Not a FPS
 =  Very fun despite being repetitive sometimes

Doom

An FPS
 + 
 -  Only 320x200 VGA
 =  Also fun though lacking the humor that Duke3D has


Dune

Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty (PC)

Three fractions fighting for supremacy over Arrakis
 +  Somewhat new concept
 -  No story, each mission is the same
 =  Love it or hate it; it has little to do with this 'first part'

KGB (PC)

A KGB officer investigating a murder and uncovering a conspiracy
 +  Involving storyline
 -  Lots of backtracking necessary
 =  Pure Adventure from Cryo


Dune 2000

Warcraft: Orcs & Humans

A game from the competitor to rival Westwood's RTS games
 +  Balance, more interesting mission design
 -  Cliché fantasy world, less convenient controls
 =  A somewhat different Command & Conquer clone

Emperor: Battle for Dune

Sequel to Dune 2000
 +  No remake, but a new game; game balance, many new interesting units, a more complex story, allies
 -  Incredibly effective rushing, battlefields tend to get crowded, almost impossible last mission
 =  Far superior, if still a bit flawed, conclusion of the series


Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty

Command & Conquer

GDI and Nod fighting for Tiberium
 +  A lot more comfortable to control, faster game progress
 -  Only two factions
 =  The logical continuation of a genre


Dungeon Hack

Anvil of Dawn (PC)

Save the world from the generic bad guy
 +  Nicely drawn creatures
 -  Hideous computer generated graphics, repetitive gameplay
 =  A popular game, even if it isn't that great

Don't Go Alone (PC)

Explore a haunted mansion
 +  Fun and easy
 -  Too simple
 =  Good for a bit of dungeon crawling


Dungeon Master

Black Crypt

Try to cleanse the crypt of the evil lurking inside
 +  Classical dungeon crawling
 -  Way too hard
 =  One of the more famous clones

Lands of Lore

Travel through the world to save your kingdom
 +  One of the highest points of dungeon crawlers
 -  Near the end the dungeons start feeling like a filler
 =  This is what Dungeon Master clones aspired to be


Dungeon Mercenary

Brogue

Groundbreakingly user-friendly dungeon crawl
 +  Nice graphical effects, balancing, interesting gameplay features
 -  -
 =  Gives Dungeon Mercenary something to strive for

Infra Arcana

Horror-themed dungeon crawl
 +  Moody graphical tile set, strong theme
 -  Objects cannot be crafted
 =  Great example of a modern-day, small Roguelike which sets itself apart from the rest of the pack


East vs West: Berlin 1948

Cruise for a Corpse (Amiga)

Murder on a sailing trip
 +  Smaller 'world', graphics
 -  Easier
 =  The better choice for most gamers


Eco Quest: The Search for Cetus

Die Enviro-Kids greifen ein

A young boy fighting an evil industrialist lobby out to poison the planet
 +  Free promotial game
 -  Government propaganda piece
 =  A comparable Adventure game

Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist

A harmless pharmacist amongst gunmen
 +  Sometimes funny
 -  Suffers from Sierra logic at times
 =  Another bearable Sierra offering


Eden Blues

Dustin

A Spectrum/CPC/MSX adventure game with identical theme
 +  A lot more action, cops and other prisoners are present
 - 
 =  Similar graphics, same perspective

The Great Escape

Spectrum/CPC/C64 adventure with a similar theme, only featuring concentration camp
 +  More action
 -  Tiny graphics, lower details

Stir crazy feat. Bobo (Amiga)

 +  Better graphics
 -  Non-linear gameplay, split episodes, mostly boring.
 =  French prison!


Ein ganz normaler Schultag

Adventure (PC)

A few short scenes called a 'game'
 +  -
 -  Not even free movement
 =  Although EGNS isn't good, this one is even worse


Einmal Kanzler sein

Der Rasende Reporter (Amiga)

Lots of multiple choice decisions concerning politics
 +  Trying to be educational
 -  Not funny at all
 =  Both games off little distraction, but nothing lasting


Elefanten!

Energie-Manager (Amiga)

Build up a restaurant chain while keeping an eye on the environmental issues
 +  Many options...
 -  ...most of which are useless
 =  Similarly simple game


Empire Deluxe

Global Conquest (PC)

War on a global scale
 +  More complex
 -  Less accessable
 =  A nice change

The Perfect General (Amiga)

Individual battles fought in detail
 +  Phases system
 -  Not quite as flexible
 =  A little better on the whole


Energie-Manager

Der Planer (PC)

Manage a transport company
 +  More complex
 -  -
 =  Serious professional product, but ironically, not much of a challenge, either

Der Rasende Reporter (Amiga)

Students running a newspaper for a few days
 +  Varying subjects
 -  Probably even easier
 =  Similar good will, but suffers from the same lack of challenge


Engineering Jones and The Time Thieves of DSPea

Kether

Save the princess by travelling between planets and exploring their temples
 +  Graphics, length
 -  No plot development to speak of
 =  The temple mazes are strikingly similar, but you get the space flight sequences in addition

Bi-Fi Roll: Snackzone

The secret recipe to make greasy meat snacks has been stolen and taken to the future
 +  More down-to-earth setting
 -  Doesn't deal with the fascinating field of engineering
 =  The more mass-compatible game


Epic

Inferno

The Rexxon's last stand
 +  Playable
 -  -
 =  Hardly a sensation, but a huge step from its predecessor


Epic Pinball

Extreme Pinball

 +  New tables with many original ideas
 -  Only 4 tables
 =  Same gaming experience


Eric the Unready

Callahan's Crosstime Saloon (PC)

Some random guy saving the world by helping his intergalactic friends
 +  Fresh graphical concept
 -  Humour, puzzles
 =  Later game by Legend, not quite as funny anymore

Spellcasting 201: The Sorcerer's Appliance (PC)

Sorcerer apprentice in his second year at university
 +  -
 -  Can get a little confusing concerning what to do next
 =  Steve Meretzky at his usual self


Escape From Santaland

Interface

Your consciousness trapped in a crappy robot body
 +  Funny
 -  Maybe too easy
 =  Another sympathetic light-weight game


Escape from Summerland

Escape from Santaland

The player is trapped in a surreal shopping mall at Christmas time
 +  More varied puzzles
 -  Only one (human) protagonist
 =  In spite of the similarity in the name and circumstances of release, these two games come from different authors

Suspended

The suspended protagonist controls six robots with different abilities
 +  Size
 -  -
 =  Possibly one of Summerland's inspirations

The Lost Vikings

Three differently abled vikings have to find their way through various levels
 +  Size
 -  Puzzles a bit shallow
 =  Similar idea made as a platform game


Esheep

Little Computer People (C64)

Watch a little man and his dog living in a house.
 +  More things happening.
 -  Needs more attention.
 =  Little Computer is more of a real game, Esheep runs “on the side”.


Eternam

Shadow of the Comet (PC)

Ancient evil gods are trying to return to earth
 +  Terrifying storyline
 -  -
 =  Excellent game using the same engine

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders (C64)

Alien invaders are trying to turn humans into dunces (as if that were necessary)
 +  Very funny
 -  Mazes
 =  Huge classic


EVO - The search for Eden

River City Ransom

Beat the bad guys, rescue the girl
 +  Improving your character through buying power-ups
 -  -
 =  A great action game with a RPG touch


Extreme Paintbrawl

SWAT 3: Close Quarters Battle

Become a member of the special police force, has a paintball mode too
 +  Graphics, AI, real team play
 -  no Vivaldi
 =  If you feel like Paintball, you will be better served with this one. You get a lot else on top of that too.

Blood

Undead abroad on a personal vendetta
 +  Knows how to get the best out of the Build-Engine, crazy weapons
 -  no Vivaldi
 =  If you feel like Capture the Flag, you will have a lot more fun with this one

Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing

Similarly half-baked junk game
 +  So broken it gets almost amusing
 -  even dimber AI, no Vivaldi
 =  If you feel like junk, you will have a lot more to marvel about with this title


Eye of the Beholder

Dungeon Hack (PC)

Single warrior entering randomized dungeons to retrieve treasures
 +  Non-static levels
 -  Even more shallow
 =  Good choice in the action RPG area

Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon (Amiga)

The veterans of Waterdeep are called to beat evil coming from a monastry
 +  More diverse levels
 -  -
 =  Good sequel


Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend of Darkmoon

Dungeon Master (PC)

Defeat the Lord of Chaos after fighting your way through his dungeon
 +  Rune-based magic
 -  Graphics
 =  This is where these games really took off

Eye of the Beholder (Amiga)

Fighting evil in Waterdeep
 +  Easier
 -  Less varied
 =  Training camp for this game's party


F29 Retaliator

Abrams Battle Tank


Fair

Die Stadt der Löwen

Secret societies and war trauma
 +  Long, detailed plot
 -  Low on interaction
 =  Another game with a player character not in the protagonist role – but for the wrong reasons

Ollie Ollie Oxen Free

Disaster in an elementary school
 +  Strong characterization, imaginative puzzles
 -  Limited player freedom
 =  Classic game in a similar setting

Sunday Afternoon

Victorian youth is denied an active role in the household
 +  Careful use of language
 -  Shallow
 =  An artificially constrained protagonist could be interesting…


Fairlight: A Prelude

Fairlight II: A Trail of Darkness

Sequel to Fairlight: A Prelude.
 +  A few sound effects added even in 48k version, such as energy drain, switching the screens etc.
 -  The scenery seems to be lacking a vital bit. Although, this time you explore the surrounding area of the castle, filled with trees and other plantation, but… for some reason it feels a little boring.
 =  The overall graphical foundation is preserved.

MOVIE

An action/adventure game featuring a private dick
 +  Better graphics, richer in detail, smoother animation
 -  Inconvenient control method, intolerably slow motion
 =  Isometric perspective


Fallout 2

Wasteland

Spritual forefather to the Fallout-series, a RPG legend
 +  Play a whole group of survivors, more engaging setup (be a ranger!), nice hardcopy journal
 -  Horribly dated, only one savegame, needs hardcopy journal
 =  Older, little bit less serious relative

Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura

Shares some of the developers with Fallout 2, RPG in a steam-punk setting
 +  Magical/technological world with a twist, fascinating final boss, even more ways to talk your way out of trouble
 -  Horrible balancing issues, less engaging combat, some half finished concepts (e.g. magic vs. tech)
 =  Excellent alternative to Fallout's postapocalyptic scenario

Beneath A Steel Sky

Outsider comes to the big futuristic city
 +  Nice artwork, more puzzle solving
 -  A lot shorter, one predefined path
 =  An adventure with sometimes very similar feel to it


Fantasy Empires

Archon – The Light and the Dark (C64)

The forces of light and dark battling it out on a chess board
 +  Tense duels
 -  No strategic component
 =  A little simpler, but is that necessarily bad?

Cyber Empires (PC)

Highly advanced robot armies battling it out on a remote planet
 +  Less, but stronger units
 -  Nothing equivalent of magic or heroes
 =  Identical concept, slightly different execution


Fantasy General

Panzer General (PC)

Control Germany's blitz against the whole world
 +  No silly fantasy elements
 -  You're playing the bad guys
 =  Both accessable and lasting - what more could anyone want?

Star General (PC)

Tactics in space and on planetary level
 +  Interesting mix between two tactical layers...
 -  ...but bad execution of that idea
 =  Worthwhile, but failed experiment


Fascination

Operation Stealth

James Bond (stand-in) on the trail of a disappearing stealth fighter
 +  Spy mystery which makes sense
 -  Stupid arcade challenges
 =  Much better, but still not very good game

The Prophecy

Wizard banishes evil guy
 +  Magic system
 -  Similar dependence on pixel hunting and breaches of common sense
 =  Not quite a stupid, but therefore probably less entertaining


Feasibility Experiment

Luster

Your home town is supposedly full of hidden treasures… and apparantly filled with vicious enemies who vanish into thin air when beaten
 +  Fairly large for a current-day game
 -  Messy execution
 =  Failed attempt at recreating something like the Mysterious Adventures


Field Combat

Battle City (NES)

Fight against a horde of tanks
 +  Destructible environment, multiplayer and lots of fun
 -  Repetitive
 =  A must-play for the NES


Fields of Glory

Ambush at Sorinor

Cohort II: Fighting for Rome

Powermonger

Prince


Fifteen Minutes

The Hours

Conspiracy within a time travelling historical souvenir retrieving company
 +  Good storytelling
 -  Fairly pedestrian gameplay
 =  Classic time travel science fiction from another year's competition

Timequest

The time police needs to fix the time stream which a terrorist messed up
 +  Massively complex time travel logic
 -  -
 =  If you want to sink your teeth into something really extensive…


Final Fight

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (Amiga)

The world's most powerful fighters competing for the championship
 +  Variety of fighters and moves
 -  -
 =  Good one-on-one beat 'em up

Return of Double Dragon (SNES)

Heroic duo versus a huge group of street thugs
 +  Playability
 -  Inferior graphics
 =  Not as flashy, but more fun


Fire Fighter

Hot Wheels (C64)

Assemble your car and drive around town
 +  A few mini-games
 -  -
 =  One of these mini-games is a firefighting scene


Fish Bowl

Shade

An apartment turns… sandy
 +  Comprehensive implementation
 -  -
 =  A surreal trip which leaves you disturbed without having explained a thing

The Island

Stuck in unfamiliar surroundings, with no sense of self or purpose as things go unnverving
 +  Puzzles
 -  The implementation is much more shallow
 =  Easy puzzler with a chilling ending let down by sketchy technology


Fish Fillets

Tetris

The Russian puzzle classic
 +  More dynamic, simplistic, yet extremely engaging, you can actually turn the pieces
 -  Very linear, no voiceover, no story, always the same level, only different speed
 =  If you like stacking the most

Sokoban

The Japanese puzzle classic
 +  Undo your last turn, level editor, more forgiving
 -  Next to monochrome, no story, only one kind of block
 =  If you like pushing the most

Boulder Dash

The American puzzle classic
 +  A lot more forgiving, enemies (that move by themselves), easier, physics make a bit more sense
 -  Only one, non-talking, character, like the others above no story, less puzzle, more action game
 =  If you like drop and dodge the most


Fishing Derby

Kane (Plus/4)

Cowboy shooting birds instead of catching fish
 +  Two completely different stages
 -  -
 =  Another simplistic action game from the early days


Fist +

International Karate + (Amiga)

This will look familiar: Three karate fighters trying to determine who's the best one
 +  -
 -  A few small funny details
 =  Virtually identical games


Fist 2: The Legend Continues

Return of Double Dragon (SNES)

One or two guys beat up a whole gangster syndicate
 +  More fluid action
 -  No puzzle elements
 =  More consistent


Flashback

Another World (PC)

You are stranded on an alien world
 +  Great graphics and film-like game
 -  Only that is not much replayable
 =  And this was done by just two persons

Bermuda Syndrome (PC)

WWII USAF pilot Jack and an exotic savage princess fighting dinos on a mysterious island
 +  SVGA graphics, huge, arty packaging
 -  Difficult controls, stupid sidekick, awful voice acting
 =  Very similar but slightly inferior game, featuring dinos as main antagonist instead of aliens


Flight Unlimited

A320 Airbus

Become a professional airline pilot
 +  Detailed simulation of weight calculations, course plotting and navigation
 -  Flight model itself is shallow
 =  Simulates another aspect of civil aviation, but equally incomplete

Sim Copter

Ensure order in Sim City
 +  Neverending diverse challenges
 -  Unattractive graphics
 =  The polar opposite game: permanently flying through a fully modelled city


Flipull

Solomon's Key 2

Use block of ice to solve your puzzles
 +  Originality
 -  Too easy
 =  Another easy puzzle game, but not as quick to start

Moai Kun

Break blocks with your head
 +  Fun and variated
 -  -
 =  One of the best puzzle games for the NES


Floor 13

Yes Prime Minister

Survive your new post as PM
 +  The satirical tone of the TV series
 -  Gameplay options are even more restricted (multiple choice)
 =  The lighter tone makes it more fun


Flug 714 nach Sydney

Adventure (PC)

The first attempt...
 +  -
 -  Even more limited
 =  Doesn't have much going for it apart from sentimental value

Ein ganz normaler Schultag (PC)

Strange occurences in a school
 +  Kind of funny...
 -  ...although most people won't get the references
 =  At least a real game - even if it's not a very complex or good one


Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist

3 Skulls of the Toltecs (PC)

On the hunt for golden skulls
 +  No frustrating scenes
 -  Easier, uglier
 =  More Western feeling, suited for beginners

Touché - The Adventures of the 5th Musketeer (PC)

On the hunt for a lost will
 +  Puzzles
 -  -
 =  Superior musketeer spoof


Frederik Pohl's Gateway

Eric the Unready (PC)

Knight Eric saves the princess
 +  No weaker passages
 -  -
 =  More consistent earlier work by Legend


Freedom

Bliss

Is this really a knight fighting monsters or is it just a delusion?
 +  Longer gameplay
 -  Only reveals its true story at the very end
 =  Both game have interesting premises, but suffer from weaknesses of execution


Full Throttle

Daughter of Serpents (PC)

Flexible protagonist solves the mystery revolving around an ancient artifact
 +  Classic story
 -  Complicated controls
 =  Similar problems: Nice cinematic setting, but very little to do

Maniac Mansion (C64)

Three teenagers save the girl from a mad scientist
 +  Puzzles, difficulty
 -  Graphics
 =  If you know what you have to do, you can finish it in ten minutes - but still a lot more to do than in FT


Fury

Donkey Kong (NES)

Run and jump from platform to platform while avoiding obstacles
 +  Pre-designed levels
 -  Only few levels
 =  Another classic idea

Impossible Mission (C64)

Platforms inhabited by robots
 +  Excellent animation
 -  -
 =  More complex and a real goal behind everything


Game & Watch Gallery 2

Super Mario Land

Mario's first big game on the Game Boy
 +  Much more complex game, a very basic story at least
 -  Only one game, no lasting motivation
 =  A game to which Donkey Kong eventually led up to

Fire Fighter

Rescue people from a burning building
 +  Slightly more sophistivated gameplay
 -  Graphics aged a lot worse
 =  Very similar contemporary Atari game


Game of Worlds Tournament

Ökolopoly

Playing Games


Gargoyle's Quest

Super Metroid (SNES)

Explore an alien world in your powersuit
 +  Exploration, great design
 -  -
 =  One of the best platformers


Gargoyle's Quest 2

Commander Keen (PC)

Find all the pieces of your ship and stun aliens
 +  Branching path
 -  Repetitive
 =  Don't listen to other people. This is a good game.


Gateway 2: Homeworld

Frederik Pohl's Gateway

A space explorer on risky missions
 +  Adventurous
 -  Even less plot in the middle part
 =  A very traditional treasure hunt Adventure

Mission Critical

An alien artifact could change the tides of an intergalactic war
 +  Some semi-famous actors show their faces
 -  Half-baked gameplay
 =  Desperate, only semi-successful experimentation in style


Geh Aufs Ganze

Der Preis ist heiß (PC)

Guess the price of items
 +  Very educational
 -  -
 =  Another gem from the same developer

Jeopardy! (PC)

Test your trivia knowledge
 +  Actually stimulating to the brain
 -  -
 =  A game which can be taken seriously


Geheimprojekt DMSO

Abenteuer Europa (PC)

Politics in the European Union
 +  Nice sightseeing tour through various countries
 -  Only very basic puzzles
 =  Silly propaganda

Backstage (Amiga)

Supposedly cheap CDs help you win a competition
 +  Not too pretentious
 -  Pedestrian storyline
 =  By-the-book promotial Adventure game


Gesetzgebung

Auf dem Weg nach Europa (Amiga)

Learn about European countries
 +  Wide range of multiple choice questions
 -  -
 =  Similar goal, done better

Der Rasende Reporter (Amiga)

Teenagers get involved in a newspaper
 +  Tries to address many different issues
 -  Very simple
 =  Hardly a masterpiece, but worth a look


Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams

Commander Keen

Tiny teenager becomes a galactic guardian
 +  A technical sensation at the time
 -  Yesterday's technical sensation does not age well
 =  The beginning of the genre on the IBM/Microsoft platform


Gladiators

Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior

Hero with a big sword saves the princess
 +  Basic playability
 -  Only one kind of encounter
 =  Hardly excellent, but at least competently made ancestor


Global Conquest

Colonial Conquest (Atari ST)

Conquer the world...
 +  Appealing simplicity
 -  Lacking complexity
 =  Slightly above Risk complexity-wise

Command HQ (PC)

Real-time war on a global scale
 +  Very exciting
 -  Might lack some of the polish found here
 =  The predecessor


Global Effect

Aufschwung Ost

Re-build the east German economy and infrastructure after 50 years of socialist mismanagement
 +  Tackles population satisfaction as well
 -  Propagates economy over ecology
 =  At the time, an exceptionally topical game


Gobliiins

Curse of Enchantia (Amiga)

More storyless puzzle-solving without bigger purpose
 +  -
 -  Ridiculously bad in every aspect
 =  Not recommended to anyone!


