Top-down scrolling puzzler for Windows 3

Help locating old / Pre year 2000 games you used to play.
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DOSMAN

Top-down scrolling puzzler for Windows 3

Post by DOSMAN »

My family used to have a retail Compaq Presario 486SX multimedia PC from 1993 which I have so many fond memories of. There was a lot of pre-installed software on that machine, including games, and I'm trying to remember one of them. Thanks to a previous thread here I re-discovered "Combat Tanks", so perhaps I'll have luck with this one.

I don't remember the name at all, unfortunately, but it was part of some game collection that came with the computer. I don't think "Plus Pack" was in any way associated with this collection, but I might be wrong. In any case, I remember the games included were generally "safe" or kid-friendly puzzle and educational games for Windows 3 with no cutting-edge graphics or action titles. The graphics of the game I'm thinking of, in fact, had much the same overall look as Combat Tanks (and most other Win 3 games from that period).

The specific game I remember was a puzzle game where you controlled a character who passed levels by clearing rooms (getting all necessary color-coded keys or key cards and finding the exit, I believe). It was a completely top-down, four-way scrolling map and you only saw your "guy" by the top of his rather large head along with his shoulders (and legs when he walked). The map you walked around was broken into squares and each press of a directional key walked him to an adjacent square. Much like the famous Apogee puzzlers you pushed certain blocks around the map and avoided dumb enemies. Map terrain played a huge role and I think you died whenever you entered the water squares (not to mention the fire squares!) requiring you to either avoid these hazards or push certain blocks in to make a bridge. What I call a "bridge", however, looked no different than the rest of the floor once you pushed a block into it, so it was more like that particular water or fire square was replaced. I also vaguely recall your guy catching fire when you moved him into a fire square (which I had great fun purposefully doing at that time) and, perhaps, some other visual effect when he entered the water. I also think he could become invincible at certain points (by running into an invincibility power-up of some kind) and could pass through fire or water unharmed. Finally, I'm almost certain there were directional squares that pushed you in the direction of the black and white pulsating arrows on the square. Some levels then required you to push objects into these directional square paths so they would travel to the end point.

I think I remember the very beginning of the very first level where your guy starts near the right edge of the screen (wall squares to the right) in the middle of this three-sided rectangle of wall squares that stretches off to the left. In the middle of this rectangle (which you are to the right edge of) are water squares either one or two squares in "width" (up and down) and several more in "length" (right to left). There were normal floor squares only ONE square in width to either side of this "pool" (for lack of a better term). Two of some kind of fixed path and speed enemy (robot I think?) circled this water pool in a clockwise direction, so in order to get past this initial part of the level (and move on to the left) you had to time your movement so that you entered the bottom side path traveling left in the "gap" between the robots. A very simple first puzzle.

I wish I could remember more.... :)
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Post by emmzee »

I'm almost certain the game is "Chip's Challenge":

Info:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/chips-challenge

Screenshots:
http://www.mobygames.com/game/chips-cha ... creenshots

Download:
http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?id=1346
(Scroll down near the bottom, where it says "Here! [171kb]" for the download link)

That is the DOS version of the game ... it seems to play okay in WinXP, but you may want to try <a href="http://dosbox.sourceforge.net">DOSBox</a>. Or apparently there is a Windows clone called "Tile World" that's available here:

http://www.muppetlabs.com/~breadbox/software/tworld/
(Download link is near the top, "Windows binary")

Never tried Tile World but during my brief Google search I saw it mentioned a couple times as a modern alternative to Chip's.

Chips Challenge is a great game btw :D I actually played it many years ago on my Atari Lynx handheld system :thumbsup:
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Post by DOSMAN »

Thank You! You are absolutely correct. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

So much for my memory, though. :jester: I guess I had it confused with the Apogee puzzlers and several others. I thought I would provide as much information as possible to help you guys, though, and it worked!

It makes sense that my old Compaq would have the Windows Entertainment Pack installed, which is where this is from (that I played). I also strongly recognize Jezzball and Maxwell's Maniac from that pack. A screenshot of the Windows 3 version with info on all versions and a page where you can download the WEP games are below:

http://members.chello.at/theodor.lauppe ... s/chip.htm
http://web.telia.com/~u49105060/download_spel.html

It is amazing how addictive this game (still) is--I'm up to level 29! BTW, that water "pool" segment I remember so well is part of the second level. :)
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