Yup, for Mac kids. Forget about Apple. We’re talking straight Mac here. Back in the 80’s, to be cutting edge, you needed a Mac Plus. A computer you could use for work but that gave you room to get into gaming as well. The mother of all innovations and the idea behind what would become the top selling operating system, Microsoft Windows that is (yeah, Mac invented the concept… surprised?). With the groundbreaking 9 inches black and white screen yelling a resolution of 512×342, games were crisp as they could get.  Sit back, grab your mug and open a random Word window to pull on if your boss pass by and read on.

10 – Arkanoid by Taito America Corp 1986

This is no news to anybody. This game was acclaimed again and again to the point where it became boring. But still, if you haven’t played the game once then… then… well, you missed something. A direct child of Breakout, Arkanoid differentiate itself by bringing some interesting twists in the forms of power-ups such as multi-balls, longer pad, lasers and more. Graphically the Mac version did pretty well, animations were fluids and sound was okay. That’s a good start on our top 10 since this game shows what matters the most in every game ever created, gameplay. This one is all about it.

9 – Déjà vu by ICOM Simulations, Inc 1985

Déjà Vu surfaced in 1985, a time when animations were hard to perform due to hardware limitations but developers could still delivered graphic-wise in the form of still images in puzzle/adventure games. Déjà vu used that technique to immerse gamers in a crime world. Players could use keywords such as open, close, search and the like to interact with the environment. They were also gathering items to solve the different puzzles and it’s in this area that this game shine. You had to do lots of thinking not to be stuck running around. For this reason, the satisfaction of solving some of the puzzles made that game #9.

8 – HardBall by ACCOLADE, INC 1985

We’re getting a little deeper in the Mac world now since #9 and #10 were games that saw the day on other systems as well. I could be wrong on this one but I don’t recall seeing HardBall on another platform. That’s a baseball game for one, yes, but a really good one for the time. Remember that early in 1985, Super Mario Bros wasn’t even released on the NES and even years later no games would look as sharp as HardBall on that system. Animations were kicking, controls were smoking and hot-dogs were selling.

7 – Airborne by Silicon Beach Software 1984

Ask someone who had a Mac Plus what games he was playing and you can bet Airborne will come out. From the theme song to the realistic sound effects, the game was born to be a success. Add the ultra simplistic yet fantastic gameplay and you have a winner. In the game you are one man army equipped with a turret and a grenade launcher. Enemies were flooding toward you in helicopters, tanks, planes and on foot for one reason: Kill you so you stop killing them. The more you get into the game, the more enemies fill the screen. You’ll have to be a hero to win the war but even if you win (is that even possible?) you will want to go back at it. Pure addiction.

6 – Sierra Championship Boxing by SIERRA ON-LINE INC 1985

A visual beast. And more. That was probably the best boxing game you could had all platforms considered. You had lot of boxers to choose from and you could even pick some… huh… monsters. Literally. Gameplay was slow but that just made you more into it. Good musical theme at game start and the bell ring like it should be although the punches themselves sounded weird but that’s part of the charm. Next boxing hit was probably Punch-Out on the NES. Okay, Punch-Out was way ahead of it but that doesn’t make Sierra Championship Boxing a weak contender for the Mac.

5 – Scarab of Ra by Semicolon Software 1987

Between still images and animated puzzle/adventure games were this pioneer of a genre that probably gave ID Software some hints on how to create Wolfenstein 3D. Okay, there’s no rocket launcher in this game neither can you kill Nazi people or strafe around your foes or creatures called Imp (is that it?) but… it’s in 3D. And it’s a maze you could get lost in. Scarab of Ra gave players an opportunity to explore an ancient tomb in Egypt and try to get out of it alive. You had to solve some mysteries, decrypting some hieroglyphs and what not. Interesting? Of course it was!

4 – Pinball by Bob Upshaw 1986

Physics is the main thing you have to deliver as a developer if you want gamers to like a pinball game. But if you have it nailed AND you’re the first ever to offer a table editor, than you can give yourself a tap in the back because you just made a sure hit. Pinball already gave you a bunch of good tables to choose from but also gave you the pleasure to use all kind of pinball gadgets to create yours and all those bumpers and flippers had their sounds took straight from the arcade. That’s for these reasons Mac users sticked to their screens.

3 – Shadowgate AND Uninvited by ICOM Simulations, Inc 1986-87

To begin the top 3, here’s no less than a draw. Made by the same company, Shadowgate AND Uninvited came back to back and shares lots of points in common to justify the draw. They were also released on other platforms later but they will always be remembered as classics for the Mac. Born in the puzzle/adventure trend à la Déjà Vu, they were the games of the genre that ruled them all. Spooky atmosphere couldn’t be found in many 80’s games but those had it plenty. Turn the light off and you got yourself a foot in the horror gaming that was still to come. The creepy places that both games offered were a joy to navigate, the sounds were spot on and puzzles were hard and satisfying. A solid number 3.

2 – Lode Runner by Broderbund 1984

A game that all the family loved. My dad was playing it, my sister was playing it, my mom was… huh… no, she didn’t. Okay, my mom never played any game so that doesn’t count. What made Lode Runner so popular was that you could build your own level. Sounds fair these days but back then it was a premiere. You heard me right. Computer Gaming World, a reference in gaming magazines of the 80’s top rated the game and held a level creating contest. I can’t think of a console or a personal computer that didn’t got its port. Oh, and about the game. You’re a guy that collects money and dig holes to bury his enemies. Simple yet effective.

1 – Dark Castle / Beyond Dark Castle Silicon Beach Software 1986-87

True classics. Again, two games on the same spot and it’s no less than number one. I could have made a Mac top 12 but found the line less punchy. Those two games were of those you will always remember. For anybody that didn’t had a Mac, chances are that won’t ring a bell. You had to run them on the tiny black and white monitor to really feel it. Forget about the ports that have bad controls and graphics. This game had it all. Awesome graphics, beyond its time animations and terrific sound effects. The mechanic of the game made its known reputation and share the roots of the gameplay. It’s a platformer on one end and a shooting gallery on the other. Yup, you were throwing rocks with the mouse and had to be good at hitting targets if you wanted to survive. Jumping was also a tricky part of the game as in a good platformer. Gnan! Gnan! Gnan! Gnan! Gnan!