Arctic Adventure is a 1991 Apogee platformer that swaps Egyptian pyramids for frozen tundra — delivering the same tight shareware design that defined the era. Developed by George Broussard as a sequel to Pharaoh’s Tomb, it is a fast, fun, and genuinely challenging DOS classic.
About Arctic Adventure
Published by Apogee Software in 1991, Arctic Adventure follows Nevada Smith on a new mission — this time to the frozen north, where ancient ruins have been discovered beneath the ice. Like its predecessor, the game ships as four episodes with the first available free.
Gameplay
Arctic Adventure builds directly on Pharaoh’s Tomb’s engine and design philosophy. Nevada navigates icy caverns, avoids polar enemies like penguins and polar bears, and solves environmental puzzles to reach the exit on each level. The icy theme introduces new hazards: slippery floors that affect movement, frozen platforms, and tighter jump timing requirements.
Twenty levels per episode ensure the game stays fresh throughout. The difficulty is honest — deaths are always your fault, and the satisfaction of clearing a particularly devious chamber is real.
Why It’s Worth Playing
Arctic Adventure represents George Broussard rapidly refining his design skills. Compared to Pharaoh’s Tomb, the level design is tighter and the pacing is better. For historians of shareware gaming, watching Broussard evolve from Pharaoh’s Tomb to Arctic Adventure to eventually Duke Nukem is one of DOS gaming’s great development arcs.
How to Download Arctic Adventure
New to DOSBox? Our complete DOSBox setup guide walks you through everything you need. Looking for more classics? Browse our top free DOS games list.
How to Run with DOSBox
- Extract to
C:\ARCTIC - In DOSBox:
mount c c:\arctic→c: - Run:
ARCTIC.EXE
Watch Gameplay
You might also like:
