Twenty years ago, if you told me I'd be able to buy the Infocom library for ten bucks and play it on a device like an iPad, I would've spit in your face and called you a dirty, rotten liar... and then acknowledged your impeccable good taste for knowing what Infocom was. I expected most of these PC games to remain out of print, but in the age of digital downloads, handheld devices, and copious amounts of nostalgia, a lot of these classics are back in circulation. Let's get one thing straight. You will find no modern updates, re-imaginings, or fancy coats of HD paint here. These are the original games as the great gaming gods intended. There's just been a little work under the hood to make them run on modern PCs and handheld devices. Every title on this list can be purchased and downloaded legally (also like the gaming gods intended). These are the games we fell in love with. The games we stayed up all night playing even though we had school or work in the morning. The games that nearly caused us to destroy the computers we played them on because we died after not saving our game for hours. Sure, these games will seem a bit archaic - especially the text adventures. It's amazing how fast video games are evolving as an art form (and yes, they are an art form). Here are ten classics to revisit from your childhood, or to be experienced for the first time by cultured gaming enthusiasts. They're all available through
Good Old Games,
Steam, or the
Apple App Store. Share and enjoy, my fellow gamers.