"Some games are best left forgotten; this isn't one of them."

There are many different types of games out there. There are great games that are very well known (Mario, Legend of Zelda etc.), ones that are bad and famous for it (E.T. and Superman 64) and bad games that have been forgotten (many licensed ones). But amongst all of these games, there are some that have been forgotten, but are good fun to play. After Dark Games is one such game. I bet that most of you out there have never heard of it. So I will tell you about the game.

This game is a collection of nine separate games. They're not big enough to be considered full-blown games, but at the same time they're too big to be minigames. I don't know how to describe it; it's weird. Each game is almost completely unrelated to the others, which is part of its charm.

The first game is Hula Girl. In this game, you control a girl who is constantly hula hooping. You have to try and fall onto as many small platforms as possible. While this is happening, the top part of the screen is moving downwards, and if you don't fall quickly enough, you will disappear from the screen. Likewise, if you fall off the bottom of the screen, you also lose a life. The screen gets faster as you land on more platforms. Along the way, certain platforms will contain an item. If you land on a bad item, your yuck-o-meter fills up a bit. If it fills up completely, you lose a life. If you land on a good item, some of your yuck-o-meter is drained. When you've lost all four lives you lose. This may sound complicated, but really it isn't at all. It's simple and addictive, and overall one of the better games in this package.

The next game is Fish Shtick. Basically, what you do is there is a certain number of fish swimming from right to left. Each fish has a letter on it. You have to unscramble the letters to make a word. If you don't know what it is, you can pass. You have to get as many words right as you can within the time limit. This game isn't all that fun in my opinion. Unscrambling letters just doesn't seem particularly interesting to me.

Roof Rats is the third game. There are several different creatures on top of a set of coloured rooms, ranging from muscle men and boys on pogo sticks to rats and bulldogs. Anyway, if two or more coloured room touch vertically or horizontally, you can press on them to get rid of them. The object of the game is to try and get everybody down from the building by making the column of rooms they are on is less than a certain number. The amount you need to get rid of varies by the character. With some it can be as much as five stories high, whereas with others there cannot be any rooms. This game is a nice little puzzle and a good way to kill a couple of minutes.

After that it's Solitaire. The object of the game is, well, if you've ever played Solitaire then you'll know. It's essentially the same as normal Solitaire, except that here you can change the backgrounds and some of the cards have humorous drawings on them. If you like Solitaire, you'll like this.

Next on the list is Roger Dodger. You play as an octagon (yes, an octagon), and the object of the game is to collect green objects such as swirls while avoiding enemies such as moving spikes. If you get hit by an enemy, you will usually lose a life, but some enemies instead zap away at your level score. Once you've collected all the green objects, you must head back to the green glowing spot to move on to the next level. You have to try and get through the level as quickly as you can to get more points. Once you lose all your lives you lose. This game is pretty good for a while, but its replay value is lacking a bit.

The fifth game is Zapper. In this game, you are given a series of yes or no questions, and you answer by pressing, well, yes or no. If you get three in a row right, you win the jackpot amount of points, which then increases by ten points and you start over. You also get 19 seconds extra time. The jackpot starts at 50, and the first and second questions are worth 5 and 10 points respectively. The game is over when time runs out. There are a large amount of questions, and this game is probably my favourite of them all. The only thing that annoys me is that if you get a really, really high score, the game loses count and reverts back to zero. This has only happened to me once, but it's still very annoying. Otherwise, this is a great game.

The sixth game is Mowin' Maniac. This game plays a lot like Pacman, but it's not exactly the same. Basically, you have to move every single patch of grass on the level, along with other objects, at which point you can move on to the next level. To make the game more interesting, there are enemies out to get you. These range from park cleaners to rabid dogs to zombies. If they catch you, you lose a life. Lose all three and it's game over. However, you can also pick up boosters, which turns the tables and means that you can run over your enemies. This game is also good fun to play, if a little unoriginal in concept.

The next game is Bad Dog 911. This dog has gotten this guy stuck on a clock, and you have to save him by getting as many words as possible from six letters. Although you can win with only five or six, you can try to get every single one if you want. This game is a bit boring, in my opinion, because getting every word is very hard indeed, and getting enough to save the guy is too easy. Oh well, onto the next game.

The penultimate game is Toaster Run. You play as a flying toaster (it gets weirder), and you have to try and get this very ugly baby into bed by going across several levels. You can also pick up several objects along the way for bonus points. There are many hazards along the way, such as dogs and water, among other things. You can regain health by charging at outlets. If you lose too much health, a life is lost. Lose too many and it's game over. This game is probably the worst of the lot, since it's much too easy to win, and there's no point playing more than once.

Finally, we have MooShu Tiles. This game is very simple. You have a large amount of tiles in a pattern, and you have to try and get rid of them all. You do this by finding pairs of tiles that match. You can pick several different patterns and styles to play with. Although this game is partially based on luck, like Roof Rats it's also a good way to kill a few minutes. Also, if you win, you get a humorous saying or joke.

The graphics in this game, while simple, are also colourful and clean. Everything is recognisable, and the game mixes up 3D and 2D in an interesting and innovative way. The music in this game, however, is pretty annoying. It repeats over and over, and gets on your nerves very quickly. Turn the sound off if you get this game.

Overall, this is a great collection of games to pick up and play if you're bored or have ten minutes to kill. The games that are in this game are, for the most part, fun, simple and entertaining to all age groups. But remember, this is not the type of game that you play for hours on end. Take it in small doses, or you will not be able see the game's true charm and fun.

Graphics: 7/10
Sound: 4/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Replay Value: 8/10

Pros:
Charming and quirky.
Nice graphics.
Great for killing time.
A pick up and play sort of game.
Quite a few fun games.

Cons:
A couple of boring games.
Annoying music.
Not suitable for playing hours on end.

Buy, rent or avoid: You aren't very likely to find this in the shops, but if you do, then this game is definitely worth getting. You can probably get it for something like $5 on eBay too, and this game is definitely worth the money. Root through your local bargain bin and see if you can find it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/20/08

Game Release: After Dark Games (US, 09/30/98)