Gobliins 2: The Prince Buffoon

Gobliiins (Amiga)

Three Goblins solving puzzles
 +  Interesting puzzles
 -  Life energy can be drained
 =  One for the brain

Goblins 3 (Amiga)

Goblin reporter on a mission
 +  Less focused on dexterity
 -  Fewer funny animations
 =  Not a bad final part of the series


Goblins 3

Gobliiins (Amiga)

A group of Goblins trying to find a cure for the king's insanity
 +  Specialized Goblin characters working together
 -  -
 =  Excellent way to start a series

Universe (Amiga)

Faceless teenager transported to an antimatter universe
 +  Graphics
 -  Dull
 =  Not horrible, but not good, either


Gods

Magic Pockets (PC)

Whirlwindthrowing kid running around...
 +  innovative weapon, funnier
 -  less background story, not as serious
 =  uses the same engine, if you like Gods then you might probably enjoy Magic Pockets as well


Gold Rush

Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist (PC)

The humorous adventures of a pharmacist in a frontier town
 +  Puzzles, less fatal situations
 -  Many jokes fail
 =  Certainly the more accessable game

Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel (Amiga)

The daily routine of a policeman
 +  -
 -  Less interesting theme
 =  Another game with very similar problems


Golden Axe

Altered Beast

A hero sets out to save a princess from Hades
 +  Interesting power-up concept, more diverse enemies
 -  Clunky gameplay, slugish controls, extremely high difficulty, bad ports
 =  Similar game that is a bit of a waste of potential

Aaargh!

Contemporary 'hit/eat anything in sight' game
 +  The two characters to chose from are actually different, funny scenario
 -  Gets repetitive even faster, too easy
 =  A good waste of time


Goody

Livingstone supongo (PC)

Search for Livingstone through the dangerous Africa
 +  A complex platformer with many details
 -  Getting all those gems can be tedious
 =  Another classic Spanish game


Grand Theft Auto

Grand Theft Auto 2

Same gameplay style
 +  Enhanced Graphics
 - 
 =  Takes place in the future (And 2013 in real life kinda does remind me of the game's idea of 2013)

Grand Theft Auto 3

New Gameplay elements
 +  In Full 3D
 - 
 =  The one that made the series very popular


Grave Yardage

Brutal Sports Football (Amiga)

American Football... with decapitation
 +  Uninterrupted gameplay, graphics
 -  -
 =  Same idea, better execution


Gravitar

Pitfall

Maneuver your ship into a deep shaft (pit)
 +  The ship can take some damage before it is destroyed
 -  One-dimensional
 =  Not a bad little variant


Great Courts

Beach Volley (Amiga)

Doubles with a bigger ball and no rackets
 +  Sound
 -  No ranking, just one tournament
 =  Almost equally motivating

Superstar Ping-Pong (C64)

Singles on a tiny court
 +  -
 -  Oversimplified gameplay
 =  Too limited to compete


Green Beret

Arnie 2 (PC)

Elite soldier on suicide missions (including the rescue of prisoners of war)
 +  More freedom of movement
 -  -
 =  Pretty similar, just in isometric perspective

Bio Menace (PC)

CIA agent killing monsters
 +  A little easier
 -  -
 =  Good alternative


Grim Fandango

Escape from Monkey Island

The final adventure game from LucasArts, uses the Grim Engine, too
 +  Improved interface, better inventory
 -  Plot holes en masse, Monkey Combat, doesn't really 'feel' like Monkey Island
 =  Could have been great, if it only had taken the Monkey Island story a little bit more seriously

Planescape Torment

An immortal nameless one in search for himself
 +  Complex, interconnected story, even more crazy characters, RPG elements, makes you think about a lot of things
 -  Sometimes feels more like reading a novel, over the top in some places, terrible combat system
 =  There are many parallels and if you like the more serious aspects of Grim Fandango you might love this game too

Discworld Noir

A film noir with trolls, dwarves and werewolfes
 +  Tricky puzzles, interesting innovations, nice plot twists, great noir atmosphere, (depending on your taste) set in the Discworld
 -  So-so graphics, definitely not for beginners, controls need getting used to, (depending on your taste) set in the Discworld
 =  A very fine detective game with very dry humor, so it's very similar to Grim Fandango


Grounded in Space

Captain Gysi und das Raumschiff Bonn (PC)

Politically motivated hero has to take over control of an abandoned spaceship and fend off pirates
 +  Some good jokes
 -  Some lame puzzles
 =  Not bad for a promotial game

Interface (Interpreter)

A failed experiment leaves a teenager stranded in a hardly functional robot body
 +  Balance between interactive parts and storytelling
 -  Not very challenging
 =  Another game of the guilty pleasure variety


Guerrilla War

Wanted (Amiga)

A western shooter
 +  Well, it is entertaining
 -  Just about shooting
 =  More of the same, as usual with action games

Dogs of War (Amiga)

Shoot people around the globe with a rambo-looking guy
 +  You get money, to expend on weapons
 -  There is nothing else to make this one different
 =  Another shooter, fun for a time


Gunfright

Alien 8

Knight Lore

Nightshade


Hammer of the Gods

Machiavelli the Prince

Become one of the richest merchant prices of Venice
 +  Trade based strategy
 -  Long games can become madness
 =  Using the same engine achieves other goals


Hamsters

Lemmings (Amiga)

Lead lemmings through levels and prevent them from committing suicide
 +  Original, better levels, better atmosphere
 -  -
 =  A real classic!


Hannibal

Empire Deluxe (PC)

Wargame concentrating on sea battles
 +  Differences between units
 -  Fussy controls
 =  The focus lies a little more on micromanagement here

Proliferation (PC)

Nuclear war on earth
 +  Resources management
 -  -
 =  Excellent multiplayer fun


Harvester

Alone in the Dark (PC)

Survive some real Lovecraftian beasties
 +  Less gory, fewer bugs
 -  The story is weaker
 =  Much more action-based

3 Skulls of the Toltecs

 +  The puzzles are much better
 -  Ugly graphics-wise
 =  Humor instead of gore


Heart of Africa

Seven Cities of Gold

Discover the riches of the New World
 +  -
 -  -
 =  Predecessor with virtually identical gameplay


Heart of China

Deja Vu: A Nightmare Comes True (Amiga)

Private detective has lost his memory
 +  Intuitive controls
 -  Mediocre graphics
 =  No 'multimedia' stuff, but great game

Death Gate (PC)

Young and powerful magician saves the world
 +  Puzzles, story, controls
 -  -
 =  Several levels above HoC

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (Amiga)

Indy is searching for the lost continent
 +  Everything
 -  -
 =  The original


Heavy Metal Paradroid

Paradroid II (Amiga)

More grappling fodder
 +  Two-player mode
 -  -
 =  Another excellent variant


Heavy on the Magick

I, Damiano: The Wizard of Partestrada (PC)

An IF text adventure also featuring magic
 +  More flexible vocabulary
 -  No animation
 =  Text parser


Heimdall 2

Curse of Enchantia (Amiga)

A boy is kidnapped by an enchanter
 +  It was cheap at least...
 -  Linear and boring
 =  Both used to be sold on the same collections for a good reason

La abadía del crimen (PC)

Based on “the name of the rose”
 +  Part of the spanish videogames history
 -  Confusing and hard to play
 =  Another isometric adventure that could have been better

Mystic Towers (PC)


Helicopter Mission

Desert Strike (PC)

Fly four epic missions to free a middle eastern country from an evil dictator
 +  Honest militaristic gameplay
 -  -
 =  Safe recommendation


Herby

Goof Troop (SNES)

Dog liberates villagers from evil pirate
 +  Puzzles
 -  -
 =  Modern in a positive way


Heretic

Black Crypt

Enter a humongous dungeon in good old Dungeon Master style
 +  Solid gameplay, creative monster design, play a party of four adventurers
 -  Some exotic puzzles, high difficulty, extremely huge levels
 =  If you think Heretic lacks in depth but like the art style this might be exactly the game for you

Doom

Hexen

The indirect sequel to Heretic
 +  Three different characters too chose from, less linear map design, jumping, nice weather effects
 -  Open level design combined with somewhat obscure puzzles makes it a lot easier to get stuck
 =  A lot of improvements make this a far superior game

Wolfenstein 3D


Hero Quest 2: Legacy of Sorasil

HeroQuest (Amiga)

Exact conversion of the board game
 +  Simpler, fair
 -  Unchanging standard map
 =  More fun


Heroes of Might and Magic

King's Bounty

The original HoMM
 +  Very complete
 -  Too hard to get into it
 =  To my taste, this new series was an improvement


HeroQuest

Murder (Amiga)

Solve an unlimited amount of murders
 +  Adventure
 -  No RPG elements
 =  Another board-style game, but for a different audience


Herrscher

Imperator (C64)

As a Roman emporer, you wage war against your neighbours while trying to stabilize your country
 +  Complexity
 -  -
 =  The original - way superior


Hexuma – Das Auge des Kal

Die Kathedrale

Learn the secrets of the cathedral of St. Paul
 +  Intriguing travel back into time
 -  -
 =  The best Weltenschmiede game

Soul Crystal

Male teenager enters a fairytale world
 +  -
 -  Very basic plot, strange controls
 =  Classic treasure hunt


Hexx

Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss (PC)

You must survive in a dungeon until you rescue a damsel
 +  A very detailed world
 -  Bad points? This game lacks bad points.
 =  Hexx sometimes looks like a bad imitations of this one.

Dungeon Hack (PC)

Kill all that moves in your quest for a magic relic
 +  Fun and fast
 -  Can get monotonous
 =  Does the same work as Hexx, yet in a more entertaining way.


Hidden Agenda

Yes Prime Minister (C64)

Survive in the office of the British Prime Minister
 +  Funny
 -  Not nearly as challenging
 =  A humourous alternative


History Line 1914-1918

Battle Isle (Amiga)

Futuristic hex war
 +  -
 -  -
 =  History Line is pretty much just a port to a historical period of this game

Panzer General (PC)

The next 'world' war
 +  Interconnected missions
 -  No simultanous multiplayer mode
 =  Certainly the more 'modern' game


Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

ZORK I: The Great Underground Empire

Become a spelunker of the Great Underground Empire!
 +  More inventive story, since it is not based on a well known radio drama/book/movie
 -  Less witty punchlines
 =  Equally entertaining fantasy take on the same theme (ordinary man stumbles into a world of wonders)


Holiday Maker

Fascination

Pilot hunting the secret of the mysterious briefcase
 +  More interactive…
 -  …in bad ways
 =  Similarly silly, but just beyond the tipping point of being annoying about it

Die Stadt der Löwen oder The Final Singapore Sling

Murder, secret societies and unresolved conflicts from colonial history in East Asia
 +  Marginally better plot
 -  Even less interactive
 =  A sequel in the same spirit – but this time, you know what you'll get


Hook

Simon the Sorcerer

Teenager transported to a magic world becomes it saviour
 +  Puzzles, character interactions
 -  -
 =  A good adventure game

The Dig

Three astronauts are unwittingly transported to the ruins of a lost alien civilisation
 +  Long
 -  Impossible puzzles, unsympathetic characters
 =  For those who can't get enough of Spielberg-cheese


Hot Wheels

Barbie (C64)

Barbie driving across town, trying find the right outfit for her dates with Ken
 +  Might be fun if you're a little girl...
 -  ...though I seriously doubt it
 =  Not a very popular game

Stunt Island (PC)

Freestyle flying
 +  Very customizable
 -  -
 =  Just great!


Hugo på Nye Eventyr

Litil Divil

Another action game with similar humor and mini-game approach
 +  Broader genre, fights, maze and puzzles
 -  Inferior audio
 =  Graphics, animation, mini-games


Hunger Daemon

Shadow of the Comet

Welcome to Illsmouth! Just stay away from the comet and don't listen to the diary and you might make it out alive…
 +  More serious; stronger atmosphere; stays more true to the Cthulhu mythos
 -  No humour
 =  If you like your Cthulhu with a bit more 'iä' and 'fhtang' this one is for you


Hunter Hunted

Abuse

Virus turns harmless people into aggressive monsters
 +  Incredibly challenging
 -  Incredibly punishing
 =  Similarly impressive on the technical side, but for experts only


Hurra Deutschland

Einmal Kanzler Sein (Amiga)

After the election: try to do as little as possible in order to stay in power
 +  More special events
 -  Only multiple choice decisions
 =  Nice option to play as a followup


Hydra

Chase H.Q. (Amiga)

Police car chasing gangsters trying to escape
 +  No fuss about fuel
 -  Inferior graphics
 =  Similar concept, just on the road

The Spy Who Loved Me (Amiga)

James Bond saving the world in a series of action-packed scenes
 +  Slightly varied scenes...
 -  ..none of which are very refined
 =  Neither very inspired, nor inspiring


I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream

Dark Seed (Amiga)

House owner discovers a portal to an alternate dimension in his living room
 +  Graphics
 -  Controls, sketchy story
 =  In spite of its obvious flaws a good choice

Noctropolis (PC)

City full of supervillains needs a new superhero
 +  -
 -  Awful videos
 =  Suited for a similar audience


I, Damiano: The Wizard of Partestrada

Heavy on the Magick (ZX Spectrum)

A non-IF text-based graphic adventure with similar theme
 +  Free exploration, sophisticated puzzles, full character display, fully animated
 - 
 =  3rd person, magic, real-time action elements, similar tactics

Hero's Quest (PC)

A non-IF legendary fantasy Adventure/RPG hybrid, true classic
 +  Free exploration, arrows & point'n'click control method, flexible dialogue system, rich vocabulary, considerably evolved graphics, fully animated, all real-time
 - 
 =  3rd person, magic

Sherlock Holmes: Another Bow

Interactive fiction featuring famous detective from the same developer & publisher
 +  None unless you prefer crime investigation to fantasy
 -  None unless you prefer fantasy to crime investigation
 =  Same exact CGA-style rendition, pseudo-3rd person perspective & playing method

Windwalker

A non-IF Adventure/RPG hybrid with elements of magic & martial arts
 +  Free exploration, control via arrow keys, all real-time
 -  No parser if counts as deficiency, ready questions & answers are used instead
 =  3rd person, similar representation (head only when travelling), magic


Ice Climber

Donkey Kong (NES)

Rescue the princess from the evil giant gorilla
 +  Simple, just jump and run
 -  Too simple in the long run
 =  Another classical game from the NES


Icewind Dale

Planescape: Torment

What can change the nature of a man?
 +  Text, emotional depth, exotic and strange places, very creative, makes you think quite a lot
 -  Horrible combat, at times too exotic, you can only change your character's abilities but not his appearance or background
 =  Incredible story + lacking combat = quite the opposite of Icewind Dale

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn

Part two in the saga of the Bhaalspawn
 +  Memorable end boss, more interesting story and goal, quite longer, even better spell system, bantering companions
 -  You can create only one character, at times too epic, no snow
 =  Got a lot more attention, depending on your tastes deservedly or not


Icicle Works

Prospector Pete

Lone miner collecting treasure from monster- and water-infested mines
 +  Great graphical overview
 -  The levels are fairly samey
 =  Another good one


Ignition

Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament

Toy cars racing across desks, through garden pipes, in the bathtub etc.
 +  Graphics, head-to-head mode, number of varied tracks
 -  Tracks are only two-dimensional
 =  The pinnacle of the genre


Ilyad

Banshee (Amiga)

Aicraft engineer uses his own creation to destroy evil aliens
 +  Excellent graphics, varied enemies
 -  -
 =  The crown of the shooter genre

Phobia (Amiga)

Tiny spaceship on a trip through the human mind
 +  Varied and original levels
 -  -
 =  The idea of completely differently 'themed' levels done perfectly

Silkworm (Amiga)

Helicopter and jeep team up to blast away everything
 +  Two-player mode
 -  Little variation
 =  More popular, but roughly the same quality


Imperator

Dictator (C64)

Rule your country with an iron fist
 +  Funny
 -  Even less graphical
 =  Another gem in this small genre

Herrscher (PC)

Conquer countries and survive permanent attempts on your life
 +  -
 -  Simple
 =  Half-assed attempt at remaking Imperator


Imperialism

Imperialism 2: The Age of Exploration (PC)

Conquering the 'new world' to get control of the old one
 +  No stupid elections, special 'colonary' goods
 -  -
 =  Very good, but not very innovative sequel

Europa Unversalis (PC)

The history of the whole world - from 1500 to 1800
 +  Global scale
 -  Little economic finesse
 =  Exactly as such games should be


Imperialism 2: The Age of Exploration

Colonization (PC)

Four European powers take the new world away from its original inhabitants
 +  Settler / job management
 -  Simple war part
 =  Thematically very similar game which limits itself to the new world

Europa Universalis 2 (PC)

World history - not just from a European perspective
 +  Extreme flexibility
 -  -
 =  It doesn't get much better than this


Impossible Mission

Bio Menace (PC)

Hero roasting mutants
 +  Action packed
 -  Less impressive
 =  A newer game, but time didn't exactly stand still all those years since Impossible Mission

Saboteur (ZX Spectrum)

A ninja infiltrating a facility and blowing it up
 +  Clever puzzle elements
 -  Graphically unimpressive
 =  Great classic


In the Dead of Night

Cruise for a Corpse (Amiga)

Solve a murder on a cruise
 +  More classic Adventure elements
 -  -
 =  Definitely more entertaining and lasting longer

Mean Streets (Amiga)

Pick up clues about a questionable suicide
 +  Technologically advanced
 -  Unfitting arcade sequences
 =  If you're into less conventional mixes of genres, this one is for you


Inca

Kether

Space knight saves the princess
 +  Presentation, mazes
 -  Space flight is much more restrictive
 =  A game with similar strengths & weaknesses

Lost in Time

Woman inherits an abandoned house – with a secret
 +  Imaginative puzzles
 -  Bland plot
 =  Although made with similar means by the same company, the resulting game is rather different

Rebel Assault

Selected scenes from Star Wars
 +  Strong franchise
 -  Interactivity and playability extremely limited
 =  Much more successful game, relying on the pull of the big name


Incubation

Battle Isle 2 (PC)

Hex-based tactics with per-mission-armies
 +  Graphics
 -  No unit customization
 =  Not-so-similar predecessor

Jagged Alliance (PC)

Mercenary squad 'liberates' island
 +  Graphics
 -  -
 =  On a similar level gameplay-wise, in a more down-to-earth scenario


Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (Amiga)

Indy searches the lost continent
 +  Puzzles, story, graphics,...
 -  Less replayable
 =  A serious Adventure game

Murder (Amiga)

Randomized murder cases have to be solved
 +  More complex
 -  Less 'immediate' gameplay
 =  Similar idea, more suited for pure 'thinkers'


Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

Beneath A Steel Sky (Amiga)

Outsider from the wilderness is chased through a futuristic Big-Brother-city
 +  -
 -  Simplified controls
 =  A very good game, but not good enough to compete in this comparison

Dark Seed (Amiga)

House owner discovers his new home is a portal to an alternate dimension
 +  Stilish, high resolution graphics
 -  Weak puzzles
 =  Worth playing, but lacking the touch of genius

Monkey Island 2: Le Chuck's Revenge (Amiga)

Guybrush Threepwood is searching for Big Whoop and finds his old nemesis
 +  Hilarious
 -  No alternate ways
 =  Both games are must-play!


Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (Amiga)

Indy in his next, computer-only adventure
 +  Puzzles, fighting
 -  -
 =  The formula rooted in games like Last Crusade perfected

Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders (C64)

Tabloid reporter Zak versus alien invaders
 +  Very funny
 -  Even more mazes
 =  Immediate predecessor, sharing a similar mindset design-wise


Indy Heat

Super Offroad

Trucks instead of Indy cars
 +  Much more action oriented, including power-ups
 -  If you want a more realistic game, maybe not your pick
 =  Mostly the same, but fleshed out

Super Sprint

Top-down Indy racing
 +  Maps are much more interesting
 -  -
 =  Another arcade game in your computer


Infidel

ZORK I: The Great Underground Empire

Wonderous treasures await you in the Great Underground Empire
 +  Non-linear, humour
 -  Does not attempt to give itself a meaning
 =  An adventure game in classic style


Infra Arcana

Ancient Domains of Mystery

Stop the incursion of chaos into the world
 +  Plot, quests and complexity on all sides
 -  Finishing it is quite a task
 =  Not the right thing for a quick round, but exactly right if you want something much deeper

Dungeon Hack

Delve into a randomized dungeon to retrieve a mystic orb
 +  Established & tried AD&D rules
 -  Run-of-the-mill theme
 =  Well-done three-dimensional variant

Shadow of the Comet

Cult plans the return of evil gods
 +  Nice plot & puzzles
 -  Replayability pretty much non-existent
 =  Lovecraft made into a very different game


Inspektor Zebok: Das Erbe

Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel

A police officer trailing a drug dealer
 +  No wonky acting
 -  Picky about procedure
 =  Not dissimilar classic


Interface

Grounded in Space (Interpreter)

A teenager's parents send him on a dangerous mission in space in order to learn some responsibility
 +  Requires more thinking
 -  A lot to read before the action starts
 =  Another sympathetic competition entry


International Athletics

International Championship Athletics (Amiga)

Olympic Games
 +  Bizarre gameplay ideas
 -  Extremely ugly
 =  A similarly bad experience


International Championship Athletics

Summer Games (C64)

More olympic games
 +  Graphics
 -  Fewer events
 =  The most famous game of the waggling genre


International Karate

International Karate + (Amiga)

Three fighters going at each other
 +  Three fighters...
 -  -
 =  Excellent sequel

The Way of the Exploding Fist (C64)

An honourable Karate competition
 +  -
 -  -
 =  Pretty much on the same quality level


International Karate +

International Karate (C64)

Karate competition between two fighters
 +  -
 -  Non-continous gameplay
 =  Very good, but not as good as IK+

Fist + (C64)

Three fighters in a Karate battle
 +  -
 -  -
 =  Basically the same game...


