MERETZKY MAGIC

Key titles Steve was involved with

PLANETFALL 1983, VARIOUS

■ You start out mopping the deck of a spaceship and end up saving a planet – with a robot named Floyd at your side. Steve’s first game has 41 different ways to die, so the later Solid Gold edition with its built-in hints is the best way to play. Planetfall’s popularity meant that a follow-up, Stationfall was released four years later. A remake appeared on the NEC PC-9801 in 1992.

THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY 1984, VARIOUS

■ Douglas Adams was quoted as saying he wasn’t sure which bits he had written, and which bits Steve wrote – a huge compliment for such a well-made adaptation. The boxed edition with its brilliant ‘feelies’ is worth tracking down for your collection, and it also had a Solid Gold re-release.

A MIND FOREVER VOYAGING 1985, VARIOUS

■ Once you get past the initial section and learn the codes for the sentient PRISM computer, this becomes an extremely deep and interesting adventure with its unusual political themes that still hold up well today. Next Generation magazine listed it as #66 in its Top 100 Games Of Alltime feature in 1996.

SPELLCASTING 101: SORCERERS GET ALL THE GIRLS 1990, DOS (THE ABYSS ENGINE)

■ With the trilogy available in a single cheap download on Good

Old Games, it’s easier than ever to get into the college antics of Ernie Eaglebeak. The interface, designed by Bob Bates for a cancelled Infocom title, allows you to type instructions or point-and-click with ease .

SUPERHERO LEAGUE OF HOBOKEN 1994, DOS

■ Also re-released through

Good Old Games, this mixed in useless superheroes and light RPG elements with some truly bizarre missions – and has a lot to say about the state of the world right now. The point-and-click interface had developed further from the Spellcasting games and it’s well worth investigating.