Aui wrote on 2025-03-06, 07:18:

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC – The biggest Big Box […]
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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC – The biggest Big Box

Ok – this time I chose something slightly out of the box …
a collection of 31(!) CD-Roms with every NG magazine between 1888 to around 1998.

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I got this for free from a friend – and I was very happy. It is possible to see the images on newish computers (i.e. those still having an optical drive) but to properly navigate the individual issues Win 95 or 98 is required. Interestingly it is published by Broderbund – I had no idea they were publishing things other than games. Browsing through the articles and through the years is a lot of fun, because you inevitably get stuck on something interesting in each issue. Although all in all it’s a bit overwhelming (can’t imagine how it would look to keep such a collection in paper. You could probably store up to 10 RETRO Computers instead !). Of course a lot of articles have aged rather poorly but some are still worth reading.

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What is also really interesting are the advertisements over the years. How about a Trip with a fast ocean liner form Europe to USA ?
Equally cool – early home computer advertisements:

PC Junior anyone ? No ? – too bad…

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That's honestly really cool. When I was a kid I loved software like that. I loved every time we got a new version of Microsoft Encarta in the computer lab in elementary school.

Aui wrote on 2025-03-06, 07:18:

Of course a lot of articles have aged rather poorly but some are still worth reading.

first of all - what a fantastic archive!

its true many articles, especailly those reflecting social norms of the time and scientific beliefs since overturned, have aged but that's some of the pleasure.

the older i get though the less poor the aging seems to be - even from things written before i was born, the same article i'd assume was 'old and out of date' were i to read it when i was 20, now seems so much more informative

old articles from magazines like popular mechanics for instance, and some of the great animated "how it works" type films done in the first half of the 20th century on engineering etc just seem so much clearer than equivalents now

I've been collecting National Geographics since I was a kid. I now have hundreds of them, going back to the 1950s. Unfortunately they'll all boxed up after my last house move. But I intend to put them all back on shelves ASAP.

I remember seeing the NG digital archive (BestBuy maybe) and wanted to get it, but it was expensive at the time. I read a bunch of the magazines when I was young, and my mom would drag me over her friend's house who had stacks of the older issues.

Is there a free PDF archive of those magazines around now?

I'm slowly assembling more of "The White Label" doubles from the UK. Got two more boxes with four more LucasArts graphic adventure games. I think completes my collection of the SCUMM that were released under this brand.

Day of the Tentacle, Sam & Max Hit the Road
Include some non-interactive demos of other LucasArts games.

Full Throttle, The Dig
Include a demo of Dark Forces and a trailer for Rebel Assault.

I think over the years there was a large number of different Lucas Arts Adventure collections released. I think at some point I had a "10 Best ..." compilation myself. I remember it came in a completely flimsy box - not good for collecting.
What I am wondering now is this: Is there any of these collctions that includes the Labyrinth game , or was Labyrinth released as a white label rerelease?

Aui wrote on 2025-08-09, 01:16:

What I am wondering now is this: Is there any of these collctions that includes the Labyrinth game , or was Labyrinth released as a white label rerelease?

As far as I know - the early LucasArts games - Labyrinth, Maniac Mansion (outside DoTT), Zak McKracken and Loom - have not been re-released by The White Label.
The latter three were featured in the LucasArts Classic Adventures bundle, but Labyrinth wasn't in it, because it was never released for DOS, apparently.

dr_st wrote on 2025-01-28, 08:01:

I guess it's time to bring up another one of my original big box purchases, before I started collecting them for the sake of res […]
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I guess it's time to bring up another one of my original big box purchases, before I started collecting them for the sake of research and collection.

Warcraft Battle Chest

Why is it special to me?
I've played both Warcraft games as a kid, and a couple of years later was very happy to find this collection in a store, heavily discounted.
I believe this was the first time I saw the videos of both games and heard the narration of Warcraft 1 (floppy version didn't have it).

What's included?

• Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, Warcraft II: Beyond the Dark Portal expansion. Each game on its own CD, with DOS and Mac versions.
• The original manuals from the big boxes of Warcraft and Warcraft II.
• The jewel-case manual booklet for the Warcraft II expansion. I believe the English release of the expansion never had a full-size manual.