International Soccer

Actua Soccer

Football on a huge scale
 +  Simulates many aspects of the game
 -  Overly complicated controls, confusing graphical perspectives
 =  Tries too much and buries the fun

Sensible Soccer

Not-so-realistic, but closer than International Soccer
 +  Graphics
 -  Needs some training
 =  Shares similar qualities: fast and action-packed, but slightly more complex


IronSeed

StarControl II: The Ur-Quan Masters

The greatest of SF classics
 +  Fun and original, with lots of interesting aliens
 -  -
 =  This is one of the best SF games, and a clear influence on IronSeed

Protostar

Try to save humanity through mercantile black-ops
 +  Nice sandbox feeling
 -  Ends being monotonous
 =  Another good idea that didn't achieve all it could


Irvine Quik & the Search for the Fish of Traglea

Death of Schlig

Mutant private detective with extensible eye-sockets versus a world-conquering alien race
 +  Focus on one (and only one) special game mechanic
 -  A bit buggy
 =  Similarly themed entry to the same genre


It Came From The Desert

The King of Chicago (Amiga)

Pinky Callahan's way to the top of the mafia
 +  -
 -  Too little interactivity
 =  Another genre mix from Cinemaware, but far worse executed


Italy 1990

Cross Check (Amiga)

Ice Hockey
 +  Fast & challenging
 -  -
 =  This is how to make a sports game fun

Wild Cup Soccer (Amiga)

Soccer without any rules
 +  Good graphics
 -  Even easier (if that is possible)
 =  Has an extra dose of weirdness, but unfortunately, not a challenge, either


Ivanhoe

B.C. Kid (Amiga)

Stone age kind versus dinosaurs
 +  Controls
 -  Easy
 =  Solid Jump'n'Run

Deathbringer: The Sword of Abaddon (Amiga)

Hero and his soul-eating sword versus demons
 +  Great scrolling
 -  Unplayable
 =  Only good as a graphical demo


J'Dal

Ares

A group of astronauts recovering an artifact from a cave system on Mars
 +  Puzzles
 -  Goes overboard with non-interactive cutscenes
 =  Solid cave crawl spoiled by the attempt to make the standard plot 'matter'


Jagged Alliance

UFO: Enemy Unknown (PC)

The world defending itself against an alien invasion
 +  Research, free gameplay
 -  Less tactical finesse
 =  Very appealing mix of global strategy and local tactics


Jagged Alliance: Deadly Games

Laser Squad

Pre-defined missions await the player's team of soldiers
 +  Very well balanced missions
 -  Few missions
 =  The blueprint of all the genre games which followed


James Pond 2: Codename Robocod

Commander Keen (PC)

Teenaged hero saves the universe
 +  Impressive technology...
 -  ...but only for its host system
 =  Celebrated as one of the first playable Jump'n'Runs on the IBM PC

Soccer Kid (Amiga)

Teenage football fan retrieves the world cup trophy from an evil alien
 +  Ball handling
 -  Fewer levels arranged in a linear fashion
 =  Another excellent genre game


Jazz Jackrabbit

Jazz Jackrabbit 2

Made by the same guys
 +  Better graphics, sound, and more levels, multiplayer support


Jeopardy!

Deluxe Trivial Pursuit (PC)

The classic board game
 +  Varied types of questions (sometimes incorporating graphics and sound)
 -  Pointless method of asking the player himself whether his answer was correct
 =  Only makes any sense playing with other people

Pub Trivia Simulator (Amiga)

Lots of questions...
 +  Multiple choice
 -  No multiplayer
 =  Quite similar, but meant exclusively for single player


John Saul's Blackstone Chronicles

The Lurking Horror

Exploring a Lovecraftian university campus
 +  Puzzles
 -  -
 =  Pretty much flawless genre classic


Jonathan

Holiday Maker

Murder (and other mysteries) await on a holiday island
 +  Somewhat simpler controls
 -  No sound, no save function
 =  The first 'Artventure'


Joust

Defender

Scrolling 'space' shooter close to the ground
 +  Fast-paced action
 -  More concerned with reaction times than battle tactics
 =  The arcade classic from Williams

Knight Games

Medieval knights in more conventional duels
 +  Many different competitions…
 -  …most of which boil down to the same thing
 =  Decent, but fairly unexciting fighting game

Sopwith

Low-tech Defender clone
 +  Multiplayer over the network
 -  Only one level
 =  An interesting technical experiment


Jungle Strike

Comanche (PC)

Pilot a Comanche in a 3D world
 +  More control over the vehicle
 -  Not everybody likes flight sims
 =  Something similar and different


Kampf um Trubelland

Dunkle Schatten (PC)

Cool, socially committed teenager fights nazis
 +  Technically competent
 -  Extremely easy
 =  Very talkative promotial game with a noble goal

Geheimprojekt DMSO (PC)

Detective working for the salvation of all people suffering from rheumatism
 +  Graphics, not buggy
 -  -
 =  Quaint topic, acceptable gameplay


Kane

Lucky Luke (Atari ST)

Legendary cowboy helps building a railroad
 +  Very different levels
 -  Each of them is quite simple
 =  Both games are rather simplistic, but good for some quick fun


Karamalz Cup

Cross Check (Amiga)

National teams staffed by politicians playing ice hockey
 +  Playability
 -  Commercial
 =  Way more professional, of course

NHL Hockey (PC)

'National' ice hockey league in top-down view
 +  Playability, complexity
 -  Commercial
 =  The reference every other ice hockey game has to be measured by


Karate Champ

The Way of the Exploding Fist (C64)

Karate duel
 +  Controls, graphics
 -  -
 =  Superior version

International Karate + (Amiga)

Three fighters pitted against each other
 +  Everything
 -  -
 =  The ultimate version


Keepsake

Zero Sum Game

You've just brutally hacked your way through a Fantasy game – when your mom catches you and tells you to undo the damage
 +  Hilarious
 -  Requires some intuitive leaps
 =  A humorous take


Kether

Inca

Incas and Spaniards battle it out in space
 +  Free movement in space sequences
 -  Overall, gameplay is only so-so
 =  A strikingly similar product from the same time with similar strength and weaknesses; ultimately a question of taste

Litil Divil

Demon-dog traversing a trap-filled dungeon on a quest for pizza
 +  Cartoon graphics & gags
 -  Not much happening in the mazes
 =  An overtly funny take on similar gameplay


King's Quest 1: Quest for the Crown

Curse of Enchantia (Amiga)

Young guy with ugly haircut stumbles aimlessly from one screen to the next
 +  Better graphics
 -  No story at all
 =  For people who like King's Quest (hehe)

Loom (Amiga)

Bobbin the weaver stops the lord of death from conquering the world
 +  Innovative control/puzzle system
 -  -
 =  If you prefer KQ, you're probably deaf

Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel (Amiga)

Detectiv Bonds is in trouble with the required routine check of his car
 +  Not 100% childish
 -  Boooooooooring
 =  Slightly superior, but not by much


King's Quest 2: Romancing the Throne

Space Quest II: Vohaul's Revenge

Also one of the first sequels from the house of Sierra
 +  Coherent story, humor, in some cases multiple solutions
 -  Mazes…
 =  Substanially more entertaining and more logical persiflage of space operas


King's Quest: Quest For The Crown

King's Quest 1: Quest For The Crown

 + 
 - 
 =  Re-made using the AGI interpreter, this version adds enhancements like the ability to adjust speed. It also runs off of DOS, making it a more popular choice

King's Quest: Quest For The Crown (SCI)

 + 
 - 
 =  Using the new SCI engine, the game introduced better graphics and sound. Especially if you had an MT-32 or other sound device. Many enjoy this one for the enhancements, but other's didn't like that Sierra tried to improve upon an already great classic. Some felt the game should have been left alone.


Kingdoms of England II, Vikings: Fields of Conquest

Defender of the Crown

Fight for England
 +  Original for its time
 -  Repetitive gameplay
 =  Try it if you want to know where this game comes from

Warlords II

Battles on a fantasy world
 +  Fun, intuitive and simple gameplay. Includes diplomacy.
 -  It's also repetitive on the long run
 =  A better game if you want a big of strategy


Knight Games

Crown (PC)

Animals from different countries struggle for world supremacy
 +  Different kinds of travelling levels
 -  Fighting stages are a little simple
 =  Nice, but fairly anachronistic game


Knights of Xentar

Cobra Mission

Published by the same company
 +  Erotic (Its purely a NR-18 game with no censored version)
 -  RPG
 =  Different Battle System

Metal and Lace

Published by the same company
 +  Erotic
 -  Fighting game
 =  Bad game though


Kult

Dark Seed (Amiga)

Serious horror Adventure with similar graphics style
 +  More accessable
 -  Lack of humor
 =  Dark Seed is certainly a lot more popular, but it's in fact only on par - a matter of taste

Plan 9 from Outer Space (Amiga)

A whole game dedicated to poke fun at a bad movie
 +  Humor more 'accessable'...
 -  ...but also 'flatter'
 =  Both games are good choices


La abadía del crimen

D/Generation (PC)

Heroically carry a parcel through a skyscraper filled with living weapons.
 +  Much easier to control and play
 -  May have too much action if you are just looking for an adventure game
 =  They look pretty similar, and work in a similar way


Labyrinth

Murder on the Mississippi (C64)

A famous detective happens to be around when a murder occurs
 +  Very tight setting
 -  -
 =  Pretty much the cream of the crop of Adventure games back then

Maniac Mansion (C64)

Bland teenager enlists the help of his non-bland friends to save his girlfriend from a mad scientist
 +  Controls, teamwork puzzles
 -  -
 =  The birth of the point & click Adventure


Lancelot

Eric the Unready (PC)

Naive knight sent on a mission
 +  Funny
 -  Not serious
 =  Very good

The Quest for the Holy Grail (ZX Spectrum)

Another attempt at locating the Holy Grail
 +  -
 -  Not funny, shallow
 =  Complete failure


Lands of Lore

Anvil of Dawn (PC)

You alone will show the bad guy who is the boss
 +  It's pretty
 -  It's boring
 =  A bit more plain than Lands of Lore, yet much worse

Dungeon Hack (PC)

There is a treasure on a smelly dungeon, and you will get it
 +  You design the dungeon
 -  There is nothing more than hack and slash here
 =  Your own customizable dungeon. May lack plot but will stay fun for long


Lands of Lore: Guardians of Destiny

Stonekeep

Be a Hero and descent into the depths of the epynomous castle to kill a god!
 +  More advanced role playing mechanics (which are still easy to handle), better magick system, party, some very memorable characters
 -  Step wise movement, less room to explore, lots of empty places, even more obscure puzzles
 =  A very similar game almost as good as this one

Menzoberranzan

Be a Hero and descent into the depths of the epynomous city and kill a dark priestess!
 +  Cool character portraits, takes place in one of the most interesting settings of the Forgotten Realms
 -  Spiritual hammer ruins the whole game (glitched Uber-weapon), awkard and unresponsive controls, takes far to long to pick up some pace, (seemingly) random dungeons
 =  What the Eye of the Beholder series and its spiritual successors eventually turned into

Lands of Lore: Throne of Chaos

Be a Hero and try to reach the epynomous furniture and kill a witch!
 +  Party of adventurers, you can actually choose a character
 -  Story has only one outcome, umpteenth Dungeon Master clone
 =  Establishes some essential background, would have been Eye of the Beholder III if SSI and Westwood got along with each other.


Laser Lords

Backstage

Fan wins a date with his favourite rock star
 +  Compact game world
 -  Bland characters
 =  Short promotional game

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

American archeologist vs. nazis
 +  Varied puzzles
 -  Lengthy mazes
 =  Manages to keep interest up

Labyrinth

Young guy sucked into a film
 +  More puzzle variety
 -  Complicated control scheme
 =  From when Lucasfilm hadn't found their winning formula yet


Last Action Hero

Chase H.Q. (Amiga)

Chasing criminals and ramming their cars into submission
 +  Good execution
 -  -
 =  Nice racing game with a plot twist


Last Day of Summer

Cold Iron

A farmer looking for his axe in a forest which he considers enchanted
 +  Better writing
 -  -
 =  Almost the same game


Laura Bow in the Dagger of Amon Ra

Cruise for a Corpse

A mysterious murder happens in a cruise
 +  Gives what it offers, a typical detective mystery
 -  The interface is quite bad


Law of the West

Kane (Plus/4)

A Sheriff shooting ducks and people
 +  Two fairly different stages
 -  Both stages are very simplistic
 =  No non-violent solutions here - just the sound of the gun


Lazy Jones

Sex Crime (ZX Spectrum)

Infamous platformer with self-speaking name from portuguese developers
 +  Seems to have a real target and probably end too
 -  Much less spectacular
 =  Similar multiple floor design with an elevator

Manic Miner (ZX Spectrum)

The first most successful and legendary Spectrum platformer
 +  Real platform challenge, real end.
 -  A little too difficult perhaps
 =  Graphics


Leather Goddesses of Phobos 2: Gas Pump Girls Meet the Pulsating Inconvenience from Planet X!

Space Quest 1: The Sarien Encounter

A space janitor saves the universe from aggressive aliens… in spite of himself
 +  Looks very good
 -  Plays extremely badly
 =  Also an attempt to feed on the popularity of an old series, but plagued by very different issues


Legend of Grimrock

Dungeon Master

The original
 +  Still fun on it's simplicity
 -  Won't go beyond killing monsters
 =  The source of all the computer dungeon crawlers

Lands of Lore

An attempt to renew the genre by the creators of Eye of the Beholder
 +  Variety of places and a bit of plot
 -  Ends being too repetitive
 =  Still a nice change from the usual

Dungeon Hack

Unlimited dungeons to explore
 +  The dungeon generator
 -  In the end it is just a dungeon romp
 =  A classical hack and slash RPG fun for short games


Legend of Kyrandia 3 - Malcolm's Revenge

Legend of Kyrandia (PC)

Brandon saves the kingdom from the evil Malcolm
 +  Less tedious
 -  Stupid, lacking humor
 =  In spite of all the criticism, part three is superior to the first outing

3 Skulls of the Toltecs (PC)

Cowboy searching for treasure
 +  More logical
 -  Attempt at humour failed
 =  Very easy game which is better mainly, because it annoys less

Goblins 3 (Amiga)

Goblin reporter crashes his ship on his way to an interview
 +  Nice puzzles
 -  Not even an attempt at a real story
 =  Disjointed puzzle game, but at least it activates the brain cells.


Leisure Suit Larry Goes Looking for Love (In Several Wrong Places)

Leisure Suit Larry In The Land of The Lounge Lizards

The first Larry game. Help him score tonight!
 +  Sexier
 -  Shorter and less adventurous
 =  The quintessential LSL experience


Lemmings

Lemmings 2: The Tribes (Amiga)

Countless more Lemmings waiting to be guided
 +  Many new Lemming talents...
 -  ...thus sometimes lacking the clarity of the original
 =  Pretty much data disk quality


Lemmings 2: The Tribes

Troddlers (PC)

Guide cute, but stupid creatures to the level's exit
 +  Two different multiplayer modes
 -  Less imaginative level solutions
 =  One of the few games to come close to the original Lemmings idea


Link: The Faces of Evil

Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams

Schizophrenic girl rescuing her sister
 +  Special moves, small puzzles
 -  Levels tend to get rather long
 =  Modern-day game which takes a number of cues from this one (e.g. unlimited lives)

Ivanhoe

Medieval knight rescuing the king
 +  Some fundamentally differently levels with regards to gameplay
 -  Even if there is some non-linearity, it's much less
 =  Similar approach with similar issues (controls)


Little Big Adventure 2

Little Big Adventure

 +  Nothing
 -  Less vivid world, worse voice acting, bad save feature
 =  LBA2 outclasses its predecessor in every respect


Little Blue Men

Bureaucracy (PC)

A regular guy's fight against his phone company, his bank, the local burger store and the huge conspiracy behind them all
 +  Some ingenious puzzles
 -  More of a collection of funny scenes than a coherent story
 =  Extremely funny, but also very hard


Little Computer People

Alter Ego (C64)

Following (and playing) the lifeline of a random person
 +  More interactive
 -  Less suitable as a pure fishbowl
 =  It really depends what you're looking for...


Little Nemo: The Dream Master

Little Samson

Varied gameplay.
 +  Ends being monotonous.
 -  Still, a game that actually offers a good shapeshifting mechanic.


Little Samson

The Addams Family (Game Boy)

A more mediocre platformer
 +  -
 -  It's not exactly great
 =  Shows that things could have been worse


Livingstone supongo

Abuse (PC)

Flee from the mutants overrun facility
 +  Action, lots of it
 -  -
 =  You won't have to worry for much more than jumping and shooting


Locomotion

Lemmings (Amiga)

Save suicidal little creatures by giving them special abilities
 +  More diversity
 -  -
 =  The epitome of the puzzle genre

Railroad Tycoon (PC)

Build up a profitable railroad empire
 +  Very demanding and complex
 -  Not suited to kill half an hour
 =  A rather different approach to the railroad theme


Lode Runner

Fury

Post-apocalyptic mutant hunt
 +  Interesting killing mechanics
 -  Samey level layout
 =  Admittedly original, but relatively unexciting clone


Loom

Curse of Enchantia (Amiga)

Fantasy adventure with little sense
 +  Better graphics
 -  Everything else
 =  Looks above gameplay - where have I seen this before?

Shadowgate (Amiga)

The long battle against an evil magician
 +  Very comfortable controls
 -  Frustration galore
 =  A classic - in spite of the lacking quality

The Secret of Monkey Island (Amiga)

Our hero wants to become a pirate... and he wants the beautiful governour
 +  Extremely funny
 -  Conservative gameplay
 =  Released the same year, Loom was more groundbreaking, but MI more influential


Loopz

Tetris (PC)

Complete lines with random falling blocks.
 +  simple idea, great replayability
 -  not a lot of planning possible
 =  Tetris is simpler, Loopz leaves more room for strategy


Lord of the Rings Vol. I

Ultima VI: The False Prophet

Save Britannia from an apparently evil invading army
 +  Open RPG with nice plot
 -  -
 =  Trully, one of the best RPGs

Lands of Lore

An evil witch needs a magical ring to conquer the world
 +  Great dungeon crawler heir of EOB
 -  On the long run may be a bit repetitive
 =  A much more fun game


Lords of the Realm

Discovery - In the steps of Columbus (Amiga)

'Colonize' the 'New World' in real time
 +  Better military part
 -  Less complex economy, quirky controls
 =  Good alternative for fans

Lords of the Rising Sun (Amiga)

Just the military part of LOTR, but with additional Adventure elements
 +  Great graphics, exciting 'quests'
 -  Not overly complex
 =  Not pure strategy, but light and fun


Lords of the Rising Sun

It Came From The Desert (Amiga)

Stop mutated giant ants from taking over the planet
 +  Balanced parts
 -  -
 =  Cinemaware at its best!

Powermonger (Amiga)

Lead your armies to domination over the land's population
 +  Complex
 -  Repetetive challenges
 =  Innovative in its own way, purer strategy


Los Justicieros

Sunset Riders (SNES)

Cowboys kicking asses
 +  Cowboys
 -  Topical (ok, that's the good point also)
 =  May not be a shooter, but you will get more cowboys and more enemies to get rid of


Lost Dutchman Mine

Gold Rush (Amiga)

Adventures on the times of the gold rush
 +  Great if you love being punished
 -  Typical unforgiving Sierra style
 =  Play at your own risk


Lost Eden

Daughter of Serpents (PC)

Lovercraftian horror in Cairo
 +  Cthulhu mythos
 -  Too simplistic and short
 =  Suffers the same problems as Lost Eden

Dune (PC)

You relive the famous book
 +  Great mix of adventure and strategy
 -  Too lineal some times
 =  This is what Cryo used to do


Lost in Time

King's Quest: Quest for the Crown

Of course King's Quest is the key of adventure games, but is it still good today?
 +  Puzzles are more balanced in this game
 -  You have to write a command to do a action
 =  For an easy interface game, playing Lost in Time is the choice


Lotus Esprit Turbo Challenge

Chase H.Q. (Amiga)

Special police car chasing criminals
 +  Playability
 -  -
 =  Good execution, even attempting to give it all some meaning

Vroom (PC)

Racing...
 +  Graphics
 -  -
 =  Very mediocre genre game

Screamer

Put your pedal to the metal!
 +  More advanced AI, better collisions, more cars
 -  Less tracks, sligtly unnerving voiceover
 =  One of the arcade racers of the 90s


Lucky Luke

Locomotion (Amiga)

Direct trains through networks
 +  Many levels
 -  -
 =  Very good game


Lure of the Temptress

Suspended

Ordering robots around in order to stop the destruction of the world
 +  Interesting puzzles originating from the premise
 -  -
 =  A classic in this niche genre


Luster

Star Hunter

Search for treasures in the infinity of space
 +  Larger
 -  Completely without direction
 =  Virtually unplayable treasure hunt


M.U.L.E.

Die Fugger

Medieval traders looking for political power
 +  Additional features just for multiplayer mode
 -  Player interaction is more strictly turn-based and more indirect
 =  Another game which really only makes sense to play with a friend

Subtrade

Developing (exploiting) the ocean's surface on planet Irata
 +  Advanced graphics
 -  Zero innovation
 =  Pretty much an exact imitation of the original


Machiavelli the Prince

Die Fugger 2 (PC)

Commerce and politics in renaissance Germany
 +  A good deal of things to do apart from commerce
 -  It's in german
 =  Nice, if you can understand the text


Machinarium

Gobliiins

A group of goblins solving puzzles
 +  Three characters with different abilities
 -  Graphically more simple
 =  It's not unlikely this was a major inspiration of Machinarium


Mad City

Rescue: The Embassy Mission

Another game mixing genres
 +  Fun and relatively complex
 -  Too simple once you know the tricks
 =  A similar attempt which got much more popular


Mad Doctor

Dark Seed (Amiga)

The protagonist's gloomy mansion is the portal to another dimension...
 +  Mouse controls, graphics
 -  Nonsensical puzzles
 =  Similar setting, rather different game


Mad News

Der Planer (PC)

Manage a transport company
 +  More complex
 -  Dry and serious
 =  Not bad, but without the mass appeal

Mad TV (PC)

Manage a TV station
 +  Real movie names
 -  Fixed program roster
 =  Mad News is essentially a 'more of the same' sequel, but a good one

Pizza Connection (PC)

Manage a restaurant chain
 +  Recipe creation
 -  Overdone humor
 =  Mad Pizza? No, but still a good game.


