Help Identifying an Old Windows Point and Click Adventure Game

[InsaneDavid]

Alright, I'm going out on a limb with this one as I don't remember much about it at all. I'd place it in the early to mid 1990's, running under Windows 3.1. A point and click adventure game (like the Lucasfilm Games stuff but nowhere near that high quality) that had three installments. If I remember correctly it had something to do with dreams, like each episode was a different dream world you were pulled into. Graphics were okay for the time but looked like stuff you probably could have drawn in Paintbrush (remember that?). Thanks for any help!

While we're at it and people will be thinking about old games, I'm also looking for the name of an old DOS shooter. Nice sharp graphics and the game could be completely controlled with the mouse. It played a bit like Galaga and Arkanoid mixed together as some ships would drop power ups. To collect them your ship could release a little robotic arm (like something out of Inspector Gadget) to go out and pick them up. I remember I'd usually have fire mapped to the left mouse button and the pick up claw set to the middle mouse button (remember those?). The intro also had what was basically a newscast with full audio that would get interrupted by the alien invaders. "Gee, that's too bad" - the last line from the newscast, sticks in my mind (as it's something I say when playing Subspace after a big kill) and may help to figure out what game it is.

I've looked for both in the usual places for years but didn't see them after going through lists of screen shots.

[James8BitStar]

The first game might be Dare to Dream. I couldn't tell you about the second one.

[Wraith Storm]

Not sure about the first game. But the shooter HAS to be Galactix!!!

Check it out here

Galactix gave my brother and I MANY sleepless nights. I still have it stored away in a tote somewhere. I need to dig it out and give it a go once again.

[InsaneDavid]

Both of you are correct! Thank you!! For some reason I could never remember the title of Galactix, everything about that game stuck in my mind except for the title.

[Ed Oscuro]

If you like this kind of game, you should check out Waxworks and the Elvira game (same engine) for DOS and Amiga. High quality stuff - Waxworks is pretty violent though, also has a focus on combat. There's some vids on youtube, check 'em out.

[Wraith Storm]

I always thought that the Elvira games back then actually looked pretty cool. I heard about them and thought... Elvira? Seriously? But then I saw a gameplay video of it and have always been interested in them since.

[Nophix]

Waxworks was awesome!

[Jorpho]

Not bad, that Dare to Dream. Nifty music. The pixel hunts were a bastard, though.

Apparently you can still buy it for an outrageous price from http://www.epicclassics.com/ .

[ssh]

If you like retro-style (but not actually retro, I'm afraid) adventure games, then check out the ones made by the AGS Community. I've a round-up of some of the best on my blog.

[Flack]

I first played Galactix back when I was in high school or shortly thereafter. A buddy of mine was also playing the game. I think the first or second time I played it I beat it (there are 100 levels, if I remember correctly, with an intermission halfway). My friend couldn't believe that I beat it. I went over to his and that's when we discovered that the game ran tons faster on his 386 than it did on my 286 at the time. Funny thing is, I don't ever remember telling him that little fact after I discovered it.

[NayusDante]

Dare 2 Dream (it was spelled both ways I believe...) was definitely interesting. I found the second installment at a video-rental shop that was going out of business (along with MOST of the other old Epic stuff, heh). I downloaded the first episode from Epic back when they had all their shareware episodes hosted, but never found the third one.

I wouldn't pay $25 for three floppies... Still, I miss the old Epic. I liked them before Unreal, loved UT-UT2004, but just haven't been able to get into UT3, and GoW seems too mainstream for my taste.