Back in 1986, on a CZ-Spectrum (a local Argentine clone), I fell in love with Art Studio. Decades later, I wanted to revisit my retro pixel art roots on an emulator, but I hit a wall: I didn't have the Lenslok prism to get past the copy protection.

Simon Owen built a brilliant C++ Windows utility (LensKey) to solve this years ago. Since I'm on a macOS environment and wanted something without dependencies, I extracted his original mathematical transformation matrices and ported the whole thing to a modern, client-side web.

It's completely free, runs locally in your browser, and handles the screen capturing workflows smoothly.

You can use it here directly: https://www.bustelo.com.ar/apps/lenskey-web/index-en.html

Or check the source code on GitHub: https://github.com/sbustelo/lenskey-web

Huge thanks to Simon Owen for the original reverse engineering. Hope this helps someone else trying to play Elite, Tomahawk, or Art Studio today :)

So, I've been searching for a copy of Evolution by iWin games for the better part of five years now. It was a game I played a lot when I was younger, and it was one of the first games my mom had ever gotten me that was specifically for 'me'. I finally got my hands on it courtesy of archive.org, but I'm having issues getting it to run.

I'm not entirely a stranger to abandonware games, but for some reason this one in particular seems to be throwing errors and issues where other childhood favorites I've played(fish Tycoon, the original Insaniaquarium, Bone) have not.

My issues are either that it;

• Opens but is a black screen with the proper stylized mouse visible, but the game hangs like that. Requires task manager to close.
• Opens but doesn't, where it instead shows a super low res version of my display that I can't interact with at all. I have to use a different display to task manager close it, as the application is hanging similar to the above.
• Crashes immediately.
• Fatal error
  • This error has also happened at the RELEASE_Gkernel.dll. I was stupid and didn't grab that one though. It has also only happened once at that location.

I've tried running it in compatibility mode for windows Vista and XP, as well as reducing resolution size in the game's config. I feel like this is an issue caused by having such a high resolution for my monitor, but I'm not sure on how to fix it or if that's even possible.
I got it to work once with these settings(and high DPI settings here), but not again.

I'm using Windows 10 64bit
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti with driver version 32.0.16.1047

i got silent hill 3 off my abandonware and i get this message after 10 minutes of gameplay. i installed a couple of quality of life mods and i am unsure if they could be the issue. im new to pcs so any help would be appreciated thanks.

Hi everyone! I've been looking for this game for years, and I'm starting to think it's extremely obscure. I played it on Windows XP around the early 2000s, but it may have been released a few years earlier.

Here's everything I remember:

• It was a PC game.
• Gameplay was almost exactly like Columns: groups of 3 objects fell vertically from the top, and you could rotate/swap their order while they were falling.
• Matching 3 or more identical objects made them disappear.
• It had a versus mode against AI with two playfields side by side (split-screen).
• Making combos would send garbage/unmatchable objects to your opponent's board.
• The pieces were fully 3D models that slowly rotated while falling.

The most distinctive feature was the characters:

• Every playable character was only a giant floating head (no body or neck).
• The heads were animated during gameplay and reacted by making different facial expressions depending on whether they were winning or losing.
• Each character had:
  • their own background/theme,
  • their own music,
  • their own set of themed objects that fell in the puzzle,
  • and their own biography/lore.

I remember several characters:

• A fortune teller/witch whose pieces were crystal balls.
• A blonde princess with huge lips and a flower in her hair that changed depending on her mood.
• A mischievous boy wearing a red baseball cap.
• A castaway/survivor living on a tropical island; his puzzle pieces were different fruits.
• A futuristic man with sunglasses. The official website said he was the twin brother of the castaway.
• A blue girl with an underwater theme.
• A punk guy with cables/tubes connected from his nose to his head.
• A cinema/movie theater employee with long blond hair and a cap.
• A hairy caveman whose theme involved eggs/chicks.
• A gnome or Santa-like old man with a long pointed hat.

Other things I remember:

• The graphics were early 3D CGI, not pixel art.
• The official website had detailed biographies for every character and explained their relationships.
• I remember the website being in what I believe was German, or at least another European language.
• The game title and character names were long and difficult for me to pronounce as a kid.
• I don't think it was a famous game. It came from a huge collection of PC games installed on my Windows XP computer (around 206 games), alongside random games like LEGO racers and Coca-Cola promotional games.

