u/Consistent_Treat_770

We probably know that mahjong on computer systems is vastly different from the original "Chinese domino" mahjong. There weren't many mahjong-themed video-games (apart from this, I can only name Taipei for Windows 3.1, which was OK but nothin' special), so Shanghai and its sequel were pretty spot-on in filling the holes, when there are so many clones for similar "simple yet awesome" games: reversi, Tetris, gomoku, chess, checkers, and the likes. This mahjong version is from Activision, 1993, an' surmounds Taipei by a LOT.

So, the basic premise of computer mahjong is simple: 144 tiles arranged in a certain shape, stacked atop each other, the player's job is to remove said tiles by finding pairs. The player can ONLY remove a tile if they match + either of its sides AND the top are fully exposed; tiles wit' other tiles at both sides, or on top are considered locked an' cannot be removed, so the task is systematic deconstruction. Each type of tile has 4 pieces (2 pairs) except four-way tiles which differ from each other, but can be combined in any ways without matching - the rim of said tiles are colored the same, meaning y'can pick any of them an' they'll count as pairs. The goal is to make all tiles disappear, preferably WITHOUT having to shuffle them. Alas, very frequently, it cannot be helped, an' y'must either get'em shuffled or start over.

As for the second game, Dragon's Eye, it's mainly a two-player game (Challenge mode), but of course one can play against the CPU too: one player is the Dragon Slayer, the other is the Dragon Master. The object for the Dragon Master is to build the Dragon to full strength by filling all spaces on the display one level high, and all spaces on the Dragon's heart and limbs two levels high. The Dragon Slayer, on the other hand, tries to remove all tiles from the "heart" and "limb" spaces. In either case, this is an automatic victory for the player. If all tiles are removed from the heart and limb spaces, the game ends. If all 144 tiles have been drawn and the Dragon display is not completed when the last tile is placed on the display, the game ends; in this case, the players' scores are compared to determine the winner. This game mode is considerably more complicated, an' will take some time to master.

Apart from the basic mahjong-tileset and Shanghai formation, the game offers quite a few other tilesets and formations. Tilesets include alphabet, fantasy, sports, cards, flags, animals and such, while formations include all the Chinese zodiac signs. It's worth mentioning that finishing some formations without running out of moves is considered easier than some others, many of them are incredibly hard. There's also a built-in level editor where y're welcomed to make your own formations. As for the tilesets and tiles: each tiles or group of tiles has their own kind of funny animations, a wide variety of sound effects, so the game is truly entertaining and humorous, one will explore all the tilesets just to experience all the anims an' effects.

As for the ugly side of tile-matchers, Taipei is well-known for pop-up windows if y'click the wrong tile, while Shanghai II only has one dreaded message "There are no more moves" which keeps popping up until y'shuffle or abort. A more hardware-related problem is that Shanghai II's effects are highly effected by the (set) CPU type, cycles and such: the sounds will change completely depending on the rig you own. On slower machines, some sounds and effects' pitch was slow an' drawn-out. On high performance ones, some effects had incorrectly low pitch, while some played okay (setting it to max will cause all effects to speed up ridiculously), so it takes a while to configure it correctly. A bigger problem is that the game very often gives layouts which are impossible by default (both horizontally and vertically), as matching tiles mutually block each other - this is not always obvious at first, but is unimaginably infuriating when y'discover this at 80 or so tiles remaining, especially at "hilo" and "lohi" French-suited playing cards, where finding pairs is a real chore, so this game is largely based on luck, rather than skill. Can YOU complete ALL tilesets wit' ALL layouts! These games are certainly two of those which y'can play on windy Autumn nights, sipping a mug of hot tea wit' your kitty-cat purring in your lap.

Körülbelül 9 hetes tündéri ennivaló kislány-cica. Vélhetően egy autóból rakták ki az utcánkban pár napja - teljesen egyedül volt, se édesanya, se testvérek. Keservesen nyávogott, azonnal bevittem és elláttam, fél nap alatt viharsebesen megszeretett, zokszó nélkül viselte az utazókosarat és az állatorvost. Enyhén alultáplált volt, kapott kombinált élősködőirtót, hazahoztam, most itt van.

