Cinemaware's fifth Amiga release, The Three Stooges, arrived in 1987 and was based on the antics of the American comedy trio. The short film series of the same name ran from 1922 to 1970. The game features the central characters of the films – Moe, Larry and Curly – with Moe mercilessly bossing around the other two bunglers. There are board game-like elements here, combined with arcade action and a touch of simple strategy. In practice, the game is built around five different minigames. The Three Stooges captures the spirit of the films remarkably well, but it is also repetitive and highly mechanical. I knew the game from my Amiga years in the 1990s, and it was interesting to return to it some thirty years later.

Game by: CinemawareJohn Cutter

Diverging from the usual focus of this blog, 7GS: What Ancients Begat is not an adventure game. It is a historical simulation that resembles both a board game and a coin-operated machine. The goal is to ensure that one’s bloodline prospers across the ages. The experience was strange, addictive and mechanical at the same time. I was suffering from (probably temporary) adventure-game fatigue, but this title hit the vein of a game addict.

Game by: MousechiefKeith Nemitz