Having software to run on your RISC OS computer is all well and good – but every one knows the most important type of software of all is the type that entertains, and engages in an interactive way: Games
Even if you don’t play computer games yourself, and might want to sit down with a spreadsheet, or while away the hours with a word processor, there’s a good chance you have family members who would prefer to just play.
So here’s a quick round up of possible sources of computer games at RISC OS North (which is now just two days away!):
Your first port of call has to be AMCOG Games where you there will be a plethora of games for you to try and buy.
AMCOG’s Tony Bartram has pretty much written a new game for each RISC OS show since 2015, and is maintaining that tradition for RISC OS North. The new title for this show is Morphix, which is described as ‘a fusion between a sliding puzzle, character colour transformation, and a Mop Tops style game.’
I’ve been playing a test version of the game here in the remote RISCOSitory bunker (and may even design a level or two), and that description is just right.
You should also pop over to talk to me on the Soft Rock Software stand, where you’ll be able to pick up edition 2 of the Soft Rock Software collection. This gathers together all of the software that can be downloaded from the website (or which is supposed to be there, but just isn’t… yet) – and adds a few bonus items for added value.
Although some other boring software (i.e. not games) is included, most of the budget games released through Soft Rock Software up until the mid-1990s are there – and for the second edition, that range has been expanded to include the 2021 updated version of Escape from Exeria, a game in which you must navigate 80 mazes, avoiding guards – who can turn particularly nasty at times – to find your way out.
And if you’d like to try your hand at writing adventures, another bonus on the second edition is TrellisAI – previously known as Trellis: The Adventure Interpreter.
Another source of games is R-Comp. While the vast majority of their extensive range of software covers other areas, there are also a good few notable game titles as well – with ports of Doom, Hexen, and Heretic, for example, all of which have seen significant improvements in the not too distant past.
For a more relaxed, cerebral gaming experience than shooting the hellish creatures in the likes of Doom, Steve Fryatt has just the thing.
His range of software includes a few simple desktop puzzle games for you to while away the time, such as a version of Noughts and Crosses, a Mastermind clone, and so on – but he’s also ported Simon Tatham’s Portable Puzzle Collection, which consists of 40 games to challenge your mind.
And if puzzle games are your preference, another source of these is Sine Nomine, with a small range hidden amongst their catalogue of more series software, as well as a Patience suite that currently offers 47 different games.
And finally, Dynabyte Software provides Quizzics, a quizzing application that allows customised questions and so on – a way to keep an entire family group entertained.