A legjobb természetű pici cica, amihez szerencsém volt eddig, definiálja az "édes kiscica" fogalmát: Nagyon dorombolós, nagyon beszédes, imád csevegni, és még jobban imád játszani (kedvence az összegyűrt papírgaluska), mindent megszaglászik, felderít, körbeszimatol, és persze kommentálja is, ha ott vagyok. Nagyon jó viseli a kézbevételt, felvételt, könnyűszerrel ölbecicává avanzsálható tehát, és persze azt is nagyon szereti ha a hasát simogatják. Nem válogatós, vegyesen eszik nyers húst és dobozos/zacskóst, szárazat is, bérelt helye van ezen a subon úgy érzem 😊😍😋🐈 Sajnos itt nem maradhat: a két sziámi cicám nem nagyon örül neki, és nincs hová mennie. Elsősorban az északi megyékből (Borsod, Szabolcs, Heves, Nógrád, Hajdú-Bihar) keresek néki szerető, befogadó új otthont, ahol megkap minden figyelmet, szeretetet és gondoskodást. Elvinni is hajlandó vagyok, ha szükséges, kifejezetten jól viseli az utazást. Bárki is tartana rá igényt, egy életre szóló társra találna Kitti cica személyében! 🥰

Another timeless NES classic, ported to PC, it was distributed on floppy-disks under the name "Dynamite". Well, right off the bat, both names are incorrect, as Bomberman does not use dynamite - the misnomer is a crappy, dumb censorship attempt to avoid the game being associated wit' terrorism. No matter. Dyna Blaster is a top-down 2D action-puzzle hybrid game (although characters appear to be sideways), combining problem-solving skills wit' strategy, careful planning and tactics. There are a few different versions exist.

The story is simple, but differs from the original (where a robot trapped underground wants to break free). The evil Kuro Bom (Black Bomber) kidnapped Lisa, the daughter of Professor Mitsumori, and y'get to rescue her by blasting your way thru the bizarre worlds of Kuro Bom. Your only method of attack is dropping bombs, blowing up walls and enemies. On each level, the main goal is to destroy all hostile entities and reach the exit before the timer runs out - 8 worlds wit' 8 stages each, y'can do that not less than 64 times. Above this, the game also offers a multiplayer mode, up to 4 players, where blowing up each other is the key to victory. Controls are arrow keys, Space, and Alt, some versions allowing you to redefine keys if y'see fit.

Gameplay follows along the "simple yet awesome" concept: every level is a grid-like structure wit' irregularly placed breakable walls among a structure of impervious walls, resulting in a multitude of crisscrossing pathways, where enemies lurk. To win, y'must blow up all the enemies, then find the hidden portal which is under one of those breakable walls. Seven out of eight levels offer a hidden powerup icon within the level, which can be collected - said icon is revealed once all the monsters are gone, but the exitway is always hidden an' must be uncovered. Every 8th stage is a bossfight featuring one or more boss entities and no icons, the final boss being Kuro Bom of course. Rules are simple: bombs can be placed at any given empty location, each bomb having the same blast radius. They never run out, but y'can have only one bomb out at the start. Getting caught in your own bomb's explosion or by an enemy is instant death, and in some versions, running out of time. Killing an enemy will give score, tho points serve no purpose tho. Watch where y'drop your bombs - y'can accidently blow up the bonus icon, or even worse, bomb the exitway, which results in a series of strong enemies spawn from it, forcing y'to kill them as well. Y'start each level from the top left, an' each level is randomly generated, ensuring a very high replay value.

Y'start your quest wit' one bomb an' minimal blast radius, an' y'work your way from there by grabbing said icons (likewise, later stages will feature stronger enemies, who can pass thru breakable walls, change direction or even pursue you). Y'can grab extra firepower, extra bombs, bomb-pass, wall-pass, detonator, explosion invulnerability, speed, extra life and so on. Should y'bomb all the breakable walls before the exit is found, y'get a special "king" icon, setting your score to the hi-score immediately, this is unimaginably rare. Dying or entering a new world will remove some of the powerups (like the speed or the detonator). As y'progress, new landscapes an' enemies will be introduced tho it's only a graphics change most of the time, the really nasty enemies remain universal. The first few levels are small, but later levels are doubled in size, either horizontally or vertically, also more an' more enemies appear. Using the fact they cannot pass thru your bombs, an' your bombs can detonate each other, y'got to set clever traps for the monsters to kill'em, an' since some of them - like the Ovapes or Pontans - can go thru walls, it requires lots of strategy an' thinking, especially if y'lost the Detonator powerup.