I've recreated the gameplay layout and the characters from memory (attached images).

Does this ring a bell for anyone?

The character drawings are rough recreations from memory, not exact copies. They're only meant to show the general appearance and style.

Civilization Classics Collection

UPDATED TO VERSION 0.5 (25/06/2026 @ 00:00 GMT)

A few months ago I released a Windows 10/11 compatibility repack for Civilization II Multiplayer Gold Edition.

That project ended up snowballing a bit.

After a lot more testing, patching, launcher work, installer scripting, compatibility fixes, codec headaches, and far too much time spent staring at Inno Setup scripts, I've now combined everything into a single package:

Civilization Classics Collection

Included

Sid Meier's Civilization

Civilization II Multiplayer Gold Edition

• Original Version
• Enhanced Version (UI Additions + Music Support)

Civilization II: Test of Time

Features

• Single Installer
• Single Launcher
• Windows 10/11 Compatibility
• Automatic Handling of Required Legacy Codecs
• Automatic LAV Filters Detection / Installation
• Civ II Gold Original and Enhanced Launch Options
• Test of Time Compatibility Fixes
• Civilization I Compatibility Packaging
• Documentation Included

Version 0.5 Highlights

The integrated Mod Manager has received a major upgrade.

New features include:

• Multi-Mod Support
• Automatic Backup & Restore
• Civilization II MGE Mod Support
• Civilization II Test of Time Mod Support
• Civilization I Scenario Support
• ZIP, 7Z and RAR Importing
• Total Conversion Support
• Legacy Mod Archive Compatibility
• Automatic Nested Folder Detection
• Automatic Launch Routing
• Progress Tracking During Deployment

The launcher can now automatically backup original game files, deploy multiple compatible mods, launch the correct game version, and restore original files when the game is closed.

No manual file swapping, backup management, or file restoration required.

The goal wasn't to modify the games themselves, but to make them easy to install and play on a modern PC without having to spend an afternoon hunting down patches, codecs, fixes, forum posts and workarounds.

This started as a personal preservation project for my uncle who has been playing the game almost daily since the launch of Civ II. What began as a simple compatibility installer has gradually evolved into a preservation, accessibility, and mod-management project for classic Civilization releases on modern Windows systems.

IMPORTANT - SMARTSCREEN / ANTIVIRUS WARNINGS

A few people have asked about Windows SmartScreen and antivirus warnings, so I wanted to address that directly.

Civilization Classics Collection is currently distributed as an unsigned application.

Because the installer and launcher are not digitally signed, Windows SmartScreen may display an "Unknown Publisher" warning and some antivirus products may classify the installer as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Program).

This is unfortunately common for independently developed software distributed outside of commercial storefronts and does not automatically indicate malware.

The collection:

• Does not install background services
• Does not install startup programs
• Does not collect user data
• Does not communicate with external servers
• Does not include advertising or bundled software

The project consists of:

• A custom launcher
• Compatibility fixes
• Legacy codec support
• Community patches
• Documentation
• An integrated mod manager

If you are unsure, please scan the installer using your preferred security software before running it.

I have also uploaded releases, legacy versions, changelogs and supporting files to Archive.org for transparency and long-term preservation.

Healthy skepticism is completely reasonable when downloading software from the internet and I would rather people ask questions than blindly trust an executable.

Download

Latest Version (v0.5)

Direct Download Link (Updated 24/06/2026 @ 00:00 GMT)

https://drive.proton.me/urls/CSBRVTVY4C#g6SnEXqOZexI

Wanna check out the official Archive.org page? Find it below:

https://archive.org/details/CivilizationClassicsCollection

• At the Archive.org page you can find the Changelog file, all Legacy builds, and dependency files e.g. the SharpCompress.dll for fixing the v0.4 release. Alternatively download the latest version.

If you wish to see my previous work and first installer/launcher, you can find it here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/4Xgaming/comments/1tde6y4/sid_meiers_civilization_ii_multiplayer_gold/

or

https://archive.org/details/sid-meiers-civilization-ii-multiplayer-gold-edition-windows-repack-by-vc.exe

Currently Working On

• Multi-language Support for Civilization II Gold
• Additional Mod Manager Improvements
• Improved Scenario Compatibility
• Save Compatibility Testing
• Additional Launcher Improvements

Hopefully some of you get a bit of nostalgia out of it.

