Do you remember some of the first games for Windows? I'm talking about games for windows 3.1, 95, & 98. In particular, I will be focusing on Microsoft Entertainment Pack for Windows. I will show you how to freely download some of these classic antique games and run them on your computer.

Step 1: What You Will Need

You will need:

an internet connection

&

a 32-bit Windows computer; sorry 64-bit users, Microsoft did not put 16-bit support into its newer 64-bit versions of Windows

Also, it can be ANY 32-bit Windows, including Vista & 7!

Step 2: Dowload the Files

Go to the following NON-HTTP URL: ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/deskapps/games/public/
For Windows 2000 and earlier, it will appear more like a shared folder in Windows explorer than a website in Internet explorer

Go into the AAS folder. I will tell you how to dowload and run Rattler Race, Rodent's Revenge, and Chess.

Download RODENTARC.EXE      RATARC.EXE      CHESS.EXE

I recomend downloading the archive files first since, when run, they unload the actual application and some DLL's to the folder it is in. They will not work right out of the box though. They will be missing some DLL's that the other has. Other missing DLL's will also be in the same FTP directory.

For chess, download all the other CHESS- files (except for chesszip) and OPENING.BK   This game might also need some other DLL's from the other games.

Step 3: The Games

For more information, look these games up on Wikipedia.

Rattler Race is an addictive game. You try to eat all the apples while avoiding the touching of bouncing balls, the other snake, and yourself. If you get all of them before the time bar runs out,a small opening appears on top to go to the next level. If not, more apples apear. Difficulty and the amount of ball and snakes can be changed in the settings.

Rodent's Revenge is a game where you play a little rat that has to move blocks around to try to trap cats that want to eat you in a 1x1 space, then they turn into cheese. It gets harder as you progress as there will be more cats that will only sleep until all the cats are trapped and turned into cheese. Then there will be immovable blocks, then fewer scattered blocks, then mouse traps, then sinkholes.

Step 4: Other Games

If you have not already, look at my Get 3D Pibball onto Vista instructable.

You will also see Asteroid and Hover in that directory. Both of which are installers. asteroid is a simplistic asteroid/UFO shooter where you can also move around to avoid such. Hover is an advanced-for-its-time 3D game of capture the flag.

I have not had much success with RoATrial.exe (Microsoft Return of Arcade). But, if you get it to work it is a game of Pac-Man.

In the golf diectory is MSGOLF98.EXE (trial edition)
In the Puzzle directory is MSpuzzle.exe (microsoft puzzle pack for windows trial, see also http://www.microsoft.com/games/puzzle/

Explore a little, there are dozens of files just waiting to be re-discovered there. Experiment with those and share as comments.