Now, the version differences: some versions allow y'to save game, others don't but instead y'get a password-system instead. Some versions allow redefining keys, others don't. There is also a difference in when the timer runs out: in some versions, a set of Pontans appear all around, an' will most likely kill you, in others, y'simply die (if y'run out of time at bossfight levels, y'die in all versions). In these versions, y'can score unlimited points if y'have the Detonator powerup, the explosion invulnerability an' at least 2 bombs: just go to the corner, wait for the clock to tick down, an' barricade y'self in the corner wit' the bombs when the Pontans appear. Once they're all near the bombs, arm the detonator. Drop 2 more bombs, pause the game and unpause it - the Pontans will re-appear every time y'do this. Keep doin' it until y'knock out of the score counter, that's it.

As much as I love this game, I honestly feel this is a typical example of "less is more". 64 levels just feel too much (the NES version had 50, which is somewhat moar acceptable). The game's music is very catchy aight, but apart from the bossfight tune, y'get to hear the same two tunes over an' over again. A bigger problem is that since the game spawns enemies an' walls randomly each time, it CAN happen that an enemy is placed right at you at the very start, killing you instantly, which is cheap - there should have been a safeguard for this, just like there IS a safeguard y'don't start completely boxed in, making the game unwinnable. Scoring is also pointless (pun definitively intended), since, as I said, y'can grab unlimited score. Apart from these minor or not-so-minor flukes, Dyna Blaster is still a timeless classic, and is one of my all-time faves.

Oh, the 2D-platformer fans will LOVE this one! Back then in the 90, when the troll-dollies craze was rampant, the developer Flair decided to make a game 'bout to try to cash in on the success of the toyline. The game itself is basically a major reskin of their previously failed Amiga title Oscar, reusing many assets and the main mechanic as well. I'd say it fared way better as Trolls than Oscar.

The storyline is a bit cloudy: in a winter town, some bear shopkeeper goes upstairs for a sleep, the clock strikes midnight, and the troll dolly comes to life and scurries away. Couldn't really decode what the story wants to tell us, but gameplay-wise, y'need to collect baby trolls on different themed levels, then find a pig-stop, and ride a winged, cigar-smoking pig to the next level. The toy-store shelves serve as the main hub for the levels, y'can complete'em in any order. Question-mark doors open up bonus levels once y'finished a land, and when all the doors are completed, y'can enter the last, wooden door to end the game. Each level takes our troll friend to a different world: toyland, medialand, soda-pop land, fableland, fairground, boardgame, candyland. The bonus levels take place in some sort of crystal-heaven, whilst the bogus levels take place at the same crystal-heaven after a nuclear bomb explosion.

The premise is easy: each level consists 3 areas (except fableland which has 4), each wit' its own graphics, own enemies - there are great many different designs - and sometimes, special conditions: soda-pop land allows swimming, but y'constantly need to find fresh air, medialand is all black and white. Our troll has 3 units of energy, and 5 lives + 5 continues at the start (these are called "lucky rabbits"). Getting hit 3 times or falling out of the level results in a life loss - the same thing happens if y'can't exit the bogus level before the timer runs out. The levels offer not just baby trolls: they give tons of collectibles, most of them are pretty generic ones (hamburger, ice cream, Rubik's cube, fruits, mouths, money), plus there are balloons everywhere: these can contain score, a yo-yo (your weapon), letters to unluck bonus or bogus levels, and even various powerups - flight, shield, hi-jump, slowdown and such (the troll's hair changes color according to the powerup). Many levels offer secret blocks, and even secret warp-zones allowing you to leave the area if y'want to. Everything y'collect gives you points, as well as killing enemies by stomping (using the yo-yo doesn't give you score). After every 50000 points, an extra life is given - y'can have 9 at maximum. Certain powerups respawn after y'die, like the yo-yo - this is important, as some levels require you to use the yo-yo as a grappling hook to reach the exit. It takes a little practice t'do so, but it isn't extremely hard. The scoring system is pretty unusual: seemingly y'get 10 or 20 points for stuff, even when the point values out of the balloons show 200, 300 or even 500. Here's the deal: the game keeps track of these point values, an' they are given t'you at the end of the level. Same goes for crystals an' coins - y'get treasure bonus for these, as well as a baby bonus for every saved troll kid.