Tested Major Features

• Civilization I Launching
• Civilization II MGE Original
• Civilization II MGE Enhanced
• Civilization II Fantastic Worlds Scenarios
• Civilization II Conflicts in Civilization Scenarios
• Civilization II Test of Time
• Graphics Mods
• Rules Mods
• Scenarios
• Total Conversions
• Multi-Mod Deployments
• Automatic Backup & Restore

Changelog

v0.1

• Initial Collection Release

v0.2

• Added Custom Launcher
• Added Launcher Artwork
• Added Manuals Access

v0.3

• Added Settings Panel
• Added Launcher Music
• Added Saves, Mods, Music and Temp Folders
• Added Collection Folder Access
• Added Settings Persistence through an .ini File

v0.4

• Added Integrated Mod Manager
• Added ZIP, 7Z and RAR Mod Importing
• Added Mod Metadata Support
• Added Mod Categories
• Added Installed Mod Browser
• Added Mod Details Panel
• Added Mod Deletion Functionality
• Added Mod Launch Functionality
• Added Mod Preview Functionality
• Added Automatic Game File Backup System
• Added Automatic Mod Deployment System
• Added Automatic File Restoration on Game Exit
• Added Civilization II Multiplayer Gold Edition Mod Support
• Added Civilization II Test of Time Mod Support
• Added Civilization I Scenario Support
• Added Mod Management Documentation
• Added Complete Collection Removal Option During Uninstall
• Improved Launcher Stability
• Improved Large Mod Compatibility

v0.4a Hotfix

• Fixed missing SharpCompress dependency in the installer
• Fixed mod importing on clean installations
• Added background mod extraction
• Added mod import progress bar
• Improved responsiveness during large mod imports
• Reduced "Not Responding" behaviour when importing large total conversion mods
• Added optional complete collection directory removal during uninstall
• Improved uninstall functionality and cleanup options
• Added additional Windows Defender and SmartScreen testing
• Added documentation regarding unsigned application warnings
• Improved release documentation
• Minor stability and quality-of-life improvements

v0.5

New Features

• Added multi-mod support.
• Added simultaneous deployment of multiple compatible mods.
• Added launch status notifications.
• Added integrated mod deployment progress display.
• Added hidden developer/debug menu (Konami Code).
• Added Fantastic Worlds scenarios.
• Added Conflicts in Civilization scenarios.
• Added support for nested mod directory structures commonly found in legacy Civilization mod archives.

Mod Manager Improvements

• Improved backup handling for multi-mod deployments.
• Improved restoration handling for stacked mod sessions.
• Improved deployment reliability.
• Improved compatibility with legacy Civilization II and Test of Time mod archives.
• Added automatic detection of nested mod content folders.
• Prevented deployment of executable files from mod packages.
• Improved launch workflow feedback and status reporting.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed Civilization II: Test of Time mods launching Civilization II Multiplayer Gold Edition Enhanced instead of Test of Time.
• Fixed Test of Time total conversion mods failing to load due to incorrect game launch routing.
• Fixed multi-mod restoration issues where some modified files could remain deployed after exiting the game.
• Fixed backup handling when multiple selected mods modified different files.
• Fixed launch paths that could leave modded files deployed if the game failed to start.
• Fixed mod deployment issues affecting certain total conversion mods.
• Fixed compatibility issues with nested archive structures used by some legacy Civilization mods.
• Fixed launcher workflow issues discovered during multi-mod testing.

General Improvements

• Removed deployment popup spam during normal operation.
• Improved launcher responsiveness during mod deployment.
• Improved deployment and restoration feedback.
• Various stability, compatibility and usability improvements.

So I downloaded gta vc from anker games but when I tried to play it i couldn't as it asked for steam so when I downloaded steam and when I tried then it showed this. Can u guys plz help on how I get it started with

I wanted to play Prey with a controller on PC. Tried reWASD community config and it does work but mouse sensitivity with joysticks feel horrible! So, started to look for patches and came across this:

https://github.com/themuffinator/OpenPREY

It sounds great and offers a lot more than just controller support! It's on Github, therefore open source, nfo looks well written and documented, but it has only 10 stars, the creator has several other projects that range from zero to just over 20 stars. I can't code therefore not capable to review it. So I wonder:

Can we trust it?

Has anyone tried it?

Do you guys think is worth it?