Great computer games don’t only live in glamorous packages on commercial software store shelves: Macintosh shareware* authors produce some of the best games around, and the number of games available for the Mac grows in tandem with the explosive growth of online services and the Internet.
For gaming fans, online libraries offer a vast amount of material — some good, some bad. Many of the games focus on arcade action, but others exist which bring strategy and adventure to home monitors. Online services and the Internet generally distribute shareware and freeware games which restricts archive sizes so that they may be downloaded in reasonable times. As TCP/IP Internet connections become more prevalent and modems get faster, these file sizes can grow. Currently the maximum size of an achieved game runs around 1.5 megs.
One of the great themes in gaming is Science-Fiction. Shareware and freeware are no different. In anticipation of November 18 which, as all of you should know, is the release date for Star Trek: Generations, this article will present a number of the best offerings available today in the sci-fi realm of shareware and freeware games.
Ÿ Maelstrom — An Ambrosia Classic
Probably the most well known shareware game in existence is Ambrosia Software’s Maelstrom. This classic game first appeared in November, 1992 and quickly became one of the most popular games ever. As an Asteroids take-off, Maelstrom offers players incredibly fast paced action, color graphics, and great play balance. Maelstrom’s replayability is extremely high... you’ll come back to this one again and again. The graphics and sound easily put Maelstrom on par with commercial games.
 
And if you choose not to take my word for it, Maelstrom received the MacUser 1993 Shareware Award for Best Game, four mice from MacWorld, and the Shareware Industry Award for Best Mac Program in 1993.
• TIP: Divide and conquer asteroids. Slice one up, destroy it, then move on to the next.
• TIP: Keep moving when enemies show up. They don’t hit moving targets as well... provided you don’t fly into one of their shots.
≈∏ Rescue - The Ultimate Trek
Despite the fact that Rescue is a blatant copyright infringement, and ultimately completely antithetical to the entire shareware philosophy of honoring the intellectual property of others, it is an entertaining game. Beam aboard the Enterprise and fire phasers and photon torpedeos at Romulan Warbirds and other nasties from your favorite Next Generation episode. You’ll need to keep an eye on your ship’s status as it takes damage, command it to the nearest starbase for repairs, and beam away teams down to rescue besieged colonists. The latest version is full of automation — making it much more playable than past incarnations of the same theme.
 
The latest versions have added more missions and races, making the entire experience a Trekker’s fantasy. And remember: sometimes you get the bear and sometimes the bear gets you.
TIP: Be aggressive. When an opponent shows up, blast away. Don’t mess around with all that Picardy-poo peace junk. Once the Romulans get a few hits on your precious ship, you could find yourself defenseless. Best defense is a good offense. Be offensive.
Ÿ Asterax — Asteroids with Attitude
Another popular Asteroids cousin comes with three different types of ships and a shopping mall! As you advance in Asterax, you receive the option to buy upgraded weapons, shields, engines, and other neat toys. Asterax also has a number of different enemies and shield regenerators to keep you busy while avoiding space rocks.
 
Asterax has its followers and some advocate that the game is better than Maelstrom. You may make up your own mind and enjoy Asterax as much as you like — its replayability is high.
• TIP: Save up 8 crystals and buy the “shots pass through crystals” weapon. Then you need not be careful at all of shooting and may slice asteroids to bits.
Ÿ Cyclone — Star Castle Revisited
The arcade renaissance continues with Cyclone. An enemy base with a serious bite is surrounded by three levels of rotating shields. Your ship must blast through while avoiding little nasties and a major big gun from the mother base. Yummies help with points, guns, and other special tricks.
 
The graphics and sound in this one are hot and rival commercial games. This game too will keep you coming back for more.
• TIP: Don’t shoot the last shield in any given ring — they reset if completely destroyed.
Ÿ Solarian II — Galaga Gallops Back
Here’s another arcade classic which reined on the Macintosh before Maelstrom showed up. The sounds and graphics are solid as players control their ship on the bottom of the screen with -- get this -- a mouse! Many arcade games on the Mac never use the mouse. Solarian does.
 
As a cross between Space Invaders and Galaga, Solarian II still has its followers.
Ÿ SAT Invaders — Just Guess Who’s Back
SAT Invaders is one of the most faithful recreations of the classic which put arcade games on the map — Space Invaders. The graphics in this version are just a bit better than the original arcade graphics, but for Space Invader addicts, this program should bring back the old bug.
 
The graphics and sound aren’t as sophisticated as they might be, but SAT Invaders is good for a play now and then.
Ÿ SpaceInvader — Here’s Another... But Not Quite.
Despite the name, this game is somewhat different from its namesake. Various square ships descend and drop bombs on your missile base as it swings back and forth on the ground, but they never reach the ground. There are tons of yummies and yuckies to watch for, along with plenty of different kinds of enemies. This game might have been set as a great game, but its play is a little off (a point hard to quantify) and the graphics and sound not quite on par with other games around.
 