What makes this game challenging is that there's no save-system or password-system, y'have t'do the whole thing in one sitting. I didn't mind, since the game IS very impressive graphically, but there ARE nasty levels, like the aforementioned soda-pop land: many areas' entrance open from the VERY bottom of the level, an' if y'touch just slightly, the game kills you (I lost about 12 lives there). Soda-pop land and medialand gives you no yo-yo whatsoever, so y'have to prevail without. It also worth mentioning that enemies respawn after a time, but there are only about 2 or 3 healths per level, so it's easy to die. Luckily, the great many points ensure a constant supply of extra lives: should y'collect all the BONUS or BOGUS letters, y'get to go there as your next level. BOGUS levels are pretty uncanny: if y'don't reach an exit within time, y'lose a life. These are the levels which offer you lucky rabbits (continues) as collectibles.

Aight, so the game is a pretty solid, enjoyable platformer, but as no rose can exist without thorns, Trolls also have its fair share of problems. For instance, certain powerups (flight, shield) take away your yo-yo, because...I dunno. Powerups knock each other out BTW, better remember that. The concept of the bogus levels don't seem t'work: by default, y'got to find a pair of objects before exiting or else y'lose a life...but if y'don't, nothing happens! The troll moves kinda sluggishly even wit' the right core-cycles settings, and the hit detection is sometimes convoluted. The game was well-known of producing data errors regarding to files TROLLVGA.PCN, TROLSPR1.ZER and VGAINTRO.PCN, ran into this sht quite a few times. The music is pretty upbeat an' cheerful, but some of them are extremely repetative, like uh, 10 second loops. Some enemies seem t'be out of place in certain levels, such as worms and skateboard-guys at the fairground level. Oh, an' y'ought to know: the version circulating around "da Intarnetz" is glitched: some enemies won't shoot projectiles, an' instead of the ending, y'get a black screen (now THAT is trolling aight). Cannot tell if it is related to the faulty files I mentioned earlier or not, but it's still turd. Apart from this, if y'enjoy 2D side-scrollers in different worlds and collectathons, y'surely want to try this puppy out.

For many of us, this was the very first graphic RPG we came across - prior, early RPG games mostly followed the same principle: text only, game gives you a description, an' y'had to use two-word commands to do anything...and PRAY the interpreter recognizes your words as legit. Castle Adventure in those days was like an early Christmas present for the RPG-lovers as it actually featured an interactive graphical interface. I was thoroughly impressed, and seems like I wasn't the only one, as the game was later stolen and re-released under a different title (which was not extremely nice).

Castle Adventure is a top-down RPG, controlled by the arrow-keys, every other action must be typed. I'm truly glad the game gives us instructions, so even if y'lost the manual, y'won't be physicall locked out how the f to complete the game. The graphical solution is pretty innovative: the entire interface uses ASCII characters (codepage 437) to represent the environment, items and enemies. The story is rather simple: you're trapped in this old castle, which is allegedly full of treasures. Your primary objective is to find the means of escaping, secondary objective is to find said treasures, and kill enemies - y'shall grab score for these. If y'become really good, y'can max out the game by finding all treasures and killing all enemies - it will take some practice though.

