SCUMMVM And LEGAL roms
Scummvm (Script Creation Utility for Maniac Mansion Virtual Machine) is an ambitious reverse-engineered project that runs the point-and-click adventure games popular in the ’80s and ’90s. Particular attention is given to Lucasarts games, and by doing away with the need for the original game executable, Scummvm is very multi-platform. For those so inclined, Scummvm lets you upscale and smooth out the original graphics, and audio power users can tweak the sound and MIDI systems.
Legal ROMS
We’ve mentioned the illegality of ROM downloads numerous times, but there are legitimate avenues. Machines like the Commodore 64 and Amiga had thriving demo scenes with tape-trading and magazine coverdiscs, and consoles like the Playstation and Dreamcast had magazine cover CDS. Public archives are available online to preserve much of this data.
Then there’s homebrew gaming, where hobbyists publish unofficial titles for other enthusiasts, and traditionally this software has been public domain. However the easiest form comes from game companies themselves, which are using technologies such as
DOSBOX and Scummvm to sell their old games on stores like Steam and GOG. Even if there’s no Linux version for what you’re chasing, there’s still a very good chance it will work under Wine or Proton.