It's that time of year again: the Yuletide. Instead of writing something new and fresh for the season, I thought I'd dredge through the VC&G archives for Christmas material and collect it all in one place.

Below you will find a list of everything Yule-flavored from this site and my freelance work. There are a couple slideshow gems in there that you don't want to miss, so check those out if you haven't already.

I have a soft spot for Christmas, having been raised with the tradition, so this list is for me as much as it is for everyone else. After going through these things again, it's amazing to see how much Christmas stuff I've posted over the years. I hope you enjoy it.

[ Continue reading The VC&G Christmas Collection » ]

When you're done reading that Computer Space piece I wrote, feel free to mosey on over to PCMag and check out this slideshow of 10 game consoles that could transform into PCs. (The title they gave it is kinda confusing, but the content still stands.)

Most of the console conversions featured in the piece are from the 1980s, but there's one more recent example in there that might surprise you. Or maybe it won't, because you guys tend to know a lot more than the average bear. Either way, I hope you enjoy it.

I see great things in your future.

I recently scanned this lovely Nintendo-sponsored Christmas greeting off the back of a 1988 issue of Nintendo Power. You can see the complete magazine back in the full-sized version of the scan (click the image above to see it). In that larger scan, names and addresses have been changed to protect the innocent.

Kinda gives you that warm and fuzzy feeling, doesn't it?

Discussion Topic of the Week: Did you ever receive a NES (or even a NES game) for Christmas? Tell us about your memories of the occasion.

You may not have noticed, but commercial video games turned 40 years old just recently. To celebrate, I've written an in-depth history of Computer Space, the first mass-produced video game and the first true arcade video game, which launched in 1971. Those daring enough among you to read over 500 words in one sitting can find the piece over at Technologizer.com. I hope you enjoy it.

Greetings, my fellow chess fans. Welcome to The Chessmaster.

That is, welcome to a new feature where I, The Chessmaster, will answer your personal letters to the best of my chessly ability.

Since I have been playing chess almost non-stop for over 300 years, I thought it might be a good time to bring my accumulated wisdom directly to the people.

In preparation for this column, I have been soliciting questions from a troubled American populace for the last six months. It is my hope that my responses will benefit all readers as much as they help those who submitted the questions.

With that out of the way, let's get to the first question.

[ Continue reading Ask the Chessmaster » ]

A novelty cocktail ice cube for giants.

Discussion Topic of the Week: Has one of your computers or video game consoles ever overheated? Tell us about it.

That spot in the upper left is actually mold that grew on the paper.

When is a text adventure game not a text adventure game? When it's Beyond Zork: The Coconut of Quendor.

Infocom's fourth entry in the Zork series (actually the 8th if you count the related Enchanter series and Wishbringer) combined interactive fiction with light RPG elements such as equipment, stat sheets, an on-screen map, and character leveling to create a unique game that may be best compared to a single player MUD (a SUD?).

Beyond Zork sports procedurally generated maps in some areas, so replay value is theoretically infinite. But randomness is a double-edged sword in this case: its magic items move around between saves and loads, and that can frustratingly break the suspension of disbelief (i.e. you see it, you die, you come back, and it's gone). Still, Beyond Zork is an amazing game that deserves more attention than it usually gets.

Discussion Topic of the Week: What's your favorite entry in the Zork series? Every Zork-related game counts.

Dungeon Master: Theron's Quest - The video game for brutal dictators.

Discussion Topic of the Week: Have you ever dressed as a video game character for Halloween? Tell us about it.

It's a trap!

Discussion Topic of the Week: What's your favorite static-screen graphical text adventure game?

Way back in early August, I put together a list of the 10 Greatest MS-DOS Games of All Time for PC World to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the IBM PC. Everything was set to go, then my editor got into a doozy of a bicycle accident.

Thankfully, he's OK. He managed to edit the slideshow, which is up now, despite having a few broken ribs. Take a peek.

My original captions have been expertly truncated to more appropriately fit the slideshow format, so it may not contain as much of my reasoning for each game's inclusion as I had hoped. Still, it turned out very well, and I feel strongly about my picks. (I also love my intro slide, the crafting of which sometimes becomes my favorite part of making slideshows.)

Here is my inclusion and ranking criteria, from my original introduction from before it was shortened:

For this author, a combination of factors roll together to constitute Greatness: among them, innovation, influence, fun factor, and replay value with considerations for each game's contribution to the MS-DOS gaming culture thrown in. In the ranking, games that originated or most prominently thrived on non-DOS platforms were generally disqualified from consideration.

Whenever I do a slideshow like this, I like to remind people that my top 10 list is nothing more than a work of educated opinion. I'm typically not a fan of the format because the results are always subjective, but I still think it works because it stimulates public thought and gives me a good excuse to both entertain and educate on a subject I love.

So now I turn the spotlight to you, dear readers. If you were assembling a top 10 MS-DOS games list, what would be on it?