Hidden Agenda and other now free DOS games

[Uriel]

I have some time ago discoverd that many older computer games can now be downloaded freely (http://www.hotud.org/ for example).

Among them are some amazingly good strategy games and political simulations (seems back then a lot of effort went into details and gameplay that now goes into prettier grafics).

As there are a lot of HOI, Victoria and EU on this forum I thought a few of them might be interested.

I would especially recommend Hidden Agenda and Conflict Middle East.

Hidden Agenda lets you play as Interim President of an South American State that recently overthrew a dictator. The gameplay is simple but delivers a surprisingly realistic feeling.

One of my games went like this:
I apointed a predominantly left wing goverment (as in the game before moderate ministers had turned out unable to get the army in line and I ended up with death squads killing people all over the country) but tried to take an economic middle route.
I did an land reform to appease the poor and regulated food prices for a while but save of that I kept an capitalist economy that was runing more or less well. Investions in infrastructur, education and healthcare were raised.
With the help of the former rebells I managed to dispose the old army leaders quickly before they could do much harm.
I tried to maintain good relations with the US but the land reform and the army purges enraged them more and more and they ended economic aid and started supporting contras.
Over time army and popular support helped me survive two rightist coup attemps.
When my three year term ended I was reelected as socialist candidate. Observers called it a free election but the US forced the right to withdraw from it and called it a fake.
To fight the contras I had to accept Soviet aid, what angered the Americans even more, so that they embargoed us.
As the economic situation begun to detoriated I tried to reconcile with the US and the IMF.
But I seem to have reversed the economic course to aprupt and the left dominated parliament ousted me.

Off-topic: Those who liked the Dawn of War Addons should try Emperor of the fading Suns. It's like an mix of Soulstorm, Masters of Orion II and Panzer General

[Lyly]

All the best games are here! A320 Airbus, Amnesty Interactive, BBC Gardeners' World, Doonesbury Election Game: Campaign '96.

But seriously, there really are some cool games in here. A few I played way back when and haven't seen or even thought of for years, but mostly things I've never seen before.

[wilcoxchar]

There were some great geopolitical games back then. Hidden Agenda, Balance of Power, Crisis in the Kremlin, were all fun.

And then there's Timequest. I can't remember where I found it, but it's a great game. It's a point-and-click adventure that's basically "someone screwed up history go fix it", but the ways that you do are sometimes difficult to figure out and I still haven't finished it.