Like I said, controls are simple: use the arrow keys. Collectibles out in the open can be picked up by moving against it, staircases (marked with U and D) can be scaled the same way. For everything else, y'must use typed commands, using words, like GET, LOOK, DROP, WEAR, DRINK and so on. Some objects have special properties which require special verbs, such as you can PLAY the harp, WAVE the scepter, WEAR the glasses and such. Fighting is kinda lackluster and may become problematic: AI is very simple, once y'come across an enemy in a room, it'll home on you like a missile, an' y'have to press against it using the corresponding arrow key - this is how y'deliver blows. And occassionally, the enemy will hit you as well the same way. Different enemies have different health, the angry demon and the ugly ogre may become rather troublesome. Oh, did I mention y'start the adventure completely unarmed? So y'll have to find a sword first. Finding a helmet will help you survive some hits, an' finding the flask and filling it wit' water from the fountain can replenish lost health. Some enemies act as obstacles, such as the vampire and the fairy - these require certain objects to send them packing. Y'll also find locked doors which require a key, an' the cellar is too dark, so y'll have to grab a lamp before trudging down there. And then there are the hidden passages and traps...

Unfortunately, the parser is rather primitive, out of the entire English dictionary, it will understand only a wee selection of specific words, so it'll take a while to figure out how to perform certain tasks, and the fighting system will lead to many unnecessary deaths - thankfully, y'don't actually need to kill ALL enemies (in fact, if y'approach the throne room from the king's quarters, the angry demon will get stuck at the throne, unable to attack you). You can save and load your game, but this may spawn indestructible glitch-monsters in certain rooms, and in one case, when I arrived to the dungeon, parts of the wall disappeared, allowing me to go outside of the level, winning the game instantly. Your limited inventory is also a big problem, as y'll constantly have to return to the start to unload the unnecessary items (mostly treasure) and collect what y'need, so the game is also a collect-a-thon as well as an RPG. Even though it tends to be tedious and mildly frustrating at times, Castle Adventure was a good starter - much better than Sierra's RPGs with the damn cryptic riddles - and it did entertain me for a long time. There was even a modern remake of the game wit' real graphics.

This time I have something "speshul": just as Atari had its fair share of "adult" games, PC and Amiga also got their own l-lewds: Sextris and this game. Centerfold Squares. Sounds innocent, eh? Well, it's not, in fact, the title screen is a dead giveaway. Today when there are tons of r34 and adult sites just two clicks away from us, we'd probably laugh at the promise of this game, but back then in 1988, before "da Intarnetz", for wee lads, it was either this - or nothing! Owning this game as a kid made you the God-Emperor of the class, especially if y'could complete it. Even though the graphics was less than desirable (for the PC version) - having a color monitor was luxury - it did its job fairly well I suppose, an' just like Old Mill rides, every kid on the block had its...ahemm...emotional attachments to this game.

So! The game itself is basically Reversi, likewise the main premise is similar. There are differences tho; small and big. First, there is a difficulty setting - each level offers different gals, as the CPU plays on their behalf. Second, it does not offer you just one game, in fact, what y'get is a Reversi-maraton. Here's the deal: the picture of the gurl gets certain parts revealed, whilst the others remain hidden, each bearing a number. The goal is to reach that score to uncover the picture piece. If y'win, it gets uncovered. If y'lose, another revealed part gets shrouded, an' must be won again. Got it? Good, as y'll need to win about 10-12 times in a row even in lower difficulties. Win an' y'get another mosaic. Lose an' back y'go, damn straight. Once y'win every game, y'get the entire picture as a reward.

Now then, about the game...Reversi it is, but there ARE key differences. First, the game will mostly end when either of you reach the designated score (so it's NOT the amount of chips that count). Second, there are colored rectangles wit' various effects: a green one gives +10 score, a red one takes -10 score away. Occassionally, a yellow one shall appear: whoever can grab it before it goes away can place a chip again. Every level is randomly generated for maximum enjoyment, so replayability is extremely high. Also, there's an optional "???" button on the bottom right, which is sort of a lucky spin-wheel: it can give various rewards...or punishments. +20 score, -20 score, win game, lose game, switch chips, double-up, and so on - the CPU will also use it when "she" is badly cornered. The game may also end in a draw, though that's kinda rare.