Mad TV

Mad News (Amiga)

After being fired from the TV station, you take over a newspaper
 +  Simple paper layout management
 -  Equally simple once you've understood it
 =  Good, but not revolutionary sequel


Mafia

R.A.F. (C64)

Build up terrorist cells all over the country
 +  Funny
 -  Questionable morals
 =  If being a terrorist doesn't bother you, you'll enjoy it


Mag!!!

Der Rasende Reporter (Amiga)

Two youths take over the job of a reporter for a week
 +  -
 -  Dead easy
 =  Nice try, but not demanding enough


Magic Carpet

Descent (PC)

Small spaceship shooting robots in narrow mine systems
 +  Graphics
 -  No tactical component
 =  A little more conventional, yet maybe even better


Magic of Endoria

Dungeon Keeper

A successful dungeon construction simulation
 +  Superior graphics, superior controls, superior overall concept
 -  The dungeon's inhabitants appear randomly, no way to build walls
 =  Dungeon Keeper manages to do what MoE tried to

Caveland

A 2D dwarf simulation
 +  Building of a dwarven civilisation, challenging temple puzzles
 -  No battles; no enemies; you are forced to solve the temple puzzles to proceed
 =  Caveland is an economy simulation, suited for 'You and your dungeon' players

Wiggles

Sequel to Caveland, a 3D dwarf simulation
 +  Building of a dwarven civilisation; skills and dwarven genetics bring new game elements
 -  Finding existing tunnels and caves is just luck; very large levels
 =  Improved economic simulation with some quirky humour

Gnomoria

An independent project which is still developed
 +  Building a collapse shaft in Sim City style, the demo can be played for free
 -  Partly quite hard and complex, not Abandonware!!
 =  An alternative for players which consider MoE still too easy


Magic Pockets

Gods (PC)

Ancient demi-god fights his way to immortality...
 +  more of a background story, more serious
 -  weapon is not as innovative, game is not as funny
 =  uses the same engine, if you like Magic Pockets then you might probably enjoy Gods as well


Magnetron

Quazatron (ZX Spectrum)

The robot's first Spectrum mission
 +  Intelligent grappling
 -  Bad scrolling
 =  Better balance of the sub-games

Virocop (Amiga)

Strikingly similar robot blasts its way through levels
 +  Graphics
 -  'Just' a shooter
 =  Graphically, Quazatron and Magnetron are the obvious role model for Graftgold's later outing


Maniac Mansion

King's Quest 1: Quest for the Crown (Amiga)

Noble knight searches for magical items
 +  -
 -  Controls, dying, dead ends, puzzles, story,...
 =  A horrible experience

Murder on the Mississippi (C64)

Famous detective investigates a murder
 +  -
 -  Less original humor
 =  Almost as good

The Secret of Monkey Island (Amiga)

Guybrush wants to be a pirate
 +  Even funnier, longer
 -  -
 =  The logical step after Maniac Mansion: even better!


Marble Madness

Rock'n Roll (Amiga)

Guide a ball through mazes
 +  More special ground tiles with differing effects
 -  No geometrical challenge (2D)
 =  Nice variant, but not quite as impressive

Trail Blazer (Atari ST)

Race a ball over a course full of obstacles
 +  -
 -  Limited to two-dimensional straight courses
 =  A different flavour of abstract ball games


Martian Dreams

Savage Empire (PC)

The avatar gets stranded in a lost valley where dinosaurs still live
 +  Tools, entertaining story and places to explore
 -  Short, and you can get completely stuck
 =  A light and nice Ultima game

Ultima VI: The False Prophet

A demon invasion is threatening Britannia
 +  Longer and deeper plot, has side quests, working magic system
 -  Less creative setting, the story's conclusion is kind of artificial too
 =  The game from the main series that comes closest to Martian Dreams

Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura

Become a different religious figure in a original steampunk world!
 +  Offers magic and technology system, huge game world, lots of background stories and a plethora of side quests, more compelling plot with a satisfying resolution, create your own character
 -  You don't get to visit an alien planet, fights get even more tedious after a while
 =  Draws a lot of inspiration from the Ultima games and could almost be considered a more modern version of Martian Dreams


Master of Magic

Civilization (PC)

Tribes of the world developing into flourishing civilizations
 +  Unsurpassed balance
 -  Simplistic battle system
 =  One of the cornerstones of gaming history

Fantasy Empires (PC)

Four magicians sending their respective armies at each other's throats
 +  Battles
 -  Static world
 =  Very good choice


Master of Orion

Imperium (PC)

Ruling another galactic empire
 +  The game takes place on many different levels (including a political one)
 -  Quite inaccessable
 =  One for the experts

Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares (PC)

Conquering another galaxy
 +  Interesting new diplomatic options...
 -  ...which can't actually be used
 =  Loses itself in too much micromanagement


Master of Orion II: Battle at Antares

Master of Orion (PC)

Conquering the galaxy - the first attempt
 +  Diplomacy, production system
 -  A few other things are more limited
 =  The first part remains the best one


McDonald Land

Soccer Kid

Football fanatic retrieves the broken pieces of the world cup trophy
 +  Varied levels, excellent graphics, ball-as-weapon
 -  -
 =  Follows a similar approach with regards to not just finishing levels, but finding hidden items, but executes this much better

Tony & Friends in Kellogg's Land

Product mascots having an action-packed adventure
 +  Good graphics, good controls, varied levels
 -  -
 =  This freeware promotional game puts the commercial McDonald Land to shame!


Mean Streets

Deja Vu: A Nightmare Comes True (Amiga)

Trechcoat detective has lost his memory in the 1940s.
 +  Classic style
 -  More dying
 =  Very similar game for the same audience

Murder (Amiga)

Solve randomized cases in a randomized mansion with randomized characters. Reminiscent of the board game Cluedo.
 +  More replayable
 -  Lack of thrilling plot
 =  For the cold analyst, not the adventurer

Sixth Sense Investigations (Amiga)

The humorous counterpart: detective story about dimensional travel and lots of silly things.
 +  Very good graphics
 -  Not really detective work
 =  If you want something lighter


Mega Lo Mania

Die Siedler (Amiga)

Little underlings produce goods for (almost) almighty ruler
 +  No 'zones'
 -  No technologies
 =  A 'heavier' version of a similar idea


Menzoberranzan

Dungeon Hack (PC)

You get on a dungeon. You kill monsters
 +  Fun for a quick dungeon romp
 -  Lacks any depth
 =  Not too different from this game


Metal Marines

Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty (PC)

Levels consisting of the same steps: build, produce, crush
 +  No strange windowing system
 -  Hardly challenging
 =  Widely regarded as a classic


Metal Mutant

Fury Of The Furries (PC)

A morphing furry ball trying to survive in a platformed world
 +  Clear distinction between abilities
 -  Clear distinction between abilities
 =  More humorous alternative requiring a little more dexterity


Micro Machines

Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament

Part two of the same series
 +  Even more variety, more reliable scoring, league mode, track and car editor
 -  Still no save function!
 =  A sequel that does almost everything right

Retro City Rampage

The Player causes some chaos and anarchy in Retro City. Features comparable racing parts.
 +  Combines many games in one, more freedom (even while racing)
 -  No multiplayer
 =  An excellent open-world retro medley


Micro Machines 2 Special Edition

Micro Machines V3

The long-awaited third installment of the stellar series
 +  New vehicles
 -  Crap graphics, stupid weapons
 =  Would have been better to end the series at its peak


Micro Machines 2: Turbo Tournament

Death Rally

Combat Racing Game
 +  Pseudo-3D top-down perspective. Multiplayer LAN games. Weapons!
 -  Slower pace.


Micro Machines V3

Super Cars

Races between upgradable cars
 +  Controls, viewpoint
 -  Nothing comparable to head-to-head…
 =  Fun overhead racer


Microcosm

Dragon's Lair

Guide the brave (and clumsy) knight Dirk through deadly situations
 +  Perfect cartoon animations
 -  Interaction even more limited
 =  The great-grandfather of the genre

Rebel Assault

Fight the evil galactic empire
 +  Well-known scenes from well-known films
 -  Tricky, fault-prone controls
 =  A true killer application which also aged badly


Microsoft Adventure

Zork

Zork is another pure text adventure and maybe the best known. It is quite similar to Microsoft Adventure. For example, it is also about collecting treasures from a cave. Zork has got more than one part, the later of which build up more of a plot.
 +  Better text parser, puzzles are easier and make more sense
 -  Not the first adventure

Adventureland

Adventureland is the first adventure which was commercially published for home PCs (even before Microsoft Adventure which, however, is a port of the older, original Adventure). Adventureland is quite similar to the original Adventure.


Midwinter

Dune (PC)

Two royal families battle for control of a planet of invaluable strategic importance
 +  Stronger story elements
 -  Relatively schematic and pre-defined path through the game
 =  Very good, but not 'epic'


Midwinter II: Flames of Freedom

Ashes of Empire (Amiga)

Turmoils in five former Soviet states have to be ended
 +  Even a little more complex
 -  Loses some of its focus in routine tasks
 =  The logical conclusion of the trilogy


Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord (PC)

You enter into a dungeon to kill all the bad guys
 +  Fast and fun
 -  Repetitive, can get tedious
 =  Just take a look to know where M&M comes from

Don't Go Alone (PC)

Instead of a dungeon, you get into a haunted mansion
 +  A fun twist from the usual
 -  Too simple
 =  Another game that tried something new, but this is more like a parody


Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen

Might and Magic V: Darkside of Xeen (PC)

Continuation of the series
 +  Another game, if you liked this one
 -  Its just more of the same
 =  Play Worlds of Xeen if you wish to play both

Might and Magic: World of Xeen (PC)

Made joining M&M IV and V
 +  Joins two world in one
 -  Only a few new things
 =  Play it if you want to play both games


Might and Magic V: Darkside of Xeen

Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen (PC)

Previous one in the series
 +  Another game, if you liked this one
 -  Its just more of the same
 =  Play Worlds of Xeen if you wish to play both

Might and Magic: World of Xeen (PC)

Made joining M&M IV and V
 +  Joins two world in one
 -  Only a few new things
 =  Play it if you want to play both games


Might and Magic: The Secret of Inner Sanctum

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord

Get into the dungeon and clear it of monsters
 +  -
 -  Can become boring fast
 =  A famous predecessor


Mission Critical

Gateway 2: Homeworld

Instead of being part of a peaceful welcome committee, the player suddenly finds himself alone on a seemingly abandoned and dangerous alien vessel
 +  Puzzles, plot progression
 -  It is a text adventure, which might put some people off…
 =  Also already fairly lightweight, but still maintaining a basic level of challenge


Moai Kun

Bumpy's Arcade Fantasy (PC)

Jump and solve puzzles
 +  Simple and fun
 -  Gets repetitive
 =  Well, not much more than that. It mixes puzzles and platforms.


Modem Wars

Command HQ (PC)

War in real time on a strategic scale instead of a tactical one
 +  Probably a little more accessable
 -  Less refined strategic features
 =  Ozark's next modem game

Nether Earth (ZX Spectrum)

Two robot armies occupy factories and tear each other to shreds
 +  Production and resources management
 -  No multiplayer
 =  Very good single player alternative

Z (PC)

Two robot armies occupy factories and tear each other to shreds (uh...)
 +  Production
 -  Only very basic commands, almost no visibility issues
 =  A rare gem in the 'modern' age of the genre


Monkey Island 2: Le Chuck's Revenge

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (Amiga)

Indiana Jones on his search for the lost continent
 +  Alternate ways
 -  Less funny, slightly weaker graphics
 =  Even casual gamers must have played both

The Secret of Monkey Island (Amiga)

Guybrush's debut: his first meeting with LeChuck
 +  Feels fresher
 -  Graphics aren't hand-drawn
 =  These two games made the series famous until today

Victor Loomes (Amiga)

(Sometimes involuntarily) humorous Adventure through time
 +  -
 -  Short, puzzles, story, characters,...
 =  Being a promotial game, VL falls short against the commercial classic of course; it's not all bad, though


Monopolize

Deluxe Trivial Pursuit (PC)

Computerversion of the boardgame testing your knowledge of trivial facts.
 +  Better graphics, more professional.
 -  Stupid handling of answers.
 =  Both games are lacking something...


Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail

Eric the Unready (PC)

A knight trying to rescue a princess and making a fool of himself on the way
 +  Actual puzzles which make sense
 -  It's not the real Monty Python material...
 =  Excellent choice for fans of the movie

Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time (PC)

Find the secret of intergalactic success!
 +  Less linear
 -  Even more fragmented
 =  Hard to call this a game at all

The Quest for the Holy Grail (ZX Spectrum)

Someone searching for something (might be the Grail)
 +  -
 -  Not funny
 =  Failed first attempt


Monty Python's Complete Waste of Time

Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail (PC)

King Arthur and his knights looking for the Holy Grail - in all the wrong places
 +  Somewhat more 'game-y'
 -  Somewhat less original
 =  Quite a similar collection of mini games with more of a consistent link between them


Monty Python's Flying Circus

Commander Keen

Super-powered boy versus aliens
 +  Shareware
 -  No comparable humour
 =  Very mediocre game without the Python bonus

Gods

Greek hero trying to become a true god
 +  Excellent playability
 -  No humour at all
 =  As a computer game, this is infinitely better


Monty Python's The Meaning of Life

Monty Python's Flying Circus

My brain hurts!
 +  Stylish animations
 -  Mediocre gameplay
 =  Just a slow-ish jump'n'run / shooter

Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail

We're knights of the round table…
 +  Some nice mini game ideas
 -  No original material
 =  Mercifully short conversion of another Python film in similar style


Moonmist

Border Zone (PC)

A spy story - told from three different perspectives
 +  One strong, unified story
 -  -
 =  Probably the better approach at achieving replayability

The Detective Game (C64)

Solve a murder in an upper-class mansion
 +  Appealing graphical presentation
 -  Characters less fleshed out
 =  Both games are safe recommendations


Moonstone

Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior (C64)

Cut the other barbarian's head
 +  Ridicously exaggerated fights
 -  It's always the same fight
 =  Moonstone owes its fights to this game


Morkin II

Dark Legions

Two monster armies clash
 +  Arcade duels, wide variety of creatures & abilities
 -  Only two players, not instantly intuitive
 =  Obviously the far deeper game, but with lower party factor


Mot

Guerrilla War

Bringing the revolution to Cuba
 +  Fun co-op action
 -  -
 =  Much better action sections.

La abadía del crimen

Based on “The Name of the Rose”
 +  An Opera full adventure
 -  Can be confusing
 =  Similar “living world” style, but longer


Movie

Fairlight: A Prelude (ZX Spectrum)

A Spectrum action/adventure game with a fantasy theme
 +  Faster, more flexible, life counter is present and can be restored
 -  Staccato animation
 =  Detailed graphics, isometric

The Great Escape (ZX Spectrum)

Action/adventure game featuring prison camp and based on 60s movie
 +  Faster
 -  Tiny characters, less detailed graphics, jerky animation
 =  No lives, isometric

Murder (Amiga)

Another detective adventure game
 +  Better graphics & animation, bigger adventure factor
 -  No action factor
 =  Monochrome (b&w shades of grey only), isometric


Murder

The Case of the Cautious Condor (Amiga)

Classic mystery Adventure with pre-compiled storyline
 +  Graphics, interesting plot
 -  Not replayable after solving it
 =  Crime fans need both, CotCC is the more 'polished' one

Cruise for a Corpse (Amiga)

Poirot-lookalike looks for the murderer of his host
 +  Inventory/item management
 -  Less replayable
 =  Very common Adventure style in CfaC which makes it less frightening


Murder Makes Strange Deadfellows

The Case of the Cautious Condor (Amiga)

Solve the murder of Gerald Weltner
 +  Flawless production
 -  Graphics
 =  Superior execution of the same concept

Dark Seed (Amiga)

Stop aliens from taking over this dimension
 +  More interactive
 -  Has its own problems...
 =  Similarly flawed execution of a different concept


Murder on the Mississippi

The Detective Game (C64)

Solve a murder in a classy mansion
 +  -
 -  Slightly inferior controls
 =  Very similar

Cruise for a Corpse (Amiga)

Another murder on another ship
 +  Longer, attractive graphics
 -  Too much talk
 =  Essentially a remake of the same idea


Murder on the Zinderneuf

Cluedo Master Detective

Mr Body hosts a (real) murder party
 +  Classic, well-known ruleset
 -  Does not even try to escape the limitations of the board game genre
 =  A slightly extended variant of the original

The Case of the Cautious Condor

Murder on a transatlantic flight – and only thirty minutes to identify the culprit
 +  Excellently drawn graphics and voice acting gets the characters across very well
 -  Only one fixed case, semi-automatic deductions
 =  A simpler, but worthy successor

Murder

Randomised murder parties in a classy mansion
 +  Selectable case complexity
 -  Less atmospheric
 =  Good successor which unfortunately makes the randomness a bit too visible


Mystic Towers

D/Generation (PC)

In the midst of a bioweapon outbreak you must deliver a package
 +  Puzzles and a bouncing laser gun
 -  It's hard
 =  A one of a kind game


Myth: History in the Making

Altered Beast

Artura

Castlevania

Draconus

Eye of Horus

Gods

Hysteria

Another time travel game featuring a hero saving the day and a demonic creature messing with the past and future. Just a plain arcade game, no puzzles, no mysteries, just good old zap-zap.
 +  Dynamic, smooth and catchy gameplay with decent difficulty level.
 -  Just 3 stages + repetitive cycle, where on completion of all 3 you start over again.
 =  The graphics is what would make two games even.

Prince Clumsy


Nevermore

Anchorhead (Interpreter)

A whole small town involved in an evil cult
 +  A lot longer, more fleshed out story-wise
 -  -
 =  Lovecraft-inspired masterpiece


Neverwinter Nights

Pool of Radiance

The original Gold Box game
 +  Simple and fun hack'n'slash
 -  The lack of plot makes it aimless from time to time
 =  Great basis to improve and create other games


Night Trap

Murder Makes Strange Deadfellows

Searching for a hidden will in a haunted house
 +  Stilish comic graphics, appropriately goofy voice acting
 -  The player just watches – not even pushing a single button is necessary in the scenes
 =  Another game about being in the right place at the right time

The 7th Guest

Solving puzzles to unravel the mystery of yet another haunted house
 +  Challenging puzzles…
 -  …which all come from standard textbooks
 =  Often considered the killer application of the CD-ROM


No Greater Glory

Hidden Agenda (PC)

Stabilise a central American country after the revolution
 +  Even more subtle political decision-making
 -  It can get a little passive with the player only reacting
 =  Probably the best in the genre


Noctropolis

Beneath A Steel Sky (Amiga)

Robert Foster stumbles through a futuristic megacity
 +  Better voiceacting
 -  -
 =  Very similar games

Captain Gysi und das Raumschiff Bonn (PC)

Political superhero saves 'Spaceship Bonn'
 +  Freeware
 -  Short & easy
 =  Nice promotial game

Shadow of the Comet (PC)

Ancient cult plans to bring back evil gods
 +  Great athmosphere
 -  -
 =  As good as Noctropolis would have been without the videos


North & South

Lords of the Rising Sun (Amiga)

Strategic planning combined with action battles
 +  More challenging
 -  No multiplayer
 =  More different scenes, but harder to get into


Ollie Ollie Oxen Free

Escape from Summerland

Guide the last survivors out of an abandoned theme park
 +  More reliance on individual strengths of the characters
 -  Characters are less interesting
 =  Has the player actually taking over three different roles instead of just ordering others around


Olympic Games 92'

Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show

Western sports
 +  Original idea
 -  Hard to play, as any of these games
 =  A different kind of the same genre


Operation Cleaner

Advanced Lawnmower Simulation

Also a freeware title with a very unique idea
 +  Really one of its kind, there is no game that compares to this
 -  Just one (admittedly great) joke that gets old in an instant
 =  If you like unique games that focus on rather down to earth tasks, you should have a look at this one, too

Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty

You blow up a lot of buildings in this one, too; different aproach: you see an overhead shot of the structures
 +  Overall a lot more sophisticated, interesting demolition tools, you don't have to worry about damaging neighbouring buildings
 -  The physics are even worse: just one kind of explosion, always the same debris; inhabitants are a lot more aggressive and aren't willing to pay for the job
 =  A game that puts a stronger focus on the 'why' than on the 'how' a building gets blown up


Operation Stealth

Cruise for a Corpse (Amiga)

The search for a murderer
 +  Graphics
 -  Long-winded dialogues
 =  Delphine's more mature later product

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (Amiga)

Indy's search for Atlantis
 +  Non-linear gameplay
 -  -
 =  A highpoint of the genre

Legend of Kyrandia (PC)

Brandon searches for the evil Malcolm
 +  -
 -  -
 =  Similar design faults: dead ends, bad puzzles etc.


