# Aquiring old PC games. (how?) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 7, 2003, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753 "2003-07-07T12:38:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753/1 "2003-07-07T12:38:49Z")
What is the most convenient, hastle free way of getting hold of old PC games that you know of? I want to get Little Big Adventure. I absolutely loved the soundtrack, but would like to play the game again too. I would also like to get hold of Flashback (one of my favourite games of all time - from when the graphics capabilities of computers were such that developers had to put most of their efforts into the **gameplay/originality** of a game, rather than how pleasing to the eye it is) And the lemmings series of games. But most of all - Little Big Adventure (1) ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753/2 "2003-07-07T12:41:48Z")
I am still considering using eBay. And most old games don’t appear on Amazon. so please if you are going to say ‘try eBay/amazon’, don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753/3 "2003-07-07T12:46:34Z")
[www.theunderdogs.org](http://www.theunderdogs.org). ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753/4 "2003-07-07T12:47:47Z")
Whoops! I mean [www.the-underdogs.org](http://www.the-underdogs.org) ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753/5 "2003-07-07T14:22:02Z")
I like to go rooting around in the software section at Half Price Books. All kinds of old treasures there… ---
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753/6 "2003-07-07T14:39:18Z")
IRC (internet relay chat). Get a client at [www.mirc.co.uk](http://www.mirc.co.uk) (if you are on windows). There are many channels for fans of old-school computer gaming and you would doubtless be able to… buy their old games from them. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753/7 "2003-07-07T15:54:20Z")
Depend on how old the game is, you can find it in a bargin bin, or from an online vendor such as Chips and Bits. ---
**Author:** ![jennalynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a698b9/32.png) [@jennalynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jennalynn)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753/8 "2003-07-07T20:52:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lobsang \* > \*\*I am still considering using eBay. And most old games don’t appear on Amazon. so please if you are going to say ‘try eBay/amazon’, don’t. \*\* Is it okay to say “[half.com](http://half.com)”? It is part of eBay (or connected to eBay in some way), but technically it’s not the same thing. Anyway, that’s the first place I always go and I like it better than eBay because it’s easier to find things, I think they have more listings for things like games, and you don’t have to bid. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753/9 "2003-07-07T21:03:57Z")
Type “abandonware” into google… you’ll get a buncha sites like the underdogs which provide free downloads of older games… however, there may be legal issues with some games, so use at your own risk. ---
**Author:** ![lesa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/34f0e0/32.png) [@lesa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lesa)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753/10 "2003-07-07T22:21:49Z")
I checked [half.com](http://half.com) and they have “Little Big Adventure” for $2. I’ve bought and sold on [half.com](http://half.com) and been happy with them. However, you do you want to check all the information provided carefully. You want to make sure you’re getting the version of the game you want. ---
**Author:** ![Einmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Einmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Einmon)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2003, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753/11 "2003-07-07T22:25:52Z")
Grr…I posted to this before but the hamsters ate it. Anyway. IIRC, Lemmings is on the Net (legally I think) somewhere, but I didn’t find the exact site where I got it from. Just look for it. And I think I’ve got Little Big Adventure floating around the house somewhere. Want me to look for it? Drop me an e-mail if you do. ---
**Author:** ![hermann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b487fb/32.png) [@hermann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hermann)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753/12 "2003-07-08T01:37:13Z")
I don’t mean to hijack, but speaking of “old” games…Is there any way to play Conquest of The New World (DOS-based) on Windows XP? ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753/13 "2003-07-08T11:01:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hermann \* > \*\*I don’t mean to hijack, but speaking of “old” games…Is there any way to play Conquest of The New World (DOS-based) on Windows XP? \*\* Just use a DOS boot disk to boot into DOS. Then play the game. ---
**Author:** ![hermann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b487fb/32.png) [@hermann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hermann)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2003, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753/14 "2003-07-08T22:55:27Z")
xash, that sounds almost too easy. Thanks…I’ll try that. ---
**Author:** ![Moeman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@Moeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moeman)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753/15 "2003-07-09T10:52:52Z")
Hijack/// Sorry, but I enjoy the older games, but, what do you use to slow the pc down in order to play some of the games based on cpu speed? end hijack//// ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753/16 "2003-07-09T15:23:18Z")
Here are some techniques for running old dos games on Windows PCs, including CPU slow-down utilities: [http://mywebpage.netscape.com/baldwinwh/DOSPgms/DOSPgms2.html](http://mywebpage.netscape.com/baldwinwh/DOSPgms/DOSPgms2.html) [http://www.geocities.com/kulhain/](http://www.geocities.com/kulhain/) ---
**Author:** ![raz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@raz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raz)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753/17 "2003-07-09T21:58:30Z")
Your local Pawn Shop may be a good place to start. Ours has tons of old PC games, not to mention old Nintendo and Sega games that are hard to find these days. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2003, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753/18 "2003-07-09T23:58:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Moeman \* > \*\*Hijack/// > > Sorry, but I enjoy the older games, but, what do you use to slow the pc down in order to play some of the games based on cpu speed? > > end hijack//// \*\* The way games are written this usually doesn’t matter (because games have timers based on real time to make sure the game events are the same length of time regardless of CPU speed and other factors) However not always - In Alone in the Dark it’s almost impossible to get the character to sprint, on a fast PC, because the time between each press of the walk key (double-tap to run) is too short. Youd’ have to be Lt Commander Data to get the guy to run. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2003, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753/19 "2003-07-11T09:42:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lobsang \* > \*\*However not always - In Alone in the Dark it’s almost impossible to get the character to sprint, on a fast PC, because the time between each press of the walk key (double-tap to run) is too short. Youd’ have to be Lt Commander Data to get the guy to run. \*\* That’s where CPU slow down utilities come in. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2003, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753/20 "2003-07-18T03:55:57Z")
Congrats on becoming a mod **xash** how come it still says ‘member’ under your name? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aquiring-old-pc-games-how/186753.md?page=2)