This 2016 homebrew release for the ZX Spectrum is a tribute/sequel to the classic Hungry Horace, Horace Goes Skiing, and Horace and the Spiders games from Psion, originally developed in the early 1980s by Beam Software. It is a Christmas-themed Horace game written by Steve Broad.
Crazy Taxi, Dreamcast
The Dreamcast port of the hit arcade game, Crazy Taxi, is arguably even better than its famous parent, because it features two new play modes and a variety of other additions and enhancements. It was developed by Hitmaker and first published for the Dreamcast by Sega in 2000.
Super Ghouls ‘N Ghosts, Game Boy Advance
The Game Boy Advance version of Super Ghouls ‘N Ghosts is a handheld adaptation of the classic Super Nintendo game from 1991, and it is a brilliant one too. It first came out in 2002 through Capcom.
Eye of the Beholder, Commodore 64
This amazing Commodore 64 port of the 1991 Amiga/MS-DOS RPG classic, Eye of the Beholder, was released on 21st November 2022 and is one of the best homebrew remakes I think I’ve ever played. It was written by “Jack Asser“, with the help of a number of other talented individuals, and comes as a CRT (cartridge) file for quick-loading.
The King of Grabs is five years old
Today, the 21st December 2022, is the fifth birthday of this website – thekingofgrabs.com. So happy birthday to us! Here are a few facts and quotes about this website, and some links to our recent favourites…
Ultima Special
Richard Garriott‘s famous Role-Playing Game series began officially in 1981 with “Ultima” for the Apple II. It was a pioneering mixture of single-player adventuring, combat and levelling, with humble beginnings, starting out on early 8-bit systems and working its way up to modern PCs in the 1990s. The Ultima series was always evolving; always innovating, and constantly proving to be a considerable influence on story-based, single-player RPGs, and the fantasy adventure game market in general.
Ultima IX: Ascension, PC
Ultima IX: Ascension is the ninth and final instalment of the core Ultima series and was developed by Origin Systems and published for Windows-based PCs by Electronic Arts in 1999. It was the first Ultima game to use polygonal rendering in a full 3D environment.
Ultima VIII: Pagan, PC
Ultima VIII: Pagan is the eighth entry in the Ultima series and was developed and published by Origin Systems for PC MS-DOS in 1994. Like its predecessor (The Black Gate), Pagan goes for a darker, more mature tone than most of the previous Ultima games, and it is also more puzzle and action-oriented.
Ultima VII: The Black Gate, Super Nintendo
The only version of Ultima VII: The Black Gate that is available for any system other than the PC is the Super Nintendo port, first released by FCI/Pony Canyon in 1994. It is a much simplified version of the game, but is still fun to play if you like old school RPGs.
Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle, PC
Serpent Isle is an oddity in the Ultima series in that it is a direct sequel to the previous game – Ultima VII: The Black Gate – which uses the same game engine, but with a few enhancements. It was published by Origin Systems in 1993 and only ever appeared on the PC, running under MS-DOS.