Operation: Inner Space

Transplant (Amiga)

Shoot everything that moves
 +  Varied enemies
 -  Shallow
 =  Classic shooter without anything to set it apart


Outlaw

Boxing (Atari 2600)

Boxing, on an Atari
 +  Two players
 -  Two punch and you have seen the full game
 =  Quite entertaining if you have somebody to play with


P.C. Fuzz

Batman Returns (SNES)

Batman beats up clown scum
 +  Colourful graphics
 -  Unoriginal
 =  Mediocre Double Dragon clone (you'll be surprised to notice how similar the game is)

Manic Miner (ZX Spectrum)

Miner Willy recovers the treasures left behind by a perished civilization
 +  Long and varied
 -  Small sprites, little graphical detail
 =  Look out for the Manic Miner tribute in P.C. Fuzz!


P.O.D.

Invasion Of The Mutant Space Bats Of Doom (PC)

The title says it all
 +  Graphics
 -  Fewer levels
 =  Very good variant of the Space Invaders idea


Packman

PC-Man (PC)

 +  Coloured ghosts, bigger maze, less annoying music
 -  Worse AI
 =  Another maze


Paperboy 2

Paperboy (C64)

The original Paperboy on his original route
 +  -
 -  -
 =  Exactly the same game - years earlier


Paradroid

Heavy Metal Paradroid (C64)

Updated version of Paradroid
 +  Graphics, speed
 -  -
 =  The ultimate Paradroid game

Paradroid 90 (Amiga)

Official remake for 16/32 bit systems
 +  Colourful and detailed graphics
 -  Unclear at times: How strong is a robot, how does it look in the takeover game?
 =  In spite of the audiovisual overhaul, this is actually less fun than the original


Paradroid 90

Paradroid (C64)

Same game, same goal
 +  Less appealing graphically
 -  Easier overview due to more functional graphics
 =  One of those cases where the original is just better

Quazatron (ZX Spectrum)

Robot taking over other robots to destroy yet more robots
 +  Combining robot parts
 -  Slow scrolling
 =  Interesting variant

Paradroid 2000 (Acorn Archimedes)

A quick port of the game with some touching up
 +  Higher resolution graphics, faster
 -  Less interesting robot deaths
 =  More of the same


Paradroid II

Magnetron (ZX Spectrum)

Sequel of Paradroid sequel in an isometric environment
 +  -
 -  Grappling sub-game
 =  Disappointing spawn of the series

Paradroid 90 (Amiga)

The official Amiga-Paradroid
 +  Graphics
 -  Can get confusing, single player only
 =  The amateur version surpasses the professional one


PataNoir

The Hollywood Murders

Disillusioned detective looking for a runaway husband
 +  -
 -  -
 =  Simple, straight noir story


Payback

Grand Theft Auto 2

The protagonist playing rivalling gangs against each other
 +  Graphics, physics model
 -  -
 =  The original's official sequel

Retro City Rampage

The Player committing crime in a time warp
 +  Many different game styles
 -  Not all of them are equally well done
 =  Excellent tribute


PC-Man

Packman

 +  Better AI
 -  Noncolored ghosts, smaller maze, annoying music
 =  Other maze


PCKaiser++

Herrscher (PC)

Mr Creosote's remake of Imperator
 +  Freeware
 -  No graphics, no complexity
 =  A pure curiosity

Imperator (C64)

One of the original 'empire' games
 +  Detailed internal politics
 -  Simplistic wars
 =  Slightly different focus, depends on personal taste


Phobia

Ilyad (Amiga)

Heroic fighter pilot trying to fix the timeline
 +  -
 -  Pedestrian
 =  Lacks Phobia's originality and massive number of levels


Pick Up the Phone Booth and Die

Advanced Lawnmower Simulation (ZX Spectrum)

Extremely complex and realistic lawnmower simulator
 +  Excercise for the body as well as the brain
 -  Not much of a meta level
 =  Well done joke game

Undo (Interpreter)

You're trying to finish a game within a game - stored on a faulty disk
 +  More imaginative and varied surroundings
 -  -
 =  Quite a similar idea, also quite short


Pinball Dreams

Pinball Fantasies (Amiga)

The same engine, new tables
 +  Better tables on average
 -  -
 =  Good sequel

Pinball Illusions

Another game using the same old engine
 +  Very detailed graphics
 -  -
 =  Product from the assembly line, but entertaining


Pinball Fantasies

Pinball Mania (Amiga)

Four new tables
 +  Some very good tables
 -  One very bad table
 =  Routine product with good selection of table

Slam Tilt (Amiga)

More tables...
 +  -
 -  -
 =  A little more flashy, but not seriously better


Pinball Illusions

Pinball Fantasies

 +  Introduced dot matrix displays
 -  Lacks multi-ball
 =  Play them both!


Pinball Mania

Pinball 3D-VCR (PC)

The same tables, playable in different screen resolutions and also in pseudo 3D perspective
 +  Graphics
 -  -
 =  Very nice update


Pirates!

Pirates! (PC)

Same game, different version
 +  -
 -  Weak graphics and sound
 =  For completists

Pirates! Gold (Amiga)

Modernized version of the classic game
 +  CD audio
 -  Colours
 =  A question of taste


Plan 9 from Outer Space

Beneath A Steel Sky (Amiga)

Post-apocalyptic-megacity-police is chasing innocent guy
 +  Puzzles, clearer structure
 -  Some humor gone wrong
 =  Plan 9 is freakier, but not as good gameplay-wise

Sixth Sense Investigations (Amiga)

Dynamic detective duo dive into different dimensions
 +  Cartoon graphics
 -  Sometimes over the top
 =  Plan 9 loses this comparison as well


Playing Games

Flug 714 nach Sydney

Tintin stopping Rastapopulous once more
 +  -
 -  -
 =  Centers around a game of Battleship


Plok!

X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse (SNES)

 +  More action, not quite so many bright colours on screen at the same time
 -  Less humorous, doesn't quite make as nice an “atmosphere”
 =  If you're more into fighting, go for this one

Cool Spot (PC)

 +  Faster action
 -  Promotional game, less good puzzles
 =  If you like one of these, you'll find the other one at least playable, probably even fun


Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel

East vs West: Berlin 1948 (Amiga)

Spy investigates the disappearance of a nuclear bomb
 +  Less bureaucratic and fussy
 -  Not very accessable
 =  Once you got over the initial problems with the controls, this one is way better

King's Quest 1: Quest for the Crown (Amiga)

Treasure hunt across a medieval kingdom
 +  -
 -  Even more frustrating, childish
 =  Two typical examples of why Sierra has always been one of the worst game producers


Pool of Radiance

Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (PC)

You must become a religious living symbol
 +  Original story
 -  -
 =  A more plot oriented game, with a similar combat system

Eye of the Beholder (Amiga)

Save Waterdeep from the bad guys
 +  Fun and fast
 -  Too labyrinthical
 =  This is what later D&D games would become


PopCorn

Breakout (Atari 2600)

 +  Richer palette
 -  Poor details, no extras.

Arkanoid (PC)

 +  EGA support
 -  Enemies are scarce and unimpressive


Power Struggle

Balance of Power - The 1990 Edition

Cold war between 'east' and 'west' – but many smaller countries also act according to their own agenda
 +  Much more realistic
 -  Requires appropriate practice
 =  Power Struggle's big brother

Caesar

Either the world or Europe needs to be conquered
 +  More than one opponent
 -  Conflict purely on military level
 =  Good Risk clone


Powermonger

Mega Lo Mania (Amiga)

Different tribes struggle for domination over islands
 +  Technology more important
 -  Very basic battles
 =  Less war, more development


Prehistorik 2

Chuck Rock (Amiga)

Another stone age variation
 +  Better playability
 -  -
 =  Graphics & Animation

The Flintstones (Genesis)

A game adaptation of one of the most celebrated cartoon shows
 +  Better playability
 -  Lower audio quality
 =  Graphics & Animation

Caveman Ninja (PC)

A stone age arcade game
 +  2 player support
 -  No puzzles, mostly horizontal scrolling only
 =  Graphics & Animation


Premiere

B.C. Kid

A prehistoric hero rescuing his dinosaur friends
 +  Easy
 -  A little simpler
 =  Two good genre entries


Prince

Powermonger (Amiga)

Factions battling for the control over seemingly countless islands
 +  Cities, weapons, weather,...
 -  -
 =  The same idea done extremely well


Prince of Persia

Aladdin (PC)

A well-known platformer based on a famous Disney cartoon movie/TV show
 +  Considerably evolved graphics and animation, better audio, a greater variety of enemies
 -  Mostly horizontal scrolling with little athletism involved and no real combat
 =  Arabian Nights theme, similar plot and atmosphere

Another World (PC)

A famous sci-fi cinematic 2D action/adventure game
 +  No time, rich scenery, infinite lives, a way to restore the game by using a numeric code acquired earlier
 -  No athletism
 =  Overall quality

Cruel World (PC)

An utter cheap parody of PoP which replaces sword fighting with bare knuckles
 +  None possible unless bare knuckles is what makes up for the plagiarism
 -  Inferior graphics, jerky animation and plain theft
 =  That which is stolen from PoP

Black Thorne (PC)

Another well-reputed sci-fi/fantasy action platformer
 +  Superior graphics, more enemies, bosses are present, usage of firearms if qualified as advantage
 -  None detected
 =  Similar elements of athletism, doors to open and movement in all 4 directions

Flashback (PC)

One more celebrated sci-fi 2D action/adventure platformer from the creators of Another World
 +  No time, rich scenery, gun combat
 -  None detected
 =  Similar elements of athletism, doors to open and movement in all 4 directions

Zorro (PC)

Another bad remake of PoP, only this time featuring black mask and a cape
 +  None detected
 -  Jerky animation, bad combat, mostly boring gameplay
 =  Still graphics


Prisoner of Ice

Silverload (PC)

Lonesome cowboy enters a city of werewolves
 +  Graphics
 -  Random death scenes
 =  Completely unplayable

Shadow of the Comet (PC)

Halley's comet is getting close to earth - a chance, cultist are planning to use in order to wake their evil gods again
 +  Graphics, puzzles, story
 -  -
 =  A Lovecraft game done right


Private Eye

Inspektor Zebok: Das Erbe

Murder at the Munich train station
 +  Unintended humour
 -  Interface, stupid plot
 =  Unplayable 'interactive movie'

The Case of the Cautious Condor

Murder on an aircraft
 +  Stylish graphics, excellent voice acting
 -  Quite short
 =  Well-done 'multimedia' detective story

The Last Express

Murder on a train
 +  Perfect animation, long intertwined plotlines
 -  No big name licence
 =  Similar idea, but made on a much larger scale


Privateer

Comanche (PC)

Very military search & destroy helicopter missions
 +  Graphics, 'feel' of flying
 -  Limited to pre-designed missions
 =  Very good action-flightsim


Professor Frank

Pen & Paint

Getting over writer's block by entering fantastic worlds through paintings
 +  Interesting metaphor
 -  Puzzle issues
 =  Jumping through worlds in a more serious tone


Project X

Banshee

Steampunk inventor battles invading aliens
 +  Varied enemies, fair gameplay
 -  -
 =  Do yourself a favour and play this game instead

Silkworm

WW2 pilot (and jeep) battle an enemy army
 +  Fair, superior two-player mode
 -  The enemies and background repeat themselves quickly
 =  A fun game to play corrabolatively


Proliferation

WinRisk (PC)

Conquering the world - one province at a time
 +  Well-known rules
 -  Hardly complex
 =  For those who prefer the classic, unmodified style


Prophecy of the Shadow

Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny

A real RPG
 +  Well designed world
 -  -
 =  What this game would like to be


Psycho Killer

Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. 1 (PC)

Three cases for the master detective to solve
 +  Small, but nice videos, deductive reasoning required
 -  -
 =  Still far from perfection, but still an early CD title done right

Daughter of Serpents (PC)

Unravel the mystery of an egypthian artifact
 +  Graphics
 -  Complicated controls
 =  Almost as little to do as in Psycho Killer, but at least it's an interesting 'read' presented in a good-looking way


Pub Trivia Simulator

Auf dem Weg nach Europa (Amiga)

Quiz questions about European countries
 +  Nice arcade-style mini-games in between
 -  The questions repeat themselves too quickly
 =  Well-made, but the questions are a little dry at times


Pushover

Lemmings

Save the green haired ones from hurting themselves!
 +  Lots of characters…
 -  equals lots of micromanagement.
 =  Somewhat similar, yet quite different game.

One Step Beyond

The sequel in which you get to play the Quackers mascot.
 +  New kind of puzzle
 -  Plays a lot more like a generic platformer, ugly background graphics
 =  Does not quite live up to the first one, but still quite playable


Puzznic

Atomix (PC)

Build Atoms by moving its pieces around obstacles.
 +  Won't remind you of chemistry at school.
 -  No link to reality.
 =  Pretty much the same concept.


Quad

Breakthru in 3D (C64)

Breakout with an uncommon graphical perspective
 +  Classic style
 -  No original gameplay ideas
 =  Standard fare

Shufflepuck Cafe (Amiga)

Airhockey versus the regulars of a sleazy bar
 +  Great graphics, mouse controls
 -  Gameplay still more limited
 =  Nothing to destroy, but characters to beat - fun


Quake II

Unreal

Epic MegaGames' explosive debut on the FPS scene
 +  Far more atmospheric, both visually and aurally
 -  Controls and combat aren't quite as tight as id's effort
 =  Where Q2 is a pure frag-fest, Unreal is as much about exploration.


Quazatron

Paradroid (C64)

The original meta robot game
 +  Smooth scrolling
 -  Simpler robot model
 =  Probably a question of taste


Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire

Hero's Quest

Where it all began, the original game, before it had to be renamed to Quest for Glory
 +  Better balance between Adventure and Roleplaying parts, more engaging combat, less linear, multiple endings
 -  Graphics are really dated, weak parser, die hundreds of deaths
 =  Overall a better game, but it gets even greater through its sequels

Diablo

The quintessential action RPG
 +  Comparable combat which is a lot more fun, better game balance, great atmosphere
 -  Even more mindless violence, very bland NPCs
 =  If you feel like battling hordes of minions this is the game for you


Quest for Glory: So you Want to be a Hero

Conquests of the Longbow (PC)

Robin Hood must raise money for Lion Heart's ransom
 +  You can mess up and it will affect the game, changing also the end
 -  Even thought it is supposed to not have any, there are dead ends
 =  An adventure that also gives you freedom to act


Raid on Bungeling Bay

Desert Strike (PC)

Lone chopper fighting in the Middle East
 +  Varied missions
 -  Missions sometimes too 'scripted'
 =  Feels like a remake


Railroad Tycoon

Transport Tycoon

Become a transport mogul
 +  Developing a transport network
 -  Became obsolete now that there is a better and free version
 =  Not specialized in railroads, but offers a lot of variety


Rampart

Aaargh! (Amiga)

Two monsters competing for destroyin the place
 +  Monsters destroying buildings
 -  It's just a Rampage clone, and not as good as what it copies
 =  Still, a nice arcade game where you can compete


Raptor

Desert Strike (PC)

An strategic assault on the gulf with your deadly Apache Longbow
 +  Action, with a bit of strategy
 -  May be deadly, but not for being too easy to control
 =  You want shooting around on your aircraft? Forget Raptor and try this.


Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny

Menzoberranzan

Go in search of the drow city
 +  A modernization of the D&D dungeon crawling games
 -  The modernization also changed things that were working well
 =  Another of the less known dungeon crawlers

Anvil of Dawn

Try to save the world through dungeon exploration
 +  Nice graphics, when they use 2D ones
 -  Otherwise, nothing to write home about
 =  This is one of the last DOS dungeon crawlers, and also one of the least know ones


Realms of the Haunting

Alone In The Dark

You go to a haunted mansion to do business with mysteries
 +  Scary and fun
 -  That 3D technique has been always ugly, and controls aren't great too
 =  One of the best mistery games, which gave the idea to many famous games

The 7th Guest

One of the first attempts to make a FMV horror game
 +  Nice puzzles and mood
 -  Too repetitive
 =  Good to check the beginnings of the CD-Rom era


Rebel Assault

Epic

Railroaded space and ground shooter missions without a big name licence
 +  A little more player freedom
 -  Much of the interactivity is tedious rather than fun
 =  Similarly flawed game

Xadium

Maneuvering a craft in two different perspectives
 +  The controls work well
 -  Limited to just two levels
 =  At least this one is honest about itself


Rebelstar Raiders

Incubation (PC)

A group of elite soldiers fighting mutated aliens
 +  Interconnected missions ('campaign')
 -  Confusing graphical perspectives
 =  Pretty much the same, but with a computer-controlled enemy

UFO: Enemy Unknown (PC)

Humans fighting an alien invasion
 +  Constant switching between global strategy and local tactical battles
 -  The economic part might not appeal to everybody
 =  Without a doubt a worthy sequel (of a sequel of a sequel of a sequel)


Red Baron

Sopwith

The first 'flightsim' with full multiplayer support featuring WWI biplanes
 +  Multiplayer, bomb runs, ground targets
 -  Graphics, 2D, absolutely no historical accuracy (modern tanks vs. early biplanes), very limited gameplay
 =  Fun for a while, but not all that impressive

Aces over Europe

Semi-Sequel to Red Baron set in WWII
 +  Improved graphics, ground targets, even more mission variety, campaign is a bit more dynamic
 -  Still gets kind of repetive, less pioneering spirit, slight imbalances between the three sides
 =  Even if it is a slightly superior game, it is a matter of taste whether you like this one more than Red Baron


Redhook's Revenge

221B Baker Street (C64)

The world's most famous detective solves several cases
 +  Relatively 'open' gameplay
 -  Smaller party bonus
 =  More intellectually demanding, but more fun?


Rescue on Fractalus!

3D Spacewars

Fighting off the alien invasion in space
 +  Frantic pace
 -  Simple shooter action
 =  Another 3D flying game which is just a little too simplistic


Rescue: The Embassy Mission

Covert Action (PC)

Help CIA to dissolve criminal cells
 +  A really well rounded game with a lot of work behind
 -  -
 =  The best special ops game out there


Retro City Rampage

Grand Theft Auto

The original freeroaming steal-cars-wreak-havoc game
 +  Several cities, larger scale
 -  Not quite as over-the-top
 =  RCR's main inspiration

Payback

An early GTA clone
 +  Available for various uncommon platforms
 -  Controls can get a big fiddly
 =  Nice, but unoriginal clone


Return of the Phantom

Loom (Amiga)

You are the last of some weird mystical tailors
 +  Actually I'm making fun of it, it has a great story
 -  Short, too short
 =  Another short gem


Return to Ringworld

Frederik Pohl's Gateway (PC)

Another adaptation of a classic SF book
 +  Better thought design
 -  It's an IF, which is not for everyone
 =  Better adventure than this one, which is not too difficult


Return to Zork

Callahan's Crosstime Saloon

Visiting goofy aliens inhabiting strange pop-culture worlds
 +  Nice graphics, some intelligent puzzles
 -  Humour sometimes a little forced
 =  A similarly complex world model made accessible through context sensitivity

The Lurking Horror

Lovecraftian horrors are lurking deep inside the campus's bowel
 +  Excellent writing, fiendish puzzles
 -  -
 =  One of the creepiest games ever made – thanks to words, not images


Rex Nebular and the Cosmic Gender-Bender

Beneath A Steel Sky (Amiga)

Unravel the secret of your identity
 +  Consistency
 -  Simplified controls
 =  Both are very good choices


Rick Dangerous

Rick Dangerous 2 (Amiga)

Rick's second mission: to save earth from alien threats
 +  Fairer levels
 -  Less 'stylish' levels
 =  More mature gameplay, but inferior scenario

Sword of Destiny (Plus/4)

A magic (shooting) sword against ghosts
 +  Life energy model
 -  Just one level
 =  Perfect comparison between the respective ages...


Rings of Medusa

Dune

The chosen one spearheads the rebellion against evil oppressors
 +  Strategically somewhat demanding gameplay
 -  Similar issues of routine work in the end game
 =  Another one of those plot-driven strategy games

Storm Master

Two countries battling to the death with steampunk weaponry
 +  (Fairly) free design of military units
 -  No success without skill in action sequences
 =  Slightly inconsistent, but overall excellent alternative with strikingly similar map graphics

Transarctica

Rebel capitalist against the post-apocalyptic evil union
 +  More fine-grained trade system
 -  Military part is only about self-defense rather than conquest
 =  Everything fits together in this one


Rings of Medusa Gold

Pirates! (Amiga)

Sail the Carribean for loot
 +  All the different elements fit together
 -  Maybe a little too easy
 =  A masterful genre mix

Rings of Medusa II: The Return of Medusa

Battle Medusa's armies in the future
 +  Somewhat original sequel
 -  Gameplay additions are quite obstructive
 =  Although marketed as a sequel, it is little more than another remake

Vengeance of Excalibur

King Arthur's knights in “Spain” (before it actually existed)
 +  Battle system
 -  Rather random overall world
 =  Another sequel which really can't reach the original's quality


Rings of Medusa II: The Return of Medusa

Heroes of Might and Magic

Heroes questing for an unseen overlord (in front of the monitor)
 +  Levelling system of units, resource model
 -  Very focused on attacking rather than building up proper defenses
 =  Not dissimilar later game with a slightly stronger focus on role-playing elements

Spirit of Excalibur

Knights of the round table searching the grail
 +  More player influence on the battles
 -  Less varied gameplay overall
 =  An interesting one

Rings of Medusa Gold

Medusa's first invasion prettified
 +  Less scary genre mixture
 -  Totally unoriginal
 =  Much less brave, but probably nevertheless superior


Ringworld: Revenge of the Patriarch

Space Quest: The Sarien Encounter (PC)

More Space Opera, but attempting to be fun
 +  -
 -  It's a Sierra adventure


Rise of the Dragon

Heart of China (Amiga)

'Lucky' Masters rescues the girl
 +  Humorous
 -  Humorous
 =  Very similar next Adventure by the same company

Mean Streets (Amiga)

Tex Murphy investigates murder
 +  Diverse gameplay
 -  Weak puzzles
 =  Similar setting, similar game


Rise Out from Dungeons

Lode Runner

A famous platformer needing little introduction
 +  Magnified sprites
 -  Less colourful regardless of a platform
 =  Maze, running, shooting!


