Friday Freebie - So Much Gaming Fun, You'll Party Like It's 1982

For most of this generation, 1982 seems like the stone age. There were no cell phones, no DVD players, and the PC was basically in no way related to the rigs that fill our houses these days. There were still plenty of computer games to enjoy though. But like that early hardware, the software was also in no way related to the games of today. Of course, no one knew what they were missing, so we all had fun.

Most of the games were text based, with little to no graphics. Instead, the games had actual story lines that made you want to play - what a concept. One such game was Taipan. In it, you play the part of a trader in the orient in the 19th century. Your job is to travel to different ports, buy and sell goods, and fight off or evade the pirates. And now the game lives again on your modern PC:

Yes, all the fun of 19th century commerce is available for your Windows rig. You think WOW is a game, wait until you play this! Then you'll appreciate WOW even more...

Seriously, for those of you old enough to remember this game, it's worth the download. Just playing it takes you 25 years back in time, when games were simple and fun. Hell, I still remember the first time I played Taipan, on an Apple IIe in a friend's basement. Sure, the graphics were terrible and the sound was non-existent, but it was a blast. And that's what gaming should be about.

The game is faithfully reproduced, down to the original moneylender bug in the original, where you earn extra interest. Of course, you can disable the bug if you consider that kind of thing cheating. You can also choose to start the game as in the original version, with no cannons, or with some cannons but no debt.

Go grab yourself a copy of the game here. It's a journey back in time that's worth the trip...if only for a little while.