There have been posts about this game here in the past (though not this DOS demo).

The obvious question is, does the game work in a current SVN build (like DOSBox ECE) ? And having you tried running the game in PCem? (Authentic hardware would be preferable for testing purposes.) Daum is pretty outdated at this point.

Unfortunately it is, that fact that it has a CHKLIST.MS should be a dead giveaway.

1SPR/SPR99.LBM:OK
2SPR/SPR00.LBM:OK
3SPR/SPR00B.LBM:OK
4SPR/SPR01A.LBM:MISSING
5SPR/SPR02A.LBM:MISSING
6SPR/SPR03A.LBM:MISSING
7SPR/SPR04A.LBM:MISSING
8SPR/SPR05A.LBM:MISSING
9SPR/SPR06A.LBM:MISSING
10SPR/SPR07A.LBM:MISSING
11SPR/SPR08A.LBM:MISSING
12SPR/SPR09A.LBM:OK
13SPR/SPR10A.LBM:MISSING
14SPR/SPR01B.LBM:MISSING
15SPR/SPR02B.LBM:MISSING
16SPR/SPR03B.LBM:MISSING
17SPR/SPR04B.LBM:MISSING
18SPR/SPR05B.LBM:MISSING
19SPR/SPR06B.LBM:MISSING
20SPR/SPR07B.LBM:MISSING
21SPR/SPR08B.LBM:MISSING
22SPR/SPR09B.LBM:OK
23SPR/SPR10B.LBM:MISSING
24PIC/EDITOR1.LBM:MISSING
25PIC/EDITOR2.LBM:MISSING
26PIC/ACIDE1.LBM:MISSING
27PIC/ACIDE2.LBM:MISSING
28PIC/ACIDE3.LBM:MISSING
29PIC/VIE1.LBM:MISSING
30PIC/VIE2.LBM:MISSING
31PIC/VIE3.LBM:MISSING
32PIC/EXP1.LBM:MISSING
33PIC/EXP2.LBM:MISSING
34PIC/EXP3.LBM:MISSING
35PIC/TIME1.LBM:MISSING
36PIC/TIME2.LBM:MISSING
37PIC/TIME3.LBM:MISSING
38DAT/DEMO1.BIN:MISSING
39DAT/DEMO2.BIN:MISSING
40DAT/DEMO3.BIN:MISSING
41PIC/ANI.LBM:MISSING
42PIC/FONT.LBM:OK
43PIC/MACHINE.LBM:MISSING
44PIC/SAUCISSE.LBM:MISSING
45PIC/EPILEPS.LBM:MISSING
46PIC/HURLE.LBM:MISSING
47PIC/INTER.LBM:MISSING
48PIC/NEWTINY.LBM:MISSING
49DAT/GAMEDAT.BIN:OK
50PIC/KALISTO.LBM:OK
51PIC/TINIES.LBM:OK
52PIC/ZOOM.LBM:OK
53PIC/MADEBY.LBM:MISSING
54PIC/CHOOSE.LBM:MISSING
55PIC/SONS.LBM:MISSING
56PIC/MUSIQUE.LBM:MISSING
57PIC/PLANET.LBM:MISSING
58PIC/SCORE.LBM:MISSING
59PIC/SPRITE1.LBM:MISSING
60PIC/SPRITE2.LBM:MISSING