Risk

WinRisk

Risk in a window
 +  -
 -  Fewer options
 =  Another solid, but unoriginal version


River City Ransom

Renegade

Beat your enemies up in a classical way
 +  -
 -  Another beat-them-up
 =  The first of the saga this game is part of


Road Rash

Chase H.Q. (Amiga)

Police car chasing criminals
 +  -
 -  Graphics don't move as smoothly, no car upgrades
 =  Nice, but not quite as good


Robin & Orchid

Grounded in Space

A teenager is grounded on an asteroid when pirates arrive…
 +  Action packed second half
 -  Suffers from pacing problems
 =  Sympathetic first attempt at writing a game


RoboSport

Global Conquest

A more complex Empire version
 +  Detailed strategical and tactical options
 -  Less suited for casual players
 =  A more conventional turn-based wargame with simultanous execution


Rock'n Roll

Rollin (PC)

Maneuvering a bouncy ball from a level's entry to its exit
 +  -
 -  -
 =  Basically the same game in with different levels


Roll 'm Up

3-D Ultra Pinball: Creep Night (PC)

'Impossible' pinball tables with a horror motif
 +  Very good use of virtual surroundings
 -  Wouldn't be possible as a real pinball machine
 =  Lots of fun

Pinball Fantasies (Amiga)

Four classic pinball machines
 +  More variety
 -  Low screen resolution
 =  Commercial classic


S.T.U.N. Runner

Tube (PC)

Blast your way through three race tracks in space
 +  Faster
 -  Shorter
 =  Really good for a free giveaway


Sam & Max Hit the Road

Day of the Tentacle (PC)

Three geeks trying to save the world from being ruled by tentacles
 +  Feels less linear
 -  As crazy as it sounds: not quite as crazy
 =  About the same level: Strongly recommended for everyone

Full Throttle (PC)

Tough biker trying to save the world from being rules by minivans
 +  -
 -  Simplistic
 =  Somewhat enjoyable short cartoon episode with little interactivity


Santa's Xmas Caper

James Pond 2: Codename Robocod

Fishy secret agent helps Santa to retake his sabotaged toy factory
 +  Great variety of levels, extras, graphics, music and sound
 -  -
 =  Probably the best Christmas themed Jump'n'Run ever


Savage Empire

Ultima VI: The False Prophet (PC)

An invasion of demon-like beings is solved through the virtues.
 +  An original story which play with a topical one.
 -  The attempt of making a graphical improvement to the series was not too good.
 =  A good game that is the basis for Savage Empire.


Scenario: Theatre of War

Caesar

Risk!
 +  Different maps
 -  No other extensions
 =  It makes sense

Colonial Conquest

Fight for world supremacy
 +  Subtle differences between empires, avoidance of avalanche effect
 -  Not quite as casual anymore
 =  Intelligent little extensions to the basic Risk concept make for a fun challenge

Defender of the Crown

Conquering England
 +  Varied action scenes
 -  Very easy
 =  Admittedly mainly attractive through its audiovisual quality, but also (lightweight) fun for some time


Screamer

Destruction Derby

 +  Damage system which is actually kind of fun
 -  Less agile driving style
 =  Somewhat more sinister version of the same concept

Car and Driver

 +  More realism, more cars and tracks
 -  More realism, a tad bit boring
 =  Similar concept, but different kind of challenge


Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe

Aces over Europe

 +  Great variety of flyable fighters
 -  Can't fly bombers
 =  Great option for those wanting to focus on flying fighter aircraft, but less campaign variety.


Sensible Soccer

Kick Off 2

The spiritual prequel
 +  Ball trapping for passing
 -  Otherwise, even less ball control
 =  “Sensi” or this one? The religious war of the football genre in the early 90s.

Microprose Soccer

The actual prequel
 +  -
 -  -
 =  Almost the same game, just with larger sprites and running on the C64


Sentinel Worlds 1: Future Magic

Starflight

 + 
 - 
 =  A game with a similar setting

Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness

 + 
 - 
 =  Clearly some parts of Sentinel Worlds were inspired by Ultima

Megatraveller

 + 
 - 
 =  Another Sci-Fi, which however has a steeper learning curve


Shade

Bliss (Interpreter)

A knight in shining armour fighting evil monster - or is he?
 +  -
 -  Too few hints towards the bigger picture throughout the game
 =  Good idea, but not much more

Little Blue Men (Interpreter)

A boring office reality becoming surreal
 +  Puzzles, more thought-provoking
 -  -
 =  A similar, but more fleshed out idea


Shadow Caster

Castle Master (Amiga)

Princess saving the prince (or the other way round)
 +  -
 -  Less detailed graphics
 =  An older game from a similar genre


Shadow of the Comet

Alone in the Dark (PC)

Detective versus Lovecractian monsters inhabiting a villa
 +  Cinematic cutting technique
 -  Less story
 =  For those who prefer action over brains

Eternam (PC)

Westworldish amusement park gone wrong
 +  Humorous
 -  Few thrills
 =  Mainly depends on what theme you're looking for


Shadowgate

Deja Vu: A Nightmare Comes True (Amiga)

Memory-loss story set in the 40s
 +  Interesting plot
 -  -
 =  This is Icom's true classic, not Shadowgate!

The Guild of Thieves (Amiga)

Prove yourself worthy by robbing everything which isn't nailed down from an island
 +  Better puzzles
 -  -
 =  Both games are for veterans, GoT is way superior

Uninvited (Amiga)

Survive a mansion haunted by ghosts and zombies
 +  Less dying
 -  Maze
 =  If you want to fight an evil sorceror, this is the way to go


Shannara

Death Gate (PC)

Prepare the sundered worlds for invasion by your people
 +  Puzzles, story
 -  -
 =  Legend at their best!

Frederik Pohl's Gateway (PC)

Explore unknown space with an alien spaceship
 +  Puzzles
 -  -
 =  Not a work of art, but solid fun


Sherlock Holmes: Another Bow

Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jewels (PC)

Dr Watson trying to retrieve the stolen Crown Jewels
 +  Verbose writing
 -  Puzzles are a little on the obscure side
 =  Good choice for players who are willing to sacrifice accessability in favour of depth


Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. 1

Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. 2 (PC)

Three more cases
 +  -
 -  -
 =  Kind of a 'stand-alone data disk'

Dracula Unleashed (PC)

Dracula has returned to London
 +  Better production values, more focus
 -  Dieing can make it frustrating
 =  Slightly superior sequel


Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. 2

Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. 3 (PC)

Yet another three cases
 +  -
 -  -
 =  More of the same


Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. 3

Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. 1 (PC)

First part of the series
 +  -
 -  -
 =  Identical, with the exception of the actual cases

Sherlock Holmes: Another Bow (C64)

Holmes against spies
 +  Interwoven cases
 -  Too easy
 =  Very similar gameplay, just stripped off the videos

The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes (PC)

Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper
 +  More interactive, classic gameplay
 -  -
 =  More demanding point & click Adventure


Ship of Whimsy

Eruption

Stuck on an island with a volcano about to break out
 +  Slightly more competent implementation
 -  -
 =  Similarly devoid of interest; even admits at being a programming excercise


Siege

Ambush at Sorinor

Siege's sequel has commandos ambushing convoys
 +  Long-term management of trust of different factions
 -  Mission design often lacking
 =  Ambitious (probably over-ambitious) sequel

Lords of the Realm 2

Medieval global strategy, including strikingly similar sieges
 +  Contains diplomacy and economy as well…
 -  …which, if you just want a battle, can be a disadvantage
 =  A game with many additional facets


Silverload

Alone in the Dark 3 (PC)

Cowboy ghosts wreaking havoc on a movie set
 +  Playable
 -  -
 =  Probably not a huge hit, but quite playable and entertaining enough

Daughter of Serpents (PC)

On the trail of an egypthian artifact and an ancient snake cult
 +  Decent story which can be played from slightly different perspectives
 -  Hardly any interactivity from the player
 =  At least interesting enough to watch without frustration


Sim City

Die Siedler (Amiga)

Order cute little people around to build an empire
 +  Complex economy, great graphics
 -  Less carefree
 =  Even though military victory counts in the end, it's primarily about building up a functioning 'ecosystem' - just like in Sim City

Theme Park (PC)

Build a profitable amusement park
 +  Lots more details
 -  Again, less carefree
 =  Humorous, but economically challenging game


Sim City 2000

Sim City (Amiga)

The original city building simulation including different graphical sets
 +  Different historical periods
 -  Graphics, gameplay options
 =  A slightly simpler version

Theme Park (PC)

Build the ultimate theme park
 +  Challenging business parts in harder modes
 -  Less interesting in sandbox mode
 =  Great alternative


Sim Copter

Rescue on Fractalus!

Rescue ejected pilots from aliens
 +  Groundbreaking use of technology…
 -  …which is not so groundbreaking anymore these days
 =  Samey challenges prevent long-term fun


SimAnt

Sim City (Amiga)

Manage a full city
 +  Original idea
 -  Demands knowing the game mechanics too well
 =  Here is where the Maxis Sim series started

El-Fish

Handle your own virtual aquarium
 +  Easier to take care than a real one
 -  On the long run you would do better buying your own aquarium
 =  Another curious life simulator from Maxis


SimEarth

SimAnt

Become the newest member of an ant colony
 +  Feels more like a game and less like a dry simulation, better humor
 -  A lot simpler, almost oo easy, restrictes to one species
 =  More focused game… for better and for worse


Simon the Sorcerer

Loom (Amiga)

A weaver, a mage of the loom, unravels the mistery of his guild with magical music
 +  Fantasy of the best kind: original and distinct
 -  Something bad? This games has no flaws
 =  If you want a fantasy graphic adventure search no more

The Secret of Monkey Island (Amiga)

Pirates! Treasure! Monkeys!
 +  Trully funny and entertaining
 -  Something bad here? No way
 =  This is what a comedic game is about


Simon the Sorcerer II: The Lion, the Wizard and the Wardrobe

Discworld (PC)

Wizard Rincewind saving his city from a dragon - in spite of himself
 +  A little funnier
 -  -
 =  Basically a question of taste

Monkey Island 2: Le Chuck's Revenge (Amiga)

Legendary pirate Guybrush Threepwood searching for the legendary treasure Big Whoop
 +  Puzzles, funnier, graphics
 -  -
 =  Unattainable classic

Simon the Sorcerer (PC)

Young Simon has to become a wizard to save the world
 +  -
 -  A little shorter
 =  The first part is pretty much on the same level


Sixth Sense Investigations

Beneath A Steel Sky (Amiga)

Why does central computer LINC want Robert Foster?
 +  Very good non-cartoon graphics
 -  'Cyberspace' parts
 =  Get 6th Sense for a hilarious freak show and BASS for something more intriguing

Monkey Island 2: Le Chuck's Revenge (Amiga)

Good old 'Brush working it out with his arch-nemesis
 +  Humor always spot-on, imaginative puzzles
 -  -
 =  Amazingly perfect classic!

Victor Loomes (Amiga)

Another not-so-serious detective at work
 +  Free
 -  Advertisement
 =  Not bad for a promotial game, but of course not up to the commercial competition


Skate or Die

California Games

Six 'californian' sport events
 +  More varied
 -  -
 =  Excellent game released around the same time


Ski or Die

Skate or Die (C64)

Five skating events
 +  Better music
 -  Less variation
 =  Fun


Ski or Die

Winter Games

A series of olympic winter disciplines
 +  More disciplines, more complex, choose your country
 -  A little bit dull, button mashing, partly difficult
 =  More serious approach with an olympic touch to it


Skool Daze

Livingstone supongo (PC)

Adventurer searching Dr Livingstone all over Africa
 +  More screens to explore
 -  More 'conservative' gameplay
 =  Nice platformer with a few lightweight puzzles

Saboteur (ZX Spectrum)

Deadly ninja on a mission to sabotage a plant
 +  Large, well-animated sprites
 -  Slightly confusing maze
 =  Another Spectrum classic


Skool Daze: Klass of '99

Back to Skool (ZX Spectrum)

Eric's second outing
 +  Includes a neighbouring girls school
 -  Graphics
 =  Interestingly enough, this remake is closer to the sequel of the original than the original itself


Sky Kid

Raptor

Arcade based airplane action
 +  Much deeper gameplay, adding powerups
 -  It can be too easy for a game of its kind
 =  A different pace, but still an arcade shooter


Snake Rattle 'n Roll

Nebulus (PC)

Climb a tubular tower
 +  Platforms
 -  A bit repetitive
 =  Another never done again game


Snowquest

Dream Zone

Live through a series of nightmares and hope you wake up again
 +  Fascinating dream sequences
 -  Very unforgiving
 =  Light and dark, a quirky classic


Software Manager

Der Produzent - Die Welt des Films

The player takes over a film studio
 +  A little more complex
 -  -
 =  Not dissimilar, but seems a little more 'complete'

Mag!!!

The player takes over a publisher of computer game magazines
 +  More complex
 -  -
 =  The complementary game of Software Manager


Solar Jetman

Super Metroid (SNES)

Explore an alien planet on your powersuit
 +  Exploration
 -  Learning to use things like walljumping can be hard
 =  What are you waiting to play it?


Solitaire's Journey

Canasta

Another card game
 +  -
 -  -
 =  It's another game, with decent AI

TriPeaks

One Solitaire variant
 +  -
 -  Only one variant
 =  Why would you choose that one?


Solo Flight

A320 Airbus

Make a career as a pilot for Lufthansa flying A320 machines
 +  Graphically more advanced, slowly advancing difficulty level
 -  Requires studying thick manuals
 =  Similar niche product released approximately ten years later


Solomon's Key

Lode Runner

Take treasures and create holes
 +  Simple and straightforward fun
 -  Simplistic mechanics
 =  Another similar classic


Solomon's Key 2

Moai Kun (NES)

Break boulders with your head
 +  Original and fun
 -  -
 =  Better puzzle game


Solstice

Super Metroid (SNES)

Explore an alien world
 +  Lots of exploring and adventure
 -  -
 =  On a similar vein to Solstice


Soul Crystal

Das Stundenglas

The protagonist enters a cliché Fantasy world through a magical chest
 +  Size
 -  Not every location gets its own picture
 =  Includes boon & bane of a text parser, but a bit more fun on the whole


Space Crusade

Hero Quest 2: Legacy of Sorasil

A party of adventurers fighting monsters and looting treasure
 +  -
 -  Unfair
 =  Very imbalanced attempt to make Hero Quest a bit more complex


Space Hulk

HeroQuest (Amiga)

Up to four heroes on quests for treasure and fame
 +  Limited Character development (through items)
 -  Missions not replayable
 =  Extremely faithful conversion of the board game

Incubation (PC)

A squad of elite soldiers killing mutated aliens in tactical combat
 +  Everything but graphics
 -  Graphics
 =  This is the game of choice if you want to lead space soldiers against monsters


Space Job

Alter Ego

Almost ancient piece of software which tries to depict life from birth to death
 +  Much more variety, real choices, much more complex, almost no bugs at all
 -  Text only
 =  Far superior life simulator, which deserves the title

Sokoban

Were Space Job took a major inspiration; help the warehouse keeper clean up the depots
 +  Level editor, more levels, greater challenge
 -  Dated graphics
 =  Still holds up today as the standard

SimAnt

Different approach: instead of simulating human life, you get your chance as an ant
 +  Much more things to do, more stable, less tedious, conquer the house!
 -  Still tedious enough on the long run, a bit on the easy side
 =  Classic Maxis Sim-game


Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers

Beneath a Steel Sky

Another adventure set in dystopian world
 +  -
 -  Inferior humor
 =  Point'n'click, puzzles


Space Quest: The Sarien Encounter

Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

Escape your house before the bulldozer breaks through your wall! And that's just where your problems start…
 +  Blackest British humor at it's best, very effient parser, less frustrating deaths, offers hints
 -  Based on all too well known story, text only, ends with promise of a sequel… which never came
 =  The reference in sci-fi satire


Space Taxi

Ugh!

16-bit remake, set in prehistoric times.
 +  Beautiful graphics and sound.
 -  Nothing really.
 =  It's Space Taxi for the '90s… and beyond!


Space-Pilot

Transplant

A spaceship shoots its way through countless levels
 +  Diversity, ship upgrades
 -  -
 =  More of the same, but much more


Spacewar

Mine Storm (Vectrex)

An Ufo drops dangerously evil mines
 +  -
 -  -
 =  Definitely inspired by Spacewars

Space Commanders 2 (PC)

Space Invaders clone
 +  -
 -  -
 =  A whole subgenre derived from Spacewars

Transplant (Amiga)

Asteroids clone
 +  More varied
 -  -
 =  Yet another subgenre


Spellcasting 101: Sorcerers Get All the Girls

Bureaucracy (PC)

The daily madness...
 +  Even higher joke ratio
 -  Gets weaker over time
 =  The same handwriting shines through

Eric the Unready (PC)

Knight saves the princess
 +  -
 -  Less imaginative puzzles
 =  More from Legend


Spellcasting 201: The Sorcerer's Appliance

Frederik Pohl's Gateway (PC)

Galactic explorer on the trail of the Heechee legacy
 +  -
 -  -
 =  A game which has its ups and downs

Spellcasting 101: Sorcerers Get All the Girls (PC)

Ernie escapes his evil stepfather to become a sorcerer
 +  Imaginative puzzles
 -  Not much campus action
 =  Although weaker in the storytelling department, this is the superior game


Spellcasting 301: Spring Break

Eric the Unready (PC)

Knight Eric saves the princess - in spite of himself
 +  More varied humour
 -  Gameplay / puzzles less embedded into storyline
 =  Genre-wise, this is more similar to the first Spellcasting game

Spellcasting 201: The Sorcerer's Appliance (PC)

Ernie tries to get accepted by a fraternity
 +  Simulates the daily schedule of a student (including studying) quite successfully
 -  Puzzles are a little less imaginative
 =  An 'intermediate' game right between treasure hunt and story-motivated puzzles


SpellCraft: Aspects of Valor

Pool of Radiance

Explore an old city and clear it of evil
 +  Strategic RPG
 -  The later half of the game has some not well-thought ideas
 =  Better attempt at creating a new kind of RPG

Blood & Magic

D&D on a RTS
 +  The base design is based on good ideas
 -  As it happens with most RTS, it ends being boring, mostly due the AI
 =  Still, another better attempt at creating a game revolving around mages


Spider and Web

Border Zone (PC)

Spies on a train
 +  The story is played from three different perspectives
 -  Each part is more straightforward
 =  Probably the most famous game in the espionage genre


Spidertronic

Locomotion (Amiga)

Overlook the safety of railway traffic
 +  Always fair
 -  -
 =  Not too similar, actually, just the closest we have to offer


Spiral

The Life (and Deaths) of Doctor M

Euthanasia: pros and cons
 +  -
 -  Does not even have the good gameplay
 =  Horribly preachy moral piece


Spirit of Excalibur

Conquests of the Longbow (PC)

The tale of Robinhood
 +  Many ways to solve puzzles
 -  You can get into dead-ends, even when supposedly there is always a way to keep playing
 =  Another medieval popular character


Spore

Feasibility Experiment

Collect treasures from a surreal realm
 +  More complex puzzles
 -  'Just' an adventure
 =  Very nice treasure hunt

PopCorn

Breakout
 +  Unique brick layouts
 -  'Just' Breakout
 =  Very nice ball & paddle game


Star General

Master of Orion (PC)

Space-travelling races struggling for supremacy over the galaxy
 +  Diplomacy, research, race differences
 -  Automatically calculated ground battles
 =  Probably the best 'global' space strategy game

Panzer General (PC)

Historical and non-historical battles of the second world war
 +  Missions, maps, experience
 -  Hardly any global decisions
 =  One of the best games on the tactical games


Star Trek: 25th Anniversary

Frederik Pohl's Gateway

Episodic exploration of unknown planets
 +  Imaginative puzzles
 -  Virtually no plot until the very end
 =  An excellent Adventure made for fans of the classic genre

I Have No Mouth, And I Must Scream

Five characters are sent into their own (simulated) private hell by a conscious (and evil) computer
 +  Psychological plot
 -  Definitely not funny
 =  The gritty side of classic science fiction


StarControl

Master of Orion (PC)

Conquest the galaxy
 +  An elaborated game
 -  Can take time to learn
 =  Much more strategical than this one


StarControl II: The Ur-Quan Masters

StarControl (PC)

Space strategy with realtime dogfights
 +  A great combat system
 -  Simplistic in the strategy part
 =  Great, but lacks comparing to the second


Startropics

The Legend of Zelda (NES)

The source of it all
 +  A small attempt at mixing adventure and action
 -  Ends being too much action and too many dungeons
 =  Still a game that would create a big following

Gargoyle's Quest 2 (NES)

A small adventure-platformer game
 +  Simple, fun and original
 -  Too similar to the first game
 =  Overall achieves being a good platformer at least


Steigenberger Hotelmanager

Winzer

German viticulture
 +  Unintended humour
 -  More options, but most of them are never needed
 =  Maybe even simpler


Storm Master

Champion of the Raj

Native and foreign powers attempt to take control over the whole of India
 +  A wider range of action scenes
 -  Limited strategic options
 =  A lightweight, more historical genre entry

