Games from 1991

Based around a classic motor car race from either side of the war, 1000 Miglia (literally 1000 miles)is an unusual racing game. You have to progress across Italy through a number of stages in your rickety 20s car. Keeping within time limits at each point is crucial to staying in the game. The game was perhaps the first to incorporate reliability issues, as your car will sometimes lose a wheel or need other repairs. A lot of effort appears to have gone into giving the game a very lavish historical feel.

An unofficial reworking of the original Prince of Persia game by Jordan Mechner. The levels have been rebuilt and made tougher. You have to save the princess from the clutches of the evil Jaffar who has given her 60 minutes to marry him or die.

4-D Boxing left behind any pretenses of being a pure arcade game based on boxing, and aimed to recreate the sport in full detail. The graphics engine allowed for multiple camera angles and viewpoints, and considerably detailed visuals. These required more advanced hardware than was common at the time, but a stick-figure mode was included as a compromise. The moves on offer included all the uppercuts and hooks of a real fight, and the players were designed to move realistically to implement them. You progress through the game by taking on a succession of increasingly difficult fighters, and get to train your boxer in between. Advanced action replays were included as well, so you could review all that happened.

It might be battle of colours, two enemies engaging in a fight to conquer the territory on the battlefield. Or, despite Infogrames' martial marketing efforts, 7 Colors might just be a puzzle game with brightly colored diamonds. In the wake of Alexey Pajitnov's block-busting Tetris, Infogrames licensed another Russian mathematician's concept for a game of logics and dexterity: Two players start from opposite ends of a board, filled with rectangles of seven different colors, and take turns in picking one of these colors. All diamonds of that color bordering on the player's territory are annexed, expanding the borders. Whoever first controls more than half of the terrain wins. Some quirks add tactical depth: The color chosen is locked for the opponent for one turn; drawing lines from one border of the field to another fills all the space between. In addition, boards come in various diamond sizes, color textures and with obstacle stones. A (generous) time limit exerts soft pressure. 7 Colors can be played against the computer or a human opponent, even over a local network - a rare feature at the time. Ambitious players may design their own boards with the included editor.

Sequel to Galactic Empire. A.G.E. (= Advanced Galactic Empire) is an early first-person space/adventure hybrid from Coktel Vision. Both games sports a fast 3D engine. As you pilot your spacecraft around the planets and stars, engaging in space combat and conversation with other characters, you unravel the Conquer the Universe plot. The game is similar to Elite in that you are relatively free to travel to wherever you please.

If you want to fly a modern passenger jet then this is the sort of game for you. This is a serious simulation of flying which was developed in corporation with Lufthansa and Deutsche Airbus.

Design, train, manage, and fight as your own personalized boxer in this comprehensive simulation from ABC Sports. Players start by building a pugilist from the ground up including measurements, vital statistics, and fighting style. Next they take him into the ring on a quest for the title belt. What makes Wide World of Sports Boxing more than just an arcade fighting game is that it encompasses every aspect of the fighter's career beyond the actual bouts (which the player can control directly or leave to the computer). Between fights, players must hire managers and trainers, purchase equipment, scout opponents, and even learn the scoring preferences of individual judges. Being fast on the uppercut does no good if your manager blows all your money or can’t get you a fight that will raise your ranking. No actual boxing personalities lent their likeness to this game so the opponents and staff encountered on the rise to the top are fictitious. Some do bear a more than passing resemblance to real people though (such as super manager Don McQueen).

On the distant planet Chromos, the Drullian people fight the forces of Skynet-Titan, an AI out of control. The player has to lead the Drull armies to victory in several battles. A turn-based strategy game. The screen is split in two, one half for each player. While the first player can move his units, the other can attack and vice versa. There are 16 levels to play against the computer and another 16 for 2 player competitive play.

Build a series of castles to gain dominion over all the land. You'll have to make decisions that will affect your favor with the Church, nobles, and peasants. Keep a strong military and a large workforce while watching the level of your treasury.

The Celts have been defeated and you've built a succession of castles across the wilds of Albion. But still there is no peace. The Picts are rebelling against you in the north and now you must build more castles to defend Albion from these wild savages. The Northern Campaign is the first campaign disk for Castles, and it includes many new features, such as new graphics, economics, new combat features (vikings, archers etc). and troop training. The Northern Campaign needs the original Castles, it can not be played by itself.