Police Quest 1 was the first adventure game I bought with my own money as a kid. (Clearly before the ESRB ratings!) I'm not sure what drew me to Sonny Bonds instead of Roger Wilco, though I played all the Sierra games one way or another. My interest in crime drama hadn't really manifested yet, but maybe growing up with Agatha Christie on TV was the catalyst. PQ1 was also the first official hint book I bought. They were the "lemon juice" highlighters revealing invisible ink. Because I wasn't actually familiar with TV cop dramas, I was never able to guess the phrase "book him", and the game would not accept ANYTHING even remotely similar. That was the phrase you needed. Being so formative, I enjoyed all the PQ games through 4, and moved away from the series after that as Sierra moved into more live capture.
Tyrian is one of those grand-old-days-of-shareware titles that holds up to modern scrutiny thanks to crisp sprite art and phenomenal music. While far from comparable to today's bullet-hell shmups, Tyrian is approachable to many with an adventure story mode, and pure arcade mode. The arcade sequences will remind you of classics like Raiden and Blazing Lazers. While the adventure mode has a narrative worth reading by those that wish to, and an endless onslaught of enemies and treacherous environments for those who just want to make with the killing. And to supercharge your killing is an ever changing assortment of purchasable primary, secondary, and sidekick weapons, in addition to the ship, shield, and power cores that dish them out. Each individual episode is long enough that you will have built up an armada by the end, and if you continue your game rather than starting fresh, you can carry over your warship in order to cope with the ramped up difficulty. A digital gamepad of some sort is highly recommended to aid your survival without needing severe twitch reflexes. Easter eggs are a hallmark of these shareware games, and Tyrian doesn't spare a chance to laugh at itself. If you are familiar with the Twinbee or Parodius Japanese series of shooters you will love what's on the menu here. For free, you can't pass this game up.