Midwinter

A lone member of the police force assembles and organises a task force to repel an invasion
 +  Greater strategic freedom, wider range of vehicles
 -  Less strategic depth
 =  Midwinter puts more weight on the 3D action and roleplaying aspects, but achieves what it tries to do perfectly


Street Fighter II: The World Warrior

International Karate + (Amiga)

Three Karateka fighting for the black belt
 +  Three fighters at once, ingenious controls
 -  No 'characters'
 =  Probably the best fighting game ever

Mortal Kombat (PC)

A bunch of fighters trying to save the world by beating each other up
 +  -
 -  Extensively silly gore
 =  Pretty much the same (but faster)


Street Rod

Hot Wheels (C64)

Build your car, drive around town
 +  No problems with money
 -  Less challenging
 =  Very similar


Strife

Descent (PC)

Futuristic first person shooter, this time controlling a spaceship
 +  Trully 3D game
 -  A bit repetitive
 =  Another different FPS


Sunday Afternoon

Cold Iron

A farmer looking for his axe in an enchanted forest
 +  Written in a slightly more moody way
 -  No puzzles to speak of
 =  Typical IF Competition fare

Ted Paladin and the Case of the Abandoned House

Investigator Ted Paladin trapped in a surreal abandoned house
 +  Transcends the boundaries of the simulated physical dimension and world of language/game mechanics
 -  -
 =  Also a short one with few locations, but its originality makes it a winner


Sunny Shine - On the Funny Side of Life

Kampf um Trubelland (PC)

Teenage boy saves nuclear power to save humanity
 +  -
 -  -
 =  Similarly crappy promotial Adventure


Super Cars

Super Offroad (SNES)

Trucks racing on dirt tracks
 +  More obstacles on courses
 -  Very small cars
 =  Extremely faithful to the original concept


Super Castlevania IV

Demon's Crest (SNES)

An action-adventure spinoff from Ghosts & Goblins
 +  Exploration and secrets
 -  Still, it's another action game
 =  Much better results than this Castlevania

Super Metroid (SNES)

The source of modern action-adventure games
 +  A lot of freedom to move around the levels
 -  -
 =  One of the best SNES action games, and the game modern Castlevania games copy


Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

Super Mario Land

The plot in a nutshell: Thank you Mario. Oh! Daisy
 +  Harder, faster, slightly better overview
 -  Primitive graphics, too short, does not save your progress
 =  The humble yet great beginings of Mario's career on the GameBoy

Sonic the Hedgehog

You gotta run, run, run
 +  Incredibly fast but suprisingly managable gameplay
 -  Depending on your ambition this one is either far too easy or far too hard
 =  Equally great flagship game from a competing software company


Super Sprint

Super Cars (Amiga)

Virtually identical gameplay
 +  'Zoomed' perspective
 -  -
 =  Bigger cars, more noticable car upgrades and not being forced to win each race make this one better

Super Offroad (SNES)

Virtually identical gameplay
 +  -
 -  Can get even more fiddly
 =  If one like one, you'll like both


Survival Kids

Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss (PC)

You are trapped in a decaying undeground dungeon-city
 +  Exploration and freedom. And scavenging
 -  Some levels could have received more care and detail
 =  Survive on a dungeon


Suspect

Witness (PC)

Solve a murder you've witnessed yourself
 +  Interesting solution
 -  Limited number of characters
 =  Easy way into the genre


Sweet Home

Alone In The Dark (PC)

You are trapped in the Derceto mansion, with lots of monsters
 +  A full mansion to explore
 -  Those polygons, all those polygons
 =  Even if older. Maybe this one was the real big influence on those famous series?


Syndicate Wars

Syndicate (PC)

Battle with other syndicates for world domination
 +  Better overview of the scene
 -  Environment isn't destructable, weak plot
 =  Predecessor to Syndicate Wars which has a similarly high quality

Crusader: No Remorse (PC)

Steer an single fighter through isometric levels
 +  Even more destruction, more overview than Syndicate Wars because you just handle one person
 -  Simply clear one level after another, no big choices in weapons and equipment
 =  A feast for everyone who likes simple shooters


System Shock

Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss

Made with the same engine, one of the greatest RPGs
 +  Great survival/exploration RPG
 -  Sometimes there are notable quality changes on the level designs
 =  Still, one of the first true 3D RPGs

Strife

Another mix of adventure and shooter
 +  Really fun and original
 -  Sadly, the later part of the game is too long and bland
 =  This is amongst the first shooters to be actually good


Taco Fiction

Resonance

Rescuing your wife from an evil genious
 +  Funny
 -  Implementation shallow at times
 =  Similar genre piece


Taipan for Windows

Ports of Call (PC)

Trade goods via ships.
 +  Better graphics, different ship types, whole world to play on.
 -  Not as simplistic, stupid action sequences.
 =  Both good games, Taipan is more for the casual player, Ports of Call adds more elements.


Tapper

Falcon Beertender (PC)

Serving a particular brand of beer
 +  Graphics
 -  Ridiculous system requirements
 =  Decent promotial remake


Taz-Mania

Premiere

Something is afoot in a film studio
 +  Playable
 -  -
 =  Not a special, but solid platformer

B.C. Kid

Prehistoric baby against dinosaurs
 +  Fair
 -  -
 =  Another food-related Jump'n'Run


Ted Paladin and the Case of the Abandoned House

Bugged

Betatesting for your cousin's buggy game
 +  -
 -  Puzzles get samey after a while
 =  Similarly meta-themed, humorous game by the same author

The Barber of Sadville

The new (female) head it the IT department tries to get through her day
 +  -
 -  Very vague
 =  Contains a series of similar puzzles concerned with naming vaguely described items, but execution is vastly inferior


Tenth Plague

The Hound of Shadow

A murderous mythological entity has been set lose
 +  Verbose and moody
 -  Hard
 =  Casts you in the role of the good guy


Terraria

Abobo's Big Adventure

Different kind of approach: Instead of expanding the gameplay this one expands the story
 +  A plethora of very different levels, retro in a good way, loving but slick parody
 -  No building or crafting, a lot more linear, somewhat difficult in the later stages
 =  A very versatile fan homage to the NES

Super Mario Land

An unfaithful Mario sets out to save a princess from another castle
 +  Theoretically it’s a handheld title, so you could carry it around with you; pure nostalgia
 -  Only four items, four worlds and one direction to go
 =  The very basic beginnings of the genre, still very fun to play


Tetris

Beyond Columns

Contemporary falling block game
 +  No waiting for that one special block, nice cascading effects
 -  Just one kind of piece which can only be placed vertically
 =  The nowadays almost unknown rival to the Russian classic


Tetris

Bricks 2000 (PC)

Basic Tetrisclone for Windows
 +  more comfort, works with Windows
 -  you need Windows, only basic graphics
 =  If you use Windows anyway and want a solid Tetris version Bricks 2000 is your choice - for classic touch choose Tetris.


Tex Bonaventure and the Temple of the Water of Life

Death of Schlig

Private detective kidnapped by aliens
 +  Completely crazy
 -  Completely crazy
 =  Over-the-top old-school adventure

Indiana Jones and his Desktop Adventures

The original adventurer in randomised adventures
 +  Casual
 -  Puzzles are usually either obvious or stupid fetch quests
 =  Nice diversion, but not really great


The 7th Guest

Castle of Dr Brain (PC)

The SCI engine applied to puzzle solving
 +  Fun
 -  As usual, puzzles can end being repetitive
 =  Better puzzle based game

Los Justicieros (PC)

You dispense justice in the wild west
 +  Fast arcade gameplay
 -  The FMV working way can get into the gameplay
 =  Another hit of the FMV age

Entombed (PC)

You are trapped inside a really weird ancient tomb
 +  Great mood
 -  Some puzzles are tedious or simply absurd guesswork
 =  More Myst-like, this shows another variation of this kind of games


The Activision Decathlon

International Championship Athletics

Joystick waggling athletics at the Olympic Games
 +  Tries to do something different in a couple of disciplines…
 -  …but fails
 =  Solid genre entry, but really – who needed this one?

The Carls Lewis Challenge

After training them personally, the player controls athletes in the common challenges
 +  Offers alternative control schemes…
 -  …all of which make the game really boring
 =  Ten years behind its time


The Addams Family

Gargoyle's Quest (Game Boy)

Firebrand maintains order in Ghoul kingdom
 +  Roleplaying elements, larger
 -  Weak translation
 =  A slightly superior game, but not as humourous


The Barber of Sadville

The Quest for the Holy Grail (ZX Spectrum)

King Arthur's knights searching the the Grail... I guess
 +  -
 -  Lots and lots of empty space
 =  Probably similarly well-meant


The Bard's Tale II: Destiny Knight

Tales of the Unknown: The Bard's Tale

Almost completely identical.
 +  Can transfer characters from the first game
 - 
 =  If you like one, you'll like the other.

The Bard's Tale III: Thief of Fate

Again very much the same.
 +  The PC version now has better music (AdLib.)


The Bard's Tale III: Thief of Fate

Tales of the Unknown: The Bard's Tale

 + 
 - 
 =  The game that started it all

The Bard's Tale II: Destiny Knight

The second chapter
 + 
 - 
 =  All 3 almost completely the same


The Blackwell Legacy

Sixth Sense Investigations

Detective guided by a ghost solves mysteries
 +  Funny
 -  Paper-thin characters
 =  A virtually identical plot done in a humorous way


The Carls Lewis Challenge

International Athletics

Olympic Games as seen in Spain
 +  More disciplines
 -  Butt-ugly
 =  Unexciting, quickly produced cash-in of the Barcelona Olympic Games


The Case of the Cautious Condor

Deja Vu 2: Lost in Las Vegas (Amiga)

Private detective is in trouble with the mafia
 +  Very good user interface
 -  Characterizations brief
 =  Classic Adventure with inventory and fitting puzzles

In the Dead of Night (Amiga)

Steal a jewel and avoid being accused of the murder of the true owner
 +  Interesting premise
 -  Too short
 =  Easier game, good for newbies to the genre

Murder (Amiga)

Sleuth solves random cases in upper-class mansion
 +  Endless amount of different games
 -  Uninteresting / non-existent plots
 =  CotCC with a built-in randomizer


The Case of the Cautious Condor

The Last Express (PC)

Murder on the Orient Express
 +  Longer, more complex
 -  -
 =  Worthy 'successor'


The Child Murderer

Psycho Killer (Amiga)

The playes chases (or is chased by) a psycho killer
 +  -
 -  -
 =  Similarly pointless and execution is even a little worse

Suspect (PC)

Murder at a costume party - and the player has to prove his innocence
 +  Puzzles, 'real' world
 -  -
 =  Infocom showed how this is done properly already ten years earlier


The Citadel of Chaos

Forest of Doom

Return the lost warhammer to the dwarves
 +  -
 -  Inferior book
 =  Another one of these by-the-letter ports

Seas of Blood

Ransack and pillage to your heart's content
 +  Fairly open world
 -  Not quite the same as the book
 =  A good game book conversion taking the capabilities of the computer into account


The Detective Game

Cruise for a Corpse (Amiga)

Another millionaire has been murdered, this time on board of a yacht
 +  Technologically advanced, longer
 -  Tedious questioning
 =  A 'modern' version of pretty much the same

Murder (Amiga)

Randomized murders in randomized mansions
 +  Replayability
 -  Controls
 =  Less plot, but longer fun


The Dig

Frederik Pohl's Gateway (PC)

Alien spaceships take explorers to seemingly random locations due to their undecypherable controls
 +  Decent (if still thin) story, puzzles
 -  -
 =  No Spielberg, no ILM, just a the old space exploring tale done right


The Duel in the Snow

Nevermore (Interpreter)

Once upon a midnight dreary...
 +  Puzzles
 -  Puzzles
 =  Similar mood, but combined with classic puzzles - it really depends what you prefer personally


The Elfen Maiden: A Comedy of Error Messages

A Mind Forever Voyaging

Supercomputer PRISM runs simulations in order to predict the future of the earth
 +  Longer
 -  -
 =  A much deeper, serious game


The Entropy Cage

Bad Machine

A machine tries to break free from a different kind of cage
 +  Even more pseudo-code, very unique atmosphere
 -  Unintelligible if you have not got at least a minimum knowledge about programming
 =  How Entropy Cage would look like with a parser


The Feeble Files

3 Skulls of the Toltecs

Searching for an Indian treasure
 +  Graphics
 -  Humour
 =  Another comedy Adventure

Beavis and Butt-Head in Virtual Stupidity

Two slackers trying to get into their idol's gang
 +  Graphics
 -  Extremely short
 =  The polar opposite of Feeble difficulty-wise


The Fourth Protocol

Border Zone (PC)

Agents and bystanders on a train
 +  Different perspectives on the story
 -  Less flexible gameplay
 =  A similar theme done in classic Adventure style

Yes Prime Minister (C64)

Jim Hacker trying to stay in office for a whole week
 +  Funny
 -  Less complex
 =  Light-hearted with similar gameplay


The Guild of Thieves

The Pawn (Amiga)

Direct predecessor by Magnetic Scrolls about an ordinary clueless guy being transported into a cliché fantasy kingdom
 +  'More' story
 -  Less interesting story
 =  Gameplay is pretty much on par, a question of personal preference


The Hollywood Murders

Borrowed Time (Amiga)

Detective Sam Harlow running from the mob
 +  More complex
 -  Little time to take a breath at the beginning
 =  Fast-paced investigation

Mean Streets (Amiga)

Detective Tex Murphy investigates the apparante suicide of Professor Carl Linsky
 +  Longer
 -  Annoying action scenes
 =  An interesting case


The Horde

Syndicate (PC)

Action and strategy with brainwashed cyborgs and evil corporations
 +  It is fast and with plenty of action
 -  A hard game
 =  This one is more serious and dark, but if you want a game with more action try it


The Hound of Shadow

Dark Seed (Amiga)

The first night in your new house, and the aliens already implant something into your head...
 +  Moody graphics
 -  Some unclear writing
 =  Something more graphical isn't necessarily better...

Uninvited (Amiga)

Player pays a visit to monsters inhabitating an old mansion
 +  'Multitasking' interface
 -  Less plot background
 =  Not as capturing as HoS, but also worth playing


The Hours

Callahan's Crosstime Saloon

Time and dimension travelling bar patron saves humanity
 +  Gameplay
 -  Disjointed stories
 =  Professionally produced classic science fiction


The House at the End of Rosewood Street

Keepsake

This neighbourhood does not behave like a normal one!
 +  Interesting game mechanic
 -  Turns out to be a rather standard plot
 =  The polar opposite of this game: Interesting gameplay, briefly presented, but nothing but that


The Immortal

Mystic Towers (PC)

You must clear of monsters the towers of your family
 +  Lots of isometric fun
 -  -
 =  Try it if you want more action than adventure


The Island

Ship of Whimsy

The preparations for a ship to sail off (supposedly) turn gloomy
 +  -
 -  Game-breaking bugs, non-existent gameplay
 =  Extremely short game which attempts something not dissimilar, but fails spectacularly


The Island of Dr Brain

Gobliiins (Amiga)

A different kind of adventure and puzzle game
 +  Weird and funny world
 -  There are some tedious parts
 =  Looking for another kind of puzzle game? Try this one


The King of Chicago

It Came From The Desert (Amiga)

Save Lizard Breath (and the world) from giant mutated ants
 +  Thought-out planning, fun arcade scenes
 -  -
 =  Definitely the way better choice if you want to see what 'Cinemaware-style' is

Lords of the Rising Sun (Amiga)

Conquer medieval Japan and save the princess
 +  Strategic planning
 -  -
 =  Another superior mix from the same company


The Legacy

The Hound of Shadow (Amiga)

Call of Cthulhu in an IF
 +  IF + RPG
 -  I'm not sure it really matters what character you make
 =  Another great lovercraftian game

Dungeon Hack (PC)

Get into a dungeon to hack away everything
 +  Replayability
 -  Simplicity. I mean, it's just killing anything that moves
 =  For playing a quick dungeon crawler


The Legend of Ragnarok

Colossus Chess X (Amiga)

Chess
 +  Clearer perspective
 -  Less variety
 =  Exactly what you'd expect


The Legend of Zelda

Survival Kids (Game Boy)

A fun survival simulator, a rare mix of adventure and RPG
 +  Quite open and original
 -  Can get monotonous if you are not into this genre
 =  Another great yet barely used subgenre

Solstice (NES)

An isometric adventure, an unusual sight on the NES
 +  Fun and full of places to explore
 -  Hard, and looks a bit out of place on this console
 =  A great game, and another one showing that there can consoles can have the most unexpected things


The Lost Tribe

Spirit of Excalibur (PC)

Fight for the death or survival of king Arthur's kingdom.
 +  RPG mixed with strategy
 -  Taking care of all parties can get frustrating
 =  One of the best


The Lurking Horror

Moonmist (PC)

Ghost (or human?) haunting classy mansion
 +  Four different pathes
 -  Each path is short
 =  Lacking complexity, but very good athmosphere, too

The Hound of Shadow (Amiga)

A seance triggers a curse...
 +  Excellent sepia-toned illustrations
 -  Easier puzzles
 =  More story-driven counterpart with a similar theme


The Oregon Trail

The Lost Tribe (PC)

A tribe of inept tribemen go in search of a new home
 +  Fun and educative
 -  -
 =  A real educative game


The Pawn

Shadowgate (Amiga)

Local hero defeats local menace
 +  Easier controls for beginners
 -  Frustrating and uninteresting
 =  Not even such a good choice for fantasy fans

The Guild of Thieves (Amiga)

Magnetic Scroll's next game about an aspirant to the famous Guild
 +  Better story idea
 -  Story less fleshed out
 =  GoT has got the edge, but only a very slim one


The Perfect General

Battle Isle (Amiga)

Two robot armies clash
 +  More accessable
 -  Less complex
 =  Play BI first, and then switch to PG if you liked it


The Prophecy

Loom (Amiga)

A weaver (who is a mage, not a weaver) searchs for his people
 +  Musical magic, originality
 -  -
 =  One of the best mage-themed games


The Quest for the Holy Grail

Lancelot (Amiga)

Brave knight becomes a Knight of the Round Table and searches for the Holy Grail
 +  Almost total freedom
 -  -
 =  Serious and play-worthy take on the Arthurian legend

Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail (PC)

King Arthur's knights on a mission from God
 +  Funny
 -  -
 =  Second attempt to make the movie into a computer game - and a way more successful one


The Secret of Monkey Island

Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (Amiga)

Indy searches the lost continent
 +  Alternative pathes
 -  Less humor
 =  Two classics everybody should have played

Monkey Island 2: Le Chuck's Revenge (Amiga)

Guybrush is back… and so is Le Chuck
 +  Better graphics
 -  Less new ideas
 =  “Monkey Island” is famous for two reasons: these two games


The Shadow of the Third Moon

Comanche (PC)

Helicopter strikes against enemy bases
 +  Varied missions (night, snow)
 -  -
 =  Play this when you've finished TSOTTM


The Test is Now READY

Tenth Plague

Will you carry out your mission to murder innocent children?
 +  Writing communicates the cruelty effectively
 -  -
 =  Only one moral dilemma, but played out over several scenes for stronger impact


The Town With No Name

Los Justicieros (PC)

The Zorton Brothers (a group of gangsters) are coming into town...
 +  Longer, inventory / object management
 -  -
 =  Very good choice if you speak Spanish

Psycho Killer (Amiga)

You're chasing a killer - or is he chasing you?
 +  -
 -  Washed out imagery, stupid gameplay
 =  Although the gameplay is actually fairly similar when reduced to its basics, it simply doesn't work at all in this game


The Train Game

Locomotion (Amiga)

More trains waiting for their routes to be cleared
 +  Mouse controls
 -  Easier
 =  A 'modern' version of the same idea


The Warlock of Firetop Mountain

Herby

Smiley face with legs traversing a maze
 +  Little traps
 -  Static screen/room layout
 =  Similar maze game having similar issues of longevity

The Citadel of Chaos

Defeat the evil wizard in his tower
 +  All the original text
 -  Very slow gameplay
 =  A game book port for purists

Rebel Planet

Underground rebel strikes at the evil galactic empire
 +  Tricky, imaginative puzzles
 -  Linear
 =  Another freeform game book adaption in another typical computer game style of the day


The Way of the Tiger

The Way of the Exploding Fist

A widely known and esteemed 1x1 martial arts game
 +  Greater number of moves
 -  Single cloned opponent, fixed ground
 =  Graphics, smooth animation

International Karate +

Another successful product that has found its place among many various platforms
 +  Group fight
 -  Cloned opponents, fixed ground
 =  Graphics, smooth animation

Yie Ar Kung-Fu

Yet another celebrated fighting game that needs no introduction
 +  Greater number of opponents
 -  Poor graphics, jerky animation, fixed ground
 =  Martial Arts theme


The Wicker Woman

Der Stein der Weisen

Searching for a kidnapped scientist
 +  Larger
 -  Less compact
 =  Roughly similar quality

John Saul's Blackstone Chronicles

Searching for your kidnapped wife
 +  Lots of plot exposition
 -  Can get long-winded
 =  Professional game based on literature


Theme Hospital

Biing!

