@liqmat, many thanks yet again! Your work on tracking down those rare files is very much appreciated!

I re-uploaded the file here: COE22PCD.ZIP

Here's another demo that seems elusively rare, because Wayback Machine failed to preserve it:

Christmas Carnage / Xmas Carnage (not to be confused with this game)
Type: playable demo
Platform: DOS
File name: cc-demo.exe
File size: unknown
Comments: this is yet another odd subversion/spoof of the Christmas theme, as a violent first-person shooter based on the same engine as The Hidden Below. You can read some more details at MobyGames. Searching with Hallfiry's catalogue gave no results.

This game is also covered at Super Adventures in Gaming. Presumably, the demo has the first level.

MrFlibble wrote on 2022-08-01, 17:03:

Found a few more potentially interesting games with missing downloads: […]
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Found a few more potentially interesting games with missing downloads:

Pharao 1
Type: Freeware (?)
Version: Unknown
File name: pharao_1.zip
File size: 42 KB
Original location: http://www.scherfgen-software.net/index.php?action=software&title=pharao_1

NOTES: Looks like a game inspired by Pharaoh's Tomb. The author, David Scherfgen, has an active website but the game is not available from there. Perhaps it is possible to contact him and ask.

Seems to me this would be his "Pharao Adventure" game.

https://www.david-scherfgen.de/meine-spiele/p … arao-adventure/

liqmat wrote on 2024-10-30, 17:54:

Seems to me this would be his "Pharao Adventure" game.

https://www.david-scherfgen.de/meine-spiele/p … arao-adventure/

Yes, it is. I mentioned the current site in the post that you quoted. But that game looks completely different from Pharao 1, and also the archived website lists both Pharao 1 and Pharao Adventure as separate games (along with a few other not available from the current site).

This is a screenshot from Pharao 1 from the archived site:

hi any resident evil 1 (1997) demos outhere? thanks

rain wrote on 2024-10-30, 18:18:

hi any resident evil 1 (1997) demos outhere? thanks

It was featured on several magazines cover discs:
https://www.crimson-ceremony.net/lostreleases … edemo/index.php

NFS3 beta has 4 times better textures, full beta / full beta demo needed.

https://assemblergames.org/viewtopic.php?t=1338
https://veg.by/en/projects/nfs3/

MrFlibble wrote on 2024-10-30, 18:16:

Yes, it is. I mentioned the current site in the post that you quoted. But that game looks completely different from Pharao 1, an […]
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liqmat wrote on 2024-10-30, 17:54:

Seems to me this would be his "Pharao Adventure" game.

https://www.david-scherfgen.de/meine-spiele/p … arao-adventure/

Yes, it is. I mentioned the current site in the post that you quoted. But that game looks completely different from Pharao 1, and also the archived website lists both Pharao 1 and Pharao Adventure as separate games (along with a few other not available from the current site).

This is a screenshot from Pharao 1 from the archived site:

So I messaged David Scherfgen and he was very gracious in sharing his works and may even share more in the near future. He told me he was a kid when he coded Pharao 1 & 2 and not to expect too much, but I think it's great he was willing to share them in the first place. It's all part of computer gaming history and worth saving. I'll let you know if he sends me anything else, but for now, here are his direct links to those two DOS games. I gave him a link to this thread just in case he wanted to chime in as well.

Pharao 1
Pharao 2

liqmat wrote on 2024-11-07, 16:35:

So I messaged David Scherfgen and he was very gracious in sharing his works and may even share more in the near future. He told me he was a kid when he coded Pharao 1 & 2 and not to expect too much, but I think it's great he was willing to share them in the first place. It's all part of computer gaming history and worth saving. I'll let you know if he sends me anything else, but for now, here are his direct links to those two DOS games. I gave him a link to this thread just in case he wanted to chime in as well.

Pharao 1
Pharao 2

This is lovely, thank you very much again for your initiative and dedication! Very happy that David replied and that he still has the games to share with us! Wonderful!

BTW, in the meantime I sent an email to Illwinter Design to ask if they have the full DOS version of Conquest of Elysium II (since the full game is freeware anyway), but haven't gotten a reply (yet).

MrFlibble wrote on 2021-02-03, 12:44:

Wings of Thunder Type: Freeware/Cardware Version: Full version File name: wotsetup.exe File size: unknown Status: file not found […]
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Wings of Thunder
Type: Freeware/Cardware
Version: Full version
File name: wotsetup.exe
File size: unknown
Status: file not found, contents available in unpacked and/or repacked form
Reference: http://www.mcnett.org/fst/ferret/sims/
NOTES: Another Flight Sim Toolkit game. It is available from several magazine coverdisks in unpacked form, but the original download (wotsetup.exe) has not been found yet.

Looks like this might be the original self-extracting archive, discovered using DiskMaster:
https://discmaster.textfiles.com/browse/21940 … iso/wings/0.ex_

It uses the same type of PKZIP SFX archive as the wotaddon.exe update file that the Wayback Machine has preserved, so I guess it is likely the original thing.

Looks like this is the original ZIP containing the latest version of The Elder Scrolls: Arena demo version:
https://discmaster.textfiles.com/browse/12830 … 0Demo/ARENA.zip

If anyone ever wanted the demo of Football Masters '99, here it is:
https://discmaster.textfiles.com/browse/2858/ … 99/FM99DEMO.EXE

JIC, to download a file from the DiscMaster, you need to click on the red arrow icon right next to the file name in the full path at the top o the page.

The Lost City of Atlantis
Type: Shareware (Greece episode, four levels)
Notes: The game itself is not unknown, but previously I only found one version of the shareware release in unpacked form on a magazine coverdisk.

