Eye of the Beholder (1991): SSI’s Real-Time D&D Gamble
Eye of the Beholder ditched SSI’s turn-based Gold Box formula for real-time combat under Waterdeep — here’s how Westwood’s D&D debut still plays.
Leisure Suit Larry: 1987 vs. 1991 VGA Remake Compared
How Al Lowe’s 1987 comedy adventure became a 1991 VGA remake — plus the real story behind its famous age-verification trivia quiz.
Star Wars: X-Wing (1993): LucasArts’ Real 3D Space Sim
How X-Wing’s real-time 3D polygon ships beat Wing Commander’s sprite tricks, and how its power-triangle combat holds up against TIE Fighter.
10 Apogee Games That Are Actually Freeware in 2026
Not every “free” Apogee game really is. Ten DOS classics verified as complete, unrestricted freeware — plus four famous names we deliberately cut.
How Scott Miller Invented Shareware Gaming at Apogee
A $10,000 failure led Scott Miller to invent episodic shareware, sign id Software, and build Apogee into the model every free-to-play game copies.
Beneath a Steel Sky: Dave Gibbons’ DOS Adventure
How Watchmen artist Dave Gibbons helped design 1994’s Beneath a Steel Sky, and how it became a freeware classic preserved by ScummVM.
Epic Pinball (1993): James Schmalz’s DOS Classic
One programmer wrote Epic Pinball in assembly language in 10 months — then used its success to found the studio behind Unreal and Warframe.
Daggerfall (1996): Bethesda’s Buggy, Enormous Gamble
Daggerfall’s procedurally generated world dwarfs Great Britain in size — how it was built, why it broke so often, and how to play it (free) in 2026.
Civilization (1991): From Board Game to PC
How Sid Meier and Bruce Shelley turned Francis Tresham’s board game roots into the 1991 MicroProse classic — the real prototyping story.
Another World (1991): The Solo-Made DOS Classic
How Éric Chahi built Another World alone in ~2 years using rotoscoped polygon animation instead of sprites — plus DOSBox setup and tips.
Duke Nukem (1991): The 2D Platformer Before Duke 3D
Before the chain-gun and one-liners, Duke Nukem was a 1991 Apogee shareware platformer. Development history, DOSBox setup, and the Duke Nukum name story.
Mortal Kombat DOS: The Game That Built the ESRB
How Midway’s bloody fighter, a 1993 Senate hearing, and Acclaim’s uncensored DOS port combined to create the ESRB rating system.