Apple II – The Retro Gaming Treasury

Game 45: Space II (1979)

On May 7, 2020May 8, 2020 By IndieRetroNews

Space II: The Even More Final Frontier It’s another first for the blog today, as I reach what I believe is the first commercial sequel to a game that I’ve played before. I played the original Space back in 2015, and didn’t much care for it. I even somewhat question its […]

Back-Tracking: Beneath Apple Manor (1978)

On April 17, 2020April 18, 2020 By IndieRetroNews

Some years ago I played through Beneath Apple Manor, one of the earliest commercially available CRPGs (and possibly the first ever). It’s something of a proto-Roguelike, and as I recall it was a tight, replayable game that I enjoyed quite a bit. It scored a 41 on the RADNESS Index, […]

Priority Adventure Game 1: Mystery House (1980)

On April 16, 2020April 17, 2020 By IndieRetroNews

The cover to the original packaging of Mystery House I was supposed to post this on the weekend, but with quarantine happening and nothing to do but sit at home, my sleep cycles got so messed up that I basically lost a day or two. I’ve been playing a lot […]

Game 41: Eamon: The Beginner’s Cave (1979)

On March 29, 2020March 29, 2020 By IndieRetroNews

This is pretty dope for the time, to be honest. I’m tackling Eamon today, which presents something slightly different from my usual fare. On the surface it looks like a text adventure, but when you dig into it a little bit it’s very obviously a CRPG. More than that, though, it’s […]

Game 40: Voodoo Castle (1979)

On March 25, 2020March 26, 2020 By IndieRetroNews

Scott Adams’ covers are always a good representation of what you’ll find in the game. With Voodoo Castle, it’s time for another game in the “Scott Adams Adventure” series. I’ve enjoyed them all so far, to varying extents: Adventureland was a well-executed attempt to get a game like Colossal Cave Adventure onto […]

Rethinking the System (Again) and a Wrap-Up of Akalabeth

On March 18, 2020March 18, 2020 By IndieRetroNews

THE FINAL RATING SYSTEM, REDUX I mentioned at the end of my last post that I was considering revamping my Final Ratings. I’m not happy with a lot of the results that I’ve been getting, and the Innovation & Influence category seems to be the primary culprit. I tested some […]

Akalabeth: This Time With Actual Gameplay

On March 15, 2020March 16, 2020 By IndieRetroNews

The title screen Woah, a two post game? Haven’t had one of those in a while. Anyway, I’m currently posting this from a hotel balcony, enjoying some traditionally changeable Melbourne weather. I have some mild cold symptoms and a too-cautious family, so here I am in luxurious solitude. I’m quite […]

Priority CRPG 1: Akalabeth – World of Doom (1979)

On March 11, 2020March 12, 2020 By IndieRetroNews

For those who missed my earlier post on the subject, I’ve decided to prioritise some of the games and series that I really want to play. I’ll still be going through my chronological list, but after every four games I’m going to jump ahead a little in the timeline to play […]

Game 38: Super Dungeon (1979)

On March 8, 2020March 9, 2020 By IndieRetroNews

Believe it or not, this is the title screen for Super Dungeon, not the exciting new game PROGRAMMA SOFTWARE Today’s game is Super Dungeon, a CRPG released only for the Apple II. Like most of the CRPGs released commercially around this time, it has no particular goal beyond venturing into […]

Game 35: Wilderness Campaign (1979)

On January 11, 2020January 12, 2020 By IndieRetroNews

The manual cover Just under four years ago I posted about Dungeon Campaign, the first game from Robert Clardy. It was a decent (for 1978) maze exploration RPG, where the player controls a large party of adventurers trying to escape the dungeon alive while loading up with as much treasure […]

Game 32: Dunjonquest: The Temple of Apshai (1979)

On October 13, 2019October 13, 2019 By IndieRetroNews

The mood lighting in this dungeon is wild. For the beginning of 1979, I opted to go with Dunjonquest: The Temple of Apshai. It was either this or Akalabeth, and I was in the mood for something new. I’ve punted Akalabeth further down the list, because I’m quite familiar with it, […]

Pirates! – DarkwyndPT’s BIGGEST retro gaming review yet!

On September 19, 2019September 19, 2019 By IndieRetroNews

Ahoy there mateys! Welcome back to Retro Freak Reviews. And before ye all send me down to Davy Jones’ locker for not posting a review during the entire summer, let me redeem my sinner soul by offering ye this fine review in this finest of International Talk Like a Pirate […]

King’s Quest – The first graphic adventure ever made for the PC and Sierra’s first big hit reviewed!

On July 5, 2019July 6, 2019 By IndieRetroNews

We can’t make a Sierra games retrospective without beginning with the first graphic adventure ever made for the PC and Sierra’s first big hit: King’s Quest: Quest for the Crown. As I mentioned in my Sierra historical retrospective, IBM needed a game to promote their new computer, the PCjr, and […]

Space Quest II review – A classic Sci-fi adventure reviewed by DarkwyndPT

On March 11, 2019March 11, 2019 By Neil G

So, the new MCU movie, Captain Marvel, is on cinemas right now and as far as I remember, Carol Danvers isn’t in any video game whatsoever, so I decided to just review a classic sci-fi game set in space. And why not Space Quest II? Space Quest II: Chapter II […]

Alternate Reality Intro Music Recreation Last Half – A euphoric melody remake of a 1980’s RPG

On October 29, 2018October 30, 2018 By Neil G

Through all the years of playing games, what stands out the most isn’t always the gameplay, but that soundtrack that plays in the background to set the tone of the game being played. The creepyness of Silent Hill, the upbeat tempo of Arkanoid on the C64, or even the melody […]