61PIC/SPRITE3.LBM:MISSING
62PIC/GETJOY.LBM:OK
63DAT/CDATA.BIN:OK
64DAT/SDATA.BIN:OK
65DAT/FDATA.BIN:OK
66KMD/DESERT2.KMD:MISSING
67KMD/PYRAMID2.KMD:MISSING
68KMD/LAGON2.KMD:MISSING
69KMD/FORET2.KMD:MISSING
70KMD/FIN2.KMD:MISSING
71KMD/SOUSTER2.KMD:MISSING
72KMD/VILLAGE2.KMD:MISSING
73KMD/MONTAGN2.KMD:MISSING
74KMD/CHATEAU2.KMD:MISSING
75KMD/MACHINE2.KMD:MISSING
76KMD/DESERT.KMD:MISSING
77KMD/PYRAMIDE.KMD:MISSING
78KMD/LAGON.KMD:MISSING
79KMD/FORET.KMD:MISSING
80KMD/FIN.KMD:MISSING
81KMD/SOUSTER.KMD:MISSING
82KMD/VILLAGE.KMD:MISSING
83KMD/MONTAGNE.KMD:MISSING
84KMD/CHATEAU.KMD:MISSING
85KMD/MACHINE.KMD:MISSING
86KMD/INTRO2.KMD:OK
87DAT/MESSAGES.FRA:MISSING
88DAT/MESSAGES.ENG:OK
89DAT/MESSAGES.DEU:MISSING
90DAT/MESSAGES.ESP:MISSING
91DAT/MESSAGES.ITA:MISSING
92DAT/MESSAGES.FRE:MISSING
93SND/SAMPLE01.IFF:OK
94SND/SAMPLE02.IFF:OK
95SND/SAMPLE03.IFF:OK
96SND/SAMPLE04.IFF:OK
97SND/SAMPLE05.IFF:OK
98SND/SAMPLE06.IFF:OK
99SND/SAMPLE07.IFF:OK
100SND/SAMPLE08.IFF:OK
101SND/SAMPLE09.IFF:OK
102SND/SAMPLE10.IFF:OK
103SND/SAMPLE11.IFF:OK
104SND/SAMPLE12.IFF:OK
105SND/SAMPLE13.IFF:OK
106SND/SAMPLE14.IFF:OK
107SND/SAMPLE15.IFF:OK
108SND/SAMPLE16.IFF:OK
109SND/SAMPLE17.IFF:OK
110SND/SAMPLE18.IFF:OK
111SND/SAMPLE19.IFF:OK
112SND/SAMPLE20.IFF:OK
113SND/SAMPLE21.IFF:OK
114SND/SAMPLE22.IFF:OK
115SND/SAMPLE23.IFF:OK
116SND/SAMPLE24.IFF:OK
117SND/SAMPLE25.IFF:OK
118SND/SAMPLE26.IFF:OK
119SND/SAMPLE27.IFF:OK
120SND/SAMPLE28.IFF:OK
121SND/SAMPLE29.IFF:OK
122SND/SAMPLE30.IFF:OK
123SND/SAMPLE31.IFF:OK
124SND/SAMPLE32.IFF:OK
125DAT/DATA000.LBM:MISSING
126PIC/PRESENT1.LBM:MISSING
127PIC/PRESENT2.LBM:MISSING
128PIC/PRESENT3.LBM:MISSING
129PIC/PRESENT4.LBM:MISSING
130PIC/PRESENT5.LBM:MISSING
131PIC/PRESENT6.LBM:MISSING
132PIC/PRESENT7.LBM:MISSING
133PIC/PRESENT8.LBM:MISSING
134PIC/PRESENT9.LBM:MISSING
135PIC/PRESENTA.LBM:MISSING
136DEC/DECOR01.LBM:MISSING
137DEC/DECOR02.LBM:MISSING
138DEC/DECOR03.LBM:MISSING
139DEC/DECOR04.LBM:MISSING
140DEC/DECOR05.LBM:MISSING
141DEC/DECOR06.LBM:MISSING
142DEC/DECOR07.LBM:MISSING
143DEC/DECOR08.LBM:MISSING
144DEC/DECOR09.LBM:OK
145DEC/DECOR10.LBM:MISSING
146DAT/PROFUN01.BIN:MISSING
147DAT/PROFUN02.BIN:MISSING
148DAT/PROFUN03.BIN:MISSING
149DAT/PROFUN04.BIN:MISSING
150DAT/PROFUN05.BIN:MISSING
151DAT/PROFUN06.BIN:MISSING
152DAT/PROFUN07.BIN:MISSING
153DAT/PROFUN08.BIN:MISSING
154DAT/PROFUN09.BIN:MISSING
155DAT/PROFUN10.BIN:MISSING

EDIT: keeping it clean 😉

I'm assuming that the demo binary just lists the entire data file set from the full game. The other demo I found, which has different levels, also contains a similar (or maybe the same) list with more data files than there actually are in that demo, yet I can progress from the first to the second level without any hangups (haven't tried to go further).

The supplied CHKLIST.MS files (which I'm assuming were added by the magazine editorial staff) only list the files which are included with the first demo.

Maybe I'm not understanding what comprises the "first level", but I don't encounter any hang after going through the first locked exit and then transitioning to the area with the prisoner that you apparently must release. I tested with default settings in 0.74 and SVN. However, the problem could have a speed component, so do try different amounts of cycles -- 5000 seems comfortable for the game.

I reach the locked exit but once the fading whirlwind animation plays the screen stays black (but the game does seem to change the video mode because the size of the DOSBox window changes slightly in 0.74-3 with aspect=true). The level music continues to play. Setting DOSBox to 5000 cycles did not help (I usually run with auto 7800). I get exactly the same results in SVN Daum.

Ah, the problem is missing files after all, but it's conditional. If you collect the 1UP in the first level then the demo needs PIC\VIE1.LBM, PIC\VIE2.LBM, and PIC\VIE3.LBM to display an animation of a Furry hatching, and messes up if the files are missing because access is assumed -- shoddy programming. You can supply the files from the full release, or simply don't collect the 1UP.

FYI, the debugger should give you a clue about the situation, as it displays a message when a file is opened, and then you can check if that file exists. This may help you further on in the demo because I shouldn't be surprised if other problems appear due to missing files.

Thanks a lot!!!

I only noticed debugger info about files being opened at the start of the demo, not at level transition.

Things like level transitions can cause a bunch of debug log messages all at once, and it's possible the messages that interest you scroll out of the window before you notice them; however, you can break into the debugger (Alt-Pause) and scroll the list back, or write all messages into a file.

Thanks! I've not used the debugger for nearly a decade so I forgot the key combo to get into viewing the messages and was too lazy to look it up.

On that note, you can still get a debug-enabled build of 0.74-3 from DOSBox debugger . No need for Daum.

(Wasn't there a debug-enabled version of DOSBox ECE? I thought there was.)

Cool, thanks for letting me know!