 +  More lewd
 -  Only for adolescents
 =  Timeless introduction into the world of economic simulations suited for kids


They Stole A Million

Der Clou! (Amiga)

Trying to get rich - the illegal way
 +  More detailed planning
 -  The story gets in the way
 =  Pretty much a remake


Time Zone

Fifteen Minutes

Not quite saving the world, but at least your exam result through time travel
 +  Clever use of actual time travel logic and mechanics in the same location
 -  -
 =  Size isn't everything; this one is short, but sweet

Timequest

Time cop fixes maliciously conducted corruptions of the time stream
 +  Complex logic based on fourth-dimensional travel
 -  -
 =  The game Time Zone should have been


Timequest

Frederik Pohl's Gateway (PC)

Explore alien worlds and discover the secret of a disappeared race
 +  -
 -  Inconsistent quality in the episodes
 =  Good game, but not as polished


Tony & Friends In Kellogg's Land

B.C. Kid (Amiga)

Prehistoric baby saving its friends
 +  Longer
 -  -
 =  Shares a similar quality: the fairness

Cool Spot (PC)

7-Up sending out its mascot to make you drink their sugared water
 +  Well animated
 -  Only one character
 =  A promotial game you were supposed to pay for...


Touché - The Adventures of the 5th Musketeer

Sixth Sense Investigations (Amiga)

A destroyed toy factory! Kidnapping! Parallel dimensions!
 +  -
 -  -
 =  Two Lucasfilm / Arts - inspired games of similar quality

The Secret of Monkey Island (Amiga)

Pirates! Ghosts! A three-headed monkey!
 +  Puzzles, dialogue
 -  -
 =  The classic


Trail Blazer

Skyroads (PC)

Spaceship driving and jumping over surprisingly similar tracks
 +  Easier
 -  -
 =  Levels designed with more eye for detail, but essentially exactly the same


Trailblazer

Skyroads (PC)

Futuristic racing on roads in space
 +  Varied courses
 -  No competitive driving
 =  Very nice and challenging


Transarctica

Midwinter

Policeman organises the resistance against the military invasion of an island covered in ice
 +  Varied gameplay and adventure/roleplaying aspects
 -  Looooong journeys through bleak landscapes
 =  Similar scenario with a little more well-rounded adaption

Rings of Medusa

An evil demon sorceress' monster hordes have conquered most of the land
 +  Selectable ways of performing battles
 -  May take even longer
 =  Similarly designed fantasy version

StarControl II: The Ur-Quan Masters

The New Alliance of Free Stars rebels against the Ur-Quan
 +  Interaction with quirky alien races, rock/paper/scissors battles
 -  Vast, confusing world
 =  Another one on a similar scale


Transparent

Ted Paladin and the Case of the Abandoned House

Private investigator unravels the mysteries of a haunted house
 +  Ingenious puzzles
 -  A short and linear series of challenges
 =  For those who prefer to get right at the meat


Trinity

A New Beginning

Narrowly escaping the destruction of the world, time travellers try to prevent this apocalypse from occuring
 +  Gorgeous graphics
 -  Ultimately more character- than thematically-driven
 =  Nice modern-day indie adventure game

Sentencing Mr Liddell

Bitter man is thrown into a highly symbolic surreal world
 +  -
 -  Primitive, overwrought symbolism
 =  Typical shallow modern-day drivel


TriPeaks

Aisleriot

Contains over 80 other solitaire games

PySolFC

Contains over 1000 other solitaire games


TripleA

Caesar

Basic Risk on two different maps
 +  Simple rules enable non-expert players
 -  Simple rules make it quite limiting on the long run
 =  You know what you'll get

Colonial Conquest

Slightly extended Risk variant
 +  Basic diplomatic options
 -  Not all options are intuitive
 =  Good attempt to make it slightly more interesting while keeping it simple enough

Dogs of War

Shareware Axis & Allies clone
 +  Exact port
 -  Only one scenario, fairly weak AI
 =  Very good as far as ports go, but conceptually limited


Troddlers

Lemmings (Amiga)

Make sure your horde of suicidal mammals reach the level's end
 +  Fun and original
 -  Hard
 =  This is where troddlers got the idea, try it


Tube

S.T.U.N. Runner (Atari ST)

Earthbound, but similar racing
 +  More courses
 -  A little slow
 =  Not an excellent, but an ok conversion of the arcade classic


UFO: Enemy Unknown

Cannon Fodder (Amiga)

Move your squad through the battlefield and kill all you can
 +  Fast and fun
 -  Too much action, sometimes it feel repetitive
 =  Real time and much more action, but good anyway

Dominus

Fantasy kingdom is simultanously invaded from all sides
 +  Interesting concept of improving soldiers
 -  Tactical battles leave something to be desired
 =  A surprisingly similar, but less detailed game


Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar

Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness (C64)

The first game of the series
 +  One of the first RPGs
 -  Its just a hack and slash
 =  Nice to see how the thing evolved

Dragon Quest

Fight the evil on the forerunner of console RPGs
 +  Takes Wizardry and Ultima IV into console
 -  Still too primitive
 =  The basis of japanese RPGs, which takes heavily from this game


Ultima Underworld 2: Labyrinth of Worlds

Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss (PC)

The Avatar is incarcelated in the Stygian Abyss
 +  Depth of game, exploration
 -  3D engine was not very good in that time
 =  The second part builds on this, keeping all its good points.


Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss

Dungeon Master (PC)

Kill all that moves around a dungeon
 +  Original and fun, also with a nice magic system based on combinations
 -  You can see it's the source of dungeon crawlers, it has most of their flaws
 =  Still, it's quite fun, even if there are better ones


Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny

Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (PC)

An RPG about philosophy
 +  An original story
 -  It may be found simple and repetitive
 =  Play it before playing the following Ultima


Ultima VI: The False Prophet

Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (PC)

An RPG about philosophy
 +  An original story
 -  It may be found simple and repetitive
 =  Important for the story, as here starts the trilogy that ends with the sixth


Ultima VII, part 2: Serpent Isle

Ultima VII: The Black Gate (PC)

Something strange is going on in Britannia
 +  Realistic world, easy control, exploration
 -  Shorter and with less sidequests than other Ultima
 =  A great game, which can be found better than the second part


Ultima VII: The Black Gate

Albion (PC)

The Toronto finds more than anyone could expect on a dead planet
 +  Great story
 -  Damn those endless dungeons and fights on the end
 =  One of the greatest, along this Ultima


Ultima VIII

Little Big Adventure

A religious search will send you through the world
 +  Isometric adventure and platformer
 -  -
 =  Yes, Ultima VIII makes one think more of action-adventure games than RPGs


Ultima: Escape from Mount Drash

Legend of Grimrock

Revial of the oldschool dungeon crawler with surprisinlgy similar premise
 +  Everything
 -  Nothing
 =  So close and yet so far away

Ultima: First Age of Darkness

Where Mt. Drash stole its names from
 +  Open world, a story, character creation, more challenging, more depth, longer, the original
 -  Graphics might be slightly worse
 =  The only reason anyone would want to play Escape from Mt. Drash in the first place


Undo

Bugged (Interpreter)

Beta testing of a buggy game
 +  More locations
 -  Turns out to be relatively shallow
 =  Very similar idea, slightly inferior execution


Uninvited

Deja Vu 2: Lost in Las Vegas (Amiga)

Private detective against the mafia
 +  No annoying parts
 -  -
 =  The more 'mature' game

Shadowgate (Amiga)

Adventure in the evil magician's lair
 +  -
 -  Extremely annoying traps
 =  Not such a good use of the game engine


Universe

Curse of Enchantia (Amiga)

Teenager fights evil witch
 +  Less emptiness
 -  Scrolling, lack of text
 =  Even more tedious

Frederik Pohl's Gateway (PC)

Space exploration Adventure style
 +  Puzzles, controls
 -  -
 =  A gem amongst science fiction Adventures


Unreal

Quake II

Faster-paced sci-fi space shooter
 +  Lacks Unreal's personality and atmosphere
 -  Quake II has tighter combat mechanics, but lacks Unreal's variety.


Uridium

Raid on Bungeling Bay (C64)

Helicopter on a suicidal mission to destroy alien factories
 +  Larger levels
 -  Not quite as impressive graphically
 =  Similarly fast-paced shooter with a remarkably similar story

Uridium Plus (C64)

The same story, essentially the same gameplay
 +  No waiting for permission to land
 -  Even harder?
 =  Not a really new version or sequel, but just a minor modification


Uridium 2

Banshee (Amiga)

Steam-powered plane versus an alien invasion
 +  Amazing graphics
 -  More conventional
 =  Shows that other games had indeed caught up with Uridium technology-wise by then - albeit only few

Uridium (C64)

The Manta's first mission
 +  -
 -  Graphics
 =  The original - with pretty much the same features as this one already


Uridium Plus

Sopwith (PC)

Biplane blasting buildings
 +  Multiplayer over the network
 -  Ugly, simplistic
 =  That was the average competion at the time Uridium was released... sad, but true

Uridium 2 (Amiga)

The already retired Manta is re-activated as mankind's last hope
 +  Updated graphics and sound, slightly more managable difficulty
 -  Not as far ahead of the competition as the predecessor anymore
 =  Still not really a sequel, but more of an 'official remake'


Valiant Hearts: The Great War

The Lost Vikings

Three abducted Norseman on their way home
 +  You can switch between the characters, more challenging, characters differ a bit more
 -  Too hard at times, less artistically pleasing, less variety, no real story to speak of
 =  If you want a bit more of a challenge this one should be right for you

Lemmings

Save those little green-blue fellows from themselves
 +  Lots of characters which can take on many different roles, more challenging, lots of levels
 -  Can get kind of frustrating, no plot, slightly clumsy interface
 =  If you are up to a real challenge this on should be perfect for you


Veil of Darkness

Ultima VII: The Black Gate (PC)

Explore Britannia solving mysteries
 +  Freedom and well crafted world
 -  In some things, there is less depth than in previous Ultimas
 =  Still, a great game


Vengeance of Excalibur

Lords of Midnight

Four noble knights on their quest to destroy the evil witch king Doomdark
 +  Can be played either as an RPG/adventure, as a wargame or both combined
 -  -
 =  The classic of the genre

Rings of Medusa

The armies of the evil Medusa have already conquered most of the world. Only by finding five magical rings, she can be stopped.
 +  Trading as a major gameplay aspect
 -  Plays relatively slow; no sense of urgency in spite of the plot
 =  Another interesting strategy/adventure/roleplaying/action genre mix


Vestiges

Bliss

Face an army of orcs and an evil magician
 +  Gives the whole thing a meaning in the end
 -  -
 =  Cliché fantasy with a twist


Vette!

Stunts (PC)

 +  Freedom to roam around track, track editor
 -  No reverse gear
 =  Similar gameplay-wise but with almost endless possibilities with creating tracks while Vette is only set in San Francisco


Victor Loomes

Der Rasende Reporter (Amiga)

Manage a newspaper for a week
 +  Interesting subject
 -  No challenge
 =  Another typical promotial game

Sixth Sense Investigations (Amiga)

Detective duo tries solving a real mess the world is in
 +  Graphics, humor, puzzles,...
 -  -
 =  It's commercial - and it's worth its money


Vindicators

Garrison

Wizard, warrior, elf, dwarf or valkyrie against an army of enemies
 +  Increasingly mazelike levels
 -  Fairly samey enemies
 =  A good Gauntlet clone


Virus

Raid on Bungeling Bay (C64)

Lonely helicopter versus an alien war-machine
 +  Controls
 -  Graphics
 =  Shows that hard doesn't equal unaccessable

Zeewolf (Amiga)

Helicopter flying through a three-dimensional landscape blowing up targets
 +  Controls
 -  -
 =  Pretty much a more accessable remake


Voyeur …don't get caught

Inspektor Zebok: Das Erbe

Murder on a train (station?)
 +  More player freedom
 -  Horrible controls, acting so bad it's not even funny anymore
 =  More complex, but for all the wrong reasons!

The Case of the Cautious Condor

Murder on an ultra-modern flying boat – only 30 minutes to find the culprit
 +  Imaginative, non-trivial solution
 -  Only one solution
 =  A great example of making such a game much more challenging without more complex game mechanics


Walls of Rome

Cohort

Roman era armies clashing
 +  Nice cartoon graphics
 -  Impossible controls, lack of tactical depth
 =  Bland tactical wargame

History Line 1914-1918

Small battles of the first world war
 +  Unit variety leads to entertainingly different missions
 -  No fortresses involved
 =  Although it uses the exact engine of its predecessor Battle Isle, it makes for a very different tactical challenge

Siege

Fantasy armies fighting for control over castles
 +  Feels much fresher
 -  Shares some of the structural weaknesses
 =  This is the game you want – not Walls


Warlords

Empire Deluxe (PC)

The mother of all computer wargames modernized
 +  Many scenarios
 -  Standardized units
 =  Tough decision - both are good on their own right

Fantasy Empires (PC)

Another fantasy kingdom waiting to be conquered
 +  Action battles
 -  Easy to lose overview
 =  Warlords is for purists, but FE arguably more fun


Warlords

Quad (C64)

Breakout with a paddle on each of the sides of the screen
 +  Great single-player fun
 -  No competitive multiplayer mode
 =  Interesting 'single-player-Pong'


Warpath

Operation: Inner Space

Tiny space ships fighting inside your computer
 +  Large scale makes it more interesting for single player mode
 -  No multiplayer
 =  Similarly original shooter


Wasteland

Pool of Radiance

Save a D&D city from the evil hordes
 +  Fun, lots of fun
 -  Exploring outside the city is boring, and the thin plot is confusing
 =  Another game which would create it's own school

Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar

A quest to become a spiritual hero
 +  A very original RPG
 -  -
 =  Another landmark of the genre


Where in the USA is Carmen Sandiego?

Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

Chase Carmen's henchmen around the world.
 +  Test your knowledge about a variety of places.
 -  Save for a different setting, it is exactly the same game.
 =  If you like one of them, you'll enjoy the others.


Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?

The Lost Tribe

Make your inept tribemen reach a new home safely
 +  Fun edutainment
 -  -
 =  An alternative if you find Carmen Sandiego games too boring

The Oregon Trail

Reach Oregon in your wagon
 +  It can't be denied it has some originality
 -  Boring and slow as hell
 =  Nice to play once or twice, if you like historical edutainment


Wiggles

Caveland

A 2D dwarf simulation
 +  Building a dwarven civilisation, includes sweet temple puzzles
 -  No battles, no enemies, temple puzzle have to be solved to proceed
 =  Caveland is a business simulation, suited for 'you and your dungeon' players

Gnomoria

An independent project which is still being developed
 +  Building a dwarven city in Sim City style, the demo can be played free of charge
 -  Sometimes quite hard and complex, cannot compete with Wiggles graphically
 =  An alternative for players where Wiggles won't run

Magic of Endoria

The ancestor
 +  The map is clearly defined
 -  Technically completely outdated, not recommandable compared to Wiggles
 =  An alternative for nostalgic players


Wing Nuts: Battle in the Sky

Red Baron

One of the most famous WWI flight sims
 +  You get to actually fly your plane, dogfights feel a lot more realistic, career mode, you might learn a thing or two about aviation history
 -  no story besides news paper clips of historical events
 =  On the long run this one is far more engaging and a lot more memorable

Rebel Assault

The rail-shooter which spawned its own genre
 +  Star Wars, more than one level, less tedious repetitions
 -  Star Wars, worse graphics, unforgiviginly hard at times
 =  If it was not for the license this one might be as forgotten as Wing Nuts


Wings

Red Baron

Dogfight-heavy WW1 flight simulation
 +  A couple of more options
 -  No mission types other than three-dimensional flying
 =  Leaning a little more towards the real flight simulation fans


Winpolis

Monopolize

Early freeware Monopoly version
 +  Smaller system requirements
 -  Only one competitor
 =  Maybe a little too simple


Winter Games

Summer Games

The predecessor set in sunnier climes
 +  No DOS port
 -  No DOS port
 =  Almost the same, with different colour palette

California Games

The 'cooler' version of Summer Games
 +  More variety, actual games
 -  Winter
 =  Slightly better, but still nothing to actually write home about

The Games: Winter Challenge

Accolade's version of Winter Games
 +  VGA graphics, skiing, actually playable
 -  Still a lot of repetition
 =  Overall the better alternative on the PC


Winzer

Black Gold (Amiga)

Trying to make money in the coal mining industry
 +  Not quite as easy
 -  -
 =  Similarly 'dry' economic game


Witness

Deadline (PC)

Murder... and a tight deadline to solve the case
 +  Numerous plot branches
 -  Probably too hard
 =  Seminal work of the genre

The Detective Game (C64)

Murder... and more will die if you don't act quickly
 +  Classy graphical presentation
 -  Less complex controls
 =  Nice modern version


Wizardry Gold

Eye of the Beholder II: The Legend Of Darkmoon

Temple Darkmoon awaits release by the help of the couragous party of heroes
 +  Action-based battle system and varied game design
 -  Linear, unimaginative character development, no trade system
 =  Typical hack'n'slash of its time

Lands of Lore

Cross lands, swamps and castles to stop an evil witch
 +  Easily accessible, wonderful graphics
 -  Little depth, pre-made characters
 =  A perfectly commercialized RPG for beginners

Ultima Underworld 2: Labyrinth of Worlds

 +  Revolutionary graphics engine combined with a classic RPG concept
 -  Only for solo adventurers, dungeons appear lifeless
 =  Action-packed fun in a role-playing wrapping


Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord

Dragon Quest

Fight the evil on the forerunner of console RPGs
 +  Takes Wizardry and Ultima IV into console
 -  Still too primitive
 =  The basis of japanese RPGs, which takes heavily from this game


Wolfenstein 3D

CyberMage: Darklight Awaking

Blake Stone

Doom 2: Hell on Earth

Heretic

Duke Nukem 3D

Realms of the Haunting


Wonder Project J

Little Computer People (C64)

A little AI that lives in your computer
 +  Probably the first game about an AI
 -  It haves little more than watching what it does


World Karate Championship

International Karate + (Amiga)

International Karate II gives you
 +  different moves
 -  control is difficult to handle
 =  more challenging due to 2-against-computer-mode


Worms

Lemmings (Amiga)

Avoid the death of a horde of suicidal mammals
 +  Complex puzzles!
 -  Complex puzzles...
 =  This is great! How come you haven't played it?


Wurmi aus Frankfurt

PTS-DOS Snake

 +  Nicer graphics thanks to modified character set
 -  Just one level
 =  TSR application

Nibbles

 +  More space thanks to using nibbles (half bytes), two player mode
 -  Fewer colours


WWF Wrestlemania

WWF Raw (SNES)

Wrestling 'legends' doing their usual show
 +  Many different playing modes
 -  Slightly inferior graphics
 =  Probably the best wrestling game ever made


Xmas Lemmings

Jazz Jackrabbit: Holiday Hare

The Santa hat is passed on to another green haired fellow
 +  More action, hero less vulnerable
 -  Less thinking, more hectic
 =  Same idea, different game, works as well


Yes Prime Minister

Einmal Kanzler Sein (Amiga)

Run the German government
 +  More diverse gameplay
 -  Everything but subtle
 =  A little too much over-the-top, but entertaining

Hidden Agenda (PC)

Run a south-American country
 +  Complex political decisions
 -  Dead serious
 =  The heavier, deeper alternative


Yie Ar KUNG-FU

The Way of the Exploding Fist (C64)

Honourable duel between Karateka
 +  Point system for hits
 -  All opponents identical
 =  Well-made example of the classic 'karate' beat 'em up

Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (Amiga)

The player's character faces the best fighters of the whole world
 +  More detailed graphics
 -  Relatively slow gameplay
 =  Often (arguably undeserved, as this game shows) cited as one of the first 'modern' beat 'em ups


Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders

Maniac Mansion (C64)

Terrific Teenage Trio Saves Sandy from Devilish Doctor
 +  No mazes...
 -  Shorter
 =  The game which came right before this one

Kult (Amiga)

Mutant saves his girlfriend
 +  Graphics
 -  Controls
 =  More freaky alien stuff


Zeewolf

Desert Strike (PC)

Four helicopter missions
 +  -
 -  Shorter
 =  Essentially the same idea executed in a more conventional way

Zeewolf 2: Wild Justice (Amiga)

More missions
 +  Faster, more varied missions
 -  -
 =  Pushing the concept to perfection


Zeewolf 2: Wild Justice

Descent (PC)

Glider clearing mines from rebelling robots
 +  -
 -  -
 =  Rare gem in the upcoming genre of the time

Virus (Atari ST)

Experimental human ship versus ufos
 +  -
 -  Complicated controls, slower
 =  The game without which Zeewolf wouldn't exist, but hopelessly outgunned in this comparison


Zoda's Revenge: Startropics II

Super Metroid (SNES)

A mercenary exploring an alien world
 +  Exploration
 -  -
 =  What the adventure-action genre would end becoming


Zombies Ate My Neighbors

Chaos Engine (Amiga)

A monster-producing machine as a threat for the world
 +  Slightly better gameplay, better atmosphere, different characters
 -  Too hard at the end
 =  Chaos Engine is a classic, Zombies is not


ZORK I: The Great Underground Empire

Spelunker's Quest

Exploring a small cave system for treasure
 +  Funny
 -  Simplistic
 =  A modern-day tribute to classics like Zork


Zork II: The Wizard of Frobozz

ZORK I: The Great Underground Empire

 +  The original, puzzles are fairer
 -  The game world is not as alive, worse plot
 =  To many people, the second part is better. For those who just want to get a glimpse of Zork, the first part is recommendable, though.


Zork Nemesis: The Forbidden Lands

ZORK I: The Great Underground Empire

You are standing in an open field west of a white house.
 +  Gameplay is a lot more complex, better puzzles
 -  While the writing is OK, it is the sole means of communication and it is rather practical
 =  It might be a bit like comparing apples and oranges, but they do share some similarities

The 7th Guest

One of the first and most archetypal puzzle adventures
 +  Still almost nice to look at, pioneering CD-ROM game
 -  Puzzles seem to have been put in as an afterthought
 =  Might be worth a look or two, if only for historical reasons


Quiz