PLAY CLASSIC GAMES
We all have our favourite old games, but getting them to run in Windows can be tricky. Even if you’ve still got the original installation disc, Windows 10 is likely to tell you that it’s not compatible. The good news is that all your old favourites are probably available on The Internet Archive ( www.snipca. com/39254), so you won’t have to download or install a thing. Simply search for a game in the ‘Search this collection’ box, select it, then click the Play button in the middle of the screen to load it (this can take a few seconds).
If you can’t work out the controls, scroll down, because they’re usually listed in the comments section. We had fun testing our sports knowledge with the 1988 version of A Question of Sport
( www.snipca.com/39255), especially trying to work out the sporting celebrities from the low-res images. For the best experience, click the Full Screen button (see screenshot below).
If you prefer playing cards with friends, avoid the countless ‘free’ sites that bombard you with pop-up ads and require you to create an account. Playingcards ( https://playingcards.io) gives you a virtual table and as many decks of cards as you like, so you can use it to play whist, canasta or even a simple game of snap. The home page includes table templates for most popular games. Once you’ve set up your table, invite others to join you by sharing the URL. All players will see the same table and can drag the cards, click to flip them and move them to their ‘hand’ – a section at the bottom of the screen that only they can see. Playingcards doesn’t have its own built-in chat tool, so we recommend running a group Zoom call alongside it.
If you simply want to pass the time with a bit of Minesweeper, don’t bother downloading the version on the Microsoft Store, which is loaded with ads and has annoying sound effects. Instead, opt for the authentic retro experience by playing it within Windows 3.1 using Classic Reload’s emulator ( www.snipca. com/39257, pictured above). Click the Play button in the middle of the screen to load it. Once you can see the Windows 3.1 desktop, open the games folder, then double-click Minesweeper.
The emulator also lets you explore other parts of Windows 3.1, so once you’ve finished with Minesweeper you can remind yourself just how beautifully simple this classic operating system was.