Blog entry for more reading and pictures.

This release really was a perfect Warcraft collection at its time. It was the first of Blizzard's famous battle chests, and set the trend for quality. Somewhat later, the Windows version of Warcraft II (Battle.net Edition) was released, and triggered another battle chest, which, unfortunately, dropped the original Warcraft and the DOS version of WC2.

Following this, years later, when I was in "full collector" mode, I've acquired the small-box battle chests for StarCraft, Warcraft III and Diablo, but that's a different story.

I also have fond memories of this boxset which I got for Christmas 1996
It was our first year of having a PC, I had recently discovered and purchased C&C which kicked off my love of RTS's and had played Shareware version of Warcraft 1 to death.
Mum who know nothing about computers or games went to the local Harvey Norman and the sales guy (typically clueless) said "your son would love this" did think bit of a gamble as both base games were over a year old.
but I didn't own any of the games and was so happy! mum was also so pleased with my reaction. I saw this and makes it that bit more special. Have played many LAN games with my friends ever since
Still have the box is pretty bent but CD's and books are still really good. and have been playing LAN games ever since (last game was Christmas 2023)

I DID, although it was a bit of a risk s soon as I saw it I knew what I had, and have played many LAN games of both with my friends even still.

Really nice selection of games, Matchstick! But this isn't just a showcase thread, it's a show-n-tell, so you should say something about them too! 😁

but Labyrinth wasn't in it, because it was never released for DOS

I was not aware that there is no DOS version of Labyrinth, but this explanation makes perfect sense, because all the collections came out much later for PC.

Here is the first full version game I purchased(I purchased the shareware version by mistake few months earlier)

Still have the receipt so can tell you it cost me $39.95 AUD back on the 31/3/95.
I still have the 3 floppies but are stored in my wardrobe. Still worked last time I checked and figure have a better chance of surviving inside the house then in the garage.

Box isn't the best but the manual is still good as new, Probably more interesting is the flyer with other games available at the time and the prices.

chinny22 wrote on 2025-09-17, 02:19:

Box isn't the best but the manual is still good as new, Probably more interesting is the flyer with other games available at the time and the prices.

Nice to see the box of Raptor: Call of the Shadows, even if it's slightly beaten up. Especially the floppy version, the cd version has a silly intro the developers clearly found funny but I've never been too fond of it.

Sombrero wrote on 2025-09-17, 05:55:

chinny22 wrote on 2025-09-17, 02:19:

Box isn't the best but the manual is still good as new, Probably more interesting is the flyer with other games available at the time and the prices.

Nice to see the box of Raptor: Call of the Shadows, even if it's slightly beaten up. Especially the floppy version, the cd version has a silly intro the developers clearly found funny but I've never been too fond of it.

Is that the windows port? I know the Windows port controls are messed up, didn't know about different intro, would be interesting to see, even just once.

chinny22 wrote on 2025-09-17, 06:13:

Is that the windows port? I know the Windows port controls are messed up, didn't know about different intro, would be interesting to see, even just once.

No, the original DOS version released on cd.

There's really nothing interesting to see, the only difference is in the Apogee screen when you launch the game where instead of hearing the Apogee theme music you'll hear some people going "TA TA DA DA DADA DADADADDADA DAA!"

Sombrero wrote on 2025-09-17, 06:46:

chinny22 wrote on 2025-09-17, 06:13:

Is that the windows port? I know the Windows port controls are messed up, didn't know about different intro, would be interesting to see, even just once.

No, the original DOS version released on cd.

There's really nothing interesting to see, the only difference is in the Apogee screen when you launch the game where instead of hearing the Apogee theme music you'll hear some people going "TA TA DA DA DADA DADADADDADA DAA!"

Floppy version also does that, but only on special dates

Raptor Call of the shadows easter eggs

chinny22 wrote on Yesterday, 01:13:

Floppy version also does that, but only on special dates

Raptor Call of the shadows easter eggs

Haha, all this time and I still had no idea!

I have zero issues with that happening on special dates, in fact it's pretty funny, but when it does that every time you launch the game like on the CD version the amusement wears off very fast.

more interesting is the flyer with other games available at the time and the prices...

Yeah - Jazz Jackrabbit is quite a bargain. I just have given up on this one...