Word Rescue by Redwood Games is an excellent educational game for the younger children, teaching vital spelling and word association skills without taking them out of the gameplay. Another Apogee-sponsored classic, this is right up there with Math Rescue in being elementary school-level programs that just about any growing child could really prosper from, even today. Don’t be a Gruzzle, give a book a nuzzle! …That made more sense in my head.
Tag: apogee software
Wolfenstein 3D – PC
For almost everyone outside of Germany, Wolfenstein 3D was an explosive introduction to what many of us would regard as the proper first-person shooter genre. Back then, all you needed was a few guns, a bunch of Nazis, and hidden rooms behind push-walls. But does this dusty relic still cut to the core like granddad’s serrated WWII combat knife? Get psyched.
Raptor: Call of the Shadows – PC
Raptor: Call of the Shadows is a scrolling shooter title that pits you up against countless enemy ships with only one goal in mind, to make as much cash blowing them to smithereens as possible. Its initial difficulty curve may be hard for newer players to grasp, but if you hold out and upgrade your weapons judiciously, you’ll likely find it an enjoyable game.
Mystic Towers – PC
Mystic Towers is difficult to define genre-wise, because it takes elements from many different genres and transmutes them into a unique and very satisfying game. Baron Baldric must face twelve dungeons full of deadly monsters and conniving puzzles to make the land safe for his loyal subjects. Would he be better off hanging up his magic staff for good, or has he still got it after all these years?
Math Rescue – PC
How often do you find an educational game that still manages to be legitimately fun for the kids? Making games like that is a lost art these days, but the Apogee-published Math Rescue proves that it’s nowhere near impossible. Math Rescue gives children valuable time to practice math skills while still letting them play a fun action platformer, showing a seamless formula that should be learned from and emulated for the benefit of future generations.
Hocus Pocus – PC
Hocus Pocus tells the tale of a young magician out to prove himself to the Wizards’ Council through a series of dangerous quests! A wizard-themed run-and-gun platformer, it’s easy to pick up and play, with simple but tight mechanics, very colorful backgrounds, and myriad secret treasures. But is it real magic that this game is making, or does its spell fizzle out prematurely?
Alien Carnage – PC
Alien Carnage is one of the more obscure titles in Apogee Software’s publishing library, and for good reason. With relatively sedate gameplay and a confused identity not helped by the seemingly random choice to name the heroic protagonist “Halloween Harry” (seriously?), this third-party title failed to cash in on the popularity of such titles as Duke Nukem II. Is it better than we’ve given it credit for, or was this game out almost out of fuel to begin with?
Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold – PC
Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold is a first-person shooter built from the Wolfenstein 3D engine by JAM Productions and published by Apogee Software. It plays very much like its parent title with a few upgrades and a scenery shift, but does it hold up beyond the weight of nostalgia? Buy a candy bar and some ammo as we chase Dr. Goldfire through every single one of his hidden treasure rooms!
Bio Menace – PC
Bio Menace is a classic side-scroller by Apogee Software with a classic difficulty curve, meaning that if you want to best all three chapters of this game’s story, you’re going to need to wake up those old-school instincts and sniff out every hidden power-up and secret level you can find. Master Cain isn’t going to defeat himself. Are you up to the challenge?