SpaceInvader is worth the download (if you get it online) and is worth some space on your hard drive, but isn’t quite as endearing as some of the others listed here.
Ÿ StarRunner — Defender for PowerBooks and B&W Macs
Too often these days PowerBooks and older Macs are left in the dust as games more and more often require color monitors and large amounts or RAM. For sci-fi arcade buffs, this remake of an arcade classic comes through well in black-and-white. It plays the same on an 68040 processor as it does on a 68000 processor. It works under a number of System incarnations. And it’s fun.
 
Defender was in color, but StarRunner is one of the few (perhaps the only) game which really carries black-and-white off well. Load up those RAM Disks, PowerBook users and have some fun on that long flight.
• TIP: Stay low. If you hug the ground, enemies tend to miss.
Ÿ Xenos — Sets Itself Apart... Good and Bad.
Xenos is interesting because it features rolling terrain under a flying starship. This game design is unique to Xenos (insofar as the Mac is concerned) and thus offers a new perspective to games. Unfortunately the game is a bit buggy and they graphics leave a bit to be desired.
 
Xenos is fun and has open ended architecture — the author may release new worlds to conquer in the future. The bases at the end of each level can be frustrating, while enemies before hand too easy.
• TIP: Fly parallel with enemy ships. If they move right-to-left, you do the same. It will prevent their shots from hitting you (or if you time it badly all the shots will hit).
Ÿ CyberNation — Robots-R-Us.
CyberNation is a maze based game with fun animation sprites. It plays on a small screen area and also plays in black-and-white (which many of these games don’t) allowing older Macs and PowerBooks some fun. Shooting isn’t the main focus, but helps, while your Robot wanders through looking for keys to solve the maze of each level.
 
CyberNation requires that you pay your shareware fee to play the full game, but its well worth it. Many monsters, different tools (whose uses are not documented but definitely delightful) and some complex mazes make this a blend of arcade and adventure. Best yet: Arnie the Cyborg is really cute.
• TIP: Arnie can shoot himself to death — don’t waste shots.
• TIP: Food is good. Bad guys are bad. The solution to the maze is what you’re after. Don’t get hung up trying to shoot everything. They all just rematerialize anyway.
≈∏ SpaceStation Pheta
This game has been around for a long time, but deserves a mention for those puzzle-lovers out there. You maneuver a spacesuited figure through an abandoned spacestation while being careful not to run out of oxygen. You may move right, left, up, down and jump. Avoid falling and running out of air while you make it to the airlock.
 
The graphics are... quaint, but the puzzles are still fun. Best of all, you may design your own levels.
Ÿ Missions of the Starship Reliant — The Acme Starship Adventure
Missions of the Reliant combines arcade action with the thrill of an adventure/role playing game as you play the captain of the I.A.S. Reliant. The first mission is the only one currently available, but the author has promised to come out with more soon. You’ve crew members to assign tasks for, ship status reports to check, enemy invaders to repel, and goals to accomplish. There’s a learning curve on this one, but the time is well worth it.
 
This starship game is quite similar to a number of Star Trek rip-offs which have been popular in the past. This game tops all of them with great graphics and (hopefully) new adventures once the first mission is complete.
• TIP: Gotta love aft torpedoes. And watch it — the Reliant isn’t as maneuverable as her opponents, but she can take a beating.
Ÿ StarBound — Spaceward Ho on a Budget
For strategy buffs, this game is a simple space empire game where planets are terra-formed and developed, starships built, and battles fought. Overall a simple game but quite entertaining. The graphics aren’t great, but the A.I. is respectable. If you’re a Pax Imperia fan and don’t have a month of your life to devote to your Mac, then pick up StarBound. A good game can be played in a day.
 
One of the best aspects of StarBound is that battles may actually be fought in space. It also allows for surveillance nets to be laid across fronts and enemy territories. Overall a great game.
• TIP: Defend your homeworld. Its extra output is critical for tech advances and starships. Don’t try to bite off more than you can chew in the early parts of the game. One or two solid planets is better than five or ten weakly held worlds.
That wraps up the best of space shareware. There are tons of other games out there — these just happen to be, in my opinion, those worth keeping on my hard drive.
Please feel free to contact Scott Love via e-mail with questions or comments.
Internet: SLove@zmac.ziff.com
eWorld: Scott Love
CompuServe: 72613,2733
*note: throughout this article I referred to shareware as all software non-commercial, be it freeware, poscardware, supportNASAwear, formalwear, etc., etc.