Now, about its flukes...yeaa, there are some. First, the mouse control is truly screwed-up: it never selects the actual square the mouse pointer points at, an' if y'click on the wrong square, y'lose score. Second, the game sometimes has trouble to decide when to end the game and who have won. It happened to me more than once that it refuses to end when I reach the goal score (but never has the same problem when the CPU does). When we both reach the goal score, it sometimes gives the win to the CPU. I haven't the foggiest idea what causes these, but it must be a returning glitch. Kinda annoying, but overall, it's a pretty based little game, an' if y'enjoy Reversi, y'd definitively want to take it for a few spins.

"Building..."

"Construction complete."

"Warning! Wormsign."

"Frigate has arrived."

Sounds familiar? Congrats, man, y'have played one of the greatest RTS games in the known universe and beyond! While the first Dune game had only very limited strategy and tactical gameplay, Westwood took a daring turn by implementing a fully developed real-time strategy game upon Frank Herbert's world-famous Dune universe. They were indeed truly daring - the game itself largely deviates from the novel or the movie - but it was WELL worth, an' proved to be extremely successful. Prior to Dune II, there were only 2 RTS-alike games AFAIK: Herzog Zwei and Civilization. Neither of them had any base material, unlike Dune, so Westwood took a LOT of risks.

If y're not familiar wit' the franchise, lemme outline it for ya: in the extremely far future, interstellar travel is accomplished by folding space. The Imperium consists the Landsraad (the alliance of all Great Houses, planets basically) and the Space Guild, whose space-travel monopoly is unmatched. The Guild Navigators, who control the starships, require the Spice Melange to be able to do so. Alas, said Spice can ONLY be found on a deserted, remote planet covered by deserts, violent storms and gigantic sandworms. The planet's name is Arrakis...also known as Dune. Whoever controls Dune controls the Spice. The Imperium's ruler, House Corrino, more precisely, the Emperor sets up a contest for three Great Houses: the noble Atreides, the insidious Ordos, and the evil Harkonnen, to fight it out - no territories, no rules, last House left standing wins. The player takes their role as a military commander of a House of their decision.

The game is a top-down real-time strategy, putting heavy emphasis on BOTH resource management, building and managing a military base, and of course, vanquishing the enemy. Once the contest (the game) begins, each House start occupying territories of Arrakis. Each region holds new landscapes, new surprises, more and more advanced technologies for harvesting, building, and fighting - later areas are also larger than the first three or so. During the final clashes, the player has to take their chances againt 2 or 3 enemy factions simultaneously - especially when it turns out that the evil Emperor is not entirely loyal to his word, an' WILL ally wit' your enemies against YOU.

The premise is truly awesome: while harvesting spice, y'must also expand your base, an' spend fortunes on fighting units and vehicles: soldiers, light vehicles, heavy vehicles and aircraft. The first two missions are rather easy: just collect a specified quota of spice. After mission 3 to mission 9, y'll be obliged to obliterate the enemy faction from the map. At first, there are only soldiers and light vehicles, an' later come the heavy tanks, and of course, the various House-specific weapons, such as Sonic Tank, Deviator or the Fremen. Each unit has their unique characteristics, so careful planning and adapting to new tactics and new threats is a must. Since this game does not have the "westwood-effect" yet, tanks will always be better than soldiers and vehicles, though the weaker but quicker units can still perform well as recon and auxiliary units. Certain buildings also can be captured by blasting its energy to the red zone, and ordering infantry units to move into them, though this mechanic has little use. And of course, watching out for sandworms is paramount.

While the game is truly fantastic and has an extremely high replay value (and hence, is very popular to this day), it does have its fair share of problems. Regardless of the version, there's always a unit/building limit, there is no group select, so key-commands will be mandatory to know. Starports tend to glitch out, Atreides units not autofiring on sandworms, Ordos Saboteurs are completely useless, the enemy always has unlimited cash, and in certain versions, it can place structures atop your units, killing them instantly. Aerial warfare is very underdeveloped, Ornithopters can cause very unpleasant situations, and spice does not regenerate: if you harvest the map out, it's all over. Luckily, there ARE beneficial quirks and glitches too, such as the Sonic Tank range extension bug, or the Dirty Deviator Trick. It will take a while to figure all these out - but that's how truly great commanders are made. So if y're a fan of sci-fi, deserts, or the franchise itself, it's MORE than worthy to be given a whirl. Or perhaps just one more. And one more. And...