Thief began my love affair with skulking and ambushing in video games. Nothing has ever quite matched the experience. Some, like Dishonored, come fairly close. Some like Styxx offer a fun twist. But then there's others like Kingdom Come which don't quite know how to make it work well or logically. Or Deus Ex where it was just too easy expecially with the overall push toward violent solutions. Thief is perfect because it gives the player full knowledge of all relevant stealtth conditions at all times. The light level is not guess work. Guards react to noise appropriately. Nothing feels random. The best part is that the game lets you really play out your inner taffer. Gathering gold is a mission objective and directly affects what equipment you get on the following one. Expert mode (the only mode to play, really) adds so much more to each level and removes the easy out of slaying random guards in your way. You never have to play with a "limit" to get the full experience....but you could always try ghosting. I wish games like this were still made.
..of mistresses in your dungeon. More of the uniqgue dungeon managing, creature wrangling gameplay from the first game. Not as happy with the creature mix in this one and it crashes a LOT even back in the non-GOG days, but still worth the time. These games scratched my digging itch before Minecraft existed. Spent a lot of time in first person running around digging tunnels going random places.
One of the earliest games I got to play on my dad's PC. Jill of the Jungle, Jazz Jackrabbit, Castle of the Winds, and Scorched Earth were the originals. Shareware versions, of course, so it's fun to finally get to experiencet the entire game.
Solid little strategy game. Good mix of city building, empire management, and war waging. The story behind the game sets up a good scifi conflict without forcing it to a larger, interstellar scale. Games aren't too large or long. The end game never feels oppressive. Good fun for anyone looking to try out something slightly retro or for those feeling nostalgic.