Turns out there are at least two versions of this game, one dated 11-13 March 1995 (which is what was known previously) and the other 2 April 1995. Using DiscMaster, I only found these versions either in unpacked form, or in self-extracting archives (LHA and ARJ):
https://discmaster.textfiles.com/browse/16486 … ele/059/059.exe
https://discmaster.textfiles.com/browse/7905/ … TLANTIS/ORG.EXE

Die Goldene Mähne des Samson
Type: Demo of a commercial advergame
Notes: This is one of those games that were made to promote a product, but were still sold for a price, while only a demo version is available for free. Such games were not that uncommon in Germany in the 90s (which was generally the Land of Advergames at the time).

Thanks to DiscMaster I found a zipped version of the demo (previously I'd only find loose files on CDs), and the original installer as well:
https://discmaster.textfiles.com/browse/21448 … YBER/SAMSON.ZIP

The installer comes split into two archives:
https://discmaster.textfiles.com/browse/21895 … dv/samson_1.zip
https://discmaster.textfiles.com/browse/21895 … dv/samson_2.zip

The game itself is pretty nice, if only to check out, as it looks fairly good. It was meant to advertise cigarettes and/or a tobacco company.

MrFlibble wrote on 2025-03-03, 19:51:

Die Goldene Mähne des Samson Type: Demo of a commercial advergame Notes: This is one of those games that were made to promote a […]
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Die Goldene Mähne des Samson
Type: Demo of a commercial advergame
Notes: This is one of those games that were made to promote a product, but were still sold for a price, while only a demo version is available for free. Such games were not that uncommon in Germany in the 90s (which was generally the Land of Advergames at the time).

Thanks to DiscMaster I found a zipped version of the demo (previously I'd only find loose files on CDs), and the original installer as well:
https://discmaster.textfiles.com/browse/21448 … YBER/SAMSON.ZIP

The installer comes split into two archives:
https://discmaster.textfiles.com/browse/21895 … dv/samson_1.zip
https://discmaster.textfiles.com/browse/21895 … dv/samson_2.zip

The game itself is pretty nice, if only to check out, as it looks fairly good. It was meant to advertise cigarettes and/or a tobacco company.

Love forgotten advergames. A conversation I had about them a few years ago: https://forum.vcfed.org/index.php?threads/hum … 3/#post-1272792

MrFlibble wrote on 2025-03-03, 19:51:

The game itself is pretty nice, if only to check out, as it looks fairly good. It was meant to advertise cigarettes and/or a tobacco company.

I second this. Played the demo when I was little..
The dialogues are funny, too. You as the main character have the choice to behave in various ways (from behaved to macho) and get "punched back" equally in verbal form. ;)
The portrait of the young lady (archeologist) is also very modern, she's smart and not afraid of any arguments! :D
The 3D environment in the temple worked quite ok on my 286, too.
There are riddles and various creatures, such as giant spiders.
At the beginning of the game you enter things like name etc in a forms paper/checklist. Also a nice little detail here.

liqmat wrote on 2025-03-04, 04:14:

Love forgotten advergames.

Perhaps we should have a separate topic for those, but I assume you know about the Werbespiel Archiv? It covers many mostly German advergames (but likely there are at least a few still missing), although only some of those are available in languages other than German -- and there are quite a few point-and-click adventures with plenty of text.

Somewhat unfortunately, it is not always possible to figure out if a game of this kind is okay to distribute, for the lack of documentation. Some had playable demos, but then the full versions say the game is free to copy, like Toffifee Fantasy Forest or Aro & Elmi.

MrFlibble wrote on 2025-03-04, 18:06:

[..] Werbespiel Archiv? It covers many mostly German advergames (but likely there are at least a few still missing), although only some of those are available in languages other than German -- and there are quite a few point-and-click adventures with plenty of text.

I think same. At least they're using Latin characters, though, rather than Cyrilic or Kanji.
So it's possible to play them with a pocket dictionary, paper and pencil.
Most words do repeat, so I think it's possible to memorize about enough to be able to roughly understand what's going on.
I tried this with some French games some time ago..
For the 90s German slang, a smartphone with a camera translator can be used.
There are also online translators that can capture screen areas on Windows and translate them.
So an windowed emulator using surface/windib output should be usable (DOSBox etc).

MrFlibble wrote on 2020-08-04, 12:51:

Lone Eagle - Colombian Encounter Type: Shareware Version: 2.1 File name: lone_s21.exe File size: 2 655 050 bytes Reference: ht […]
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Lone Eagle - Colombian Encounter
Type: Shareware
Version: 2.1
File name: lone_s21.exe
File size: 2 655 050 bytes
Reference: http://www.gamersinn.com/library/adventure/?14

Found thanks to DiscMaster:
https://discmaster.textfiles.com/browse/11264 … es/lone_s21.exe

I think it would be nice to find the original installers for two German advergames, Aro & Elmi and Toffifee: Fantasy Forest, by Very Interactive Sales Tools. Both are very nice platformers, and ironically, while Aro & Elmi advertises toothpaste and promotes tooth care, Fantasy Forest is an advertisement for toffee candy, which is likely rather bad for your teeth.

Anyway, the games themselves are available, but in installed form with wrong date stamps. The originals were likely distributed on floppies with installers, much like 2 Fast 4 You (another German Werbespiel), and also there were cut-down demo versions, available from the developer's website. The full games are freeware though, as each starts with a splash screen saying they can be copied for private purposes -- although the floppies themselves could've been sold.

I tried using DiscMaster, and only found the aforementioned demo versions on various German shovelware CDs. Perhaps someone has the original physical media with the installer in their collection?

P.S. Interestingly, DiscMaster found the installer for 2 Fast 4 You in the AOL downloads collection.

Something pretty cool popped up over at GamesThatWerent.com. The lost DOS demos of Cyberspace, which was never released in the end.

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2020/10/cyberspace/