Chip's Challenge Download (1990 Puzzle Game)

Nerdy Chip desperately wants to join the "Bit Busters" computer club, led by Melinda the Mental Marvel. However, before she'll let him in, he must prove his intelligence by passing the initiation test. 149 increasingly difficult levels, including a few hidden ones, await Chip in this tile-based puzzle game. Use tools such as keys, and special shoes to bypass obstacles. Manipulate switches to and use dirt blocks to build bridges across waterways. Avoid enemy creatures, grab all the computer chips in the level, and hurry to the exit: On top of everything else, there's a time limit!

I used to play this game on my first PC, and I remember that I got addicted very fast. It was given to me by a friend who had a powerful machine and use to play some new releases. But that's not important.

When I first heard the name "chips" I thought that this would be a game with food, but when I played I realised that the "chips" were hardware stuff. In this game you take the control of a little guy who must collect x numbers of cosmic computer chips to unlock a passway to complete the level. For 1989, this game is terrific. Don't think that all you have to do is walk around collecting chips...no. The later levels are hard, and you must plan every step very carefully so you can finish the level. At the first levels there are hints, and I suggest you read them.

There are monsters that vary from balls to some strange looking creatures. There are 6 different terrains, and every one has his own effect on your character. The first one is normal, the second is the mud. These don't affect you. Then there is the ice, the fire, the water and something that is like a moving-to-one-direction steps. To pass through these terrains, you have to get special shoes. Be careful not to pass by the "guy" as he will take all the shoes you have. He can also be pretty useful sometimes.

Some other machines are the teleports, the switches, the doors and some circle you will stick to. To unlock a door, you'll have to get the key of the same colour as the lock symbol on the door. For the sticky "circles", you have to push a block onto a switch, which will make the circle normal. I almost forgot...there are bombs too. To pass through, you'll have to explode them. This is achieved by pushing a block on them or activating an object that will move to them. There are also chips behind moving blocks. Sometimes you'll have to push blocks into the water so you can cross over and retrieve your chip.

As for the graphics, I think they're good for 1989 - maybe very good. There is an option for sound effects, but they don't play on my system when that option is selected. There is background music which sounds great. It resembles the music in Charlie Chaplin movies.

I give this game a 4 because it was a great game for 1989; however, despite the monsters and unexpected bits, it can become monotonous collecting chips. It's quite difficult to pass the later levels and takes a lot of time and patience. What would be great is a level builder, but this game doesn't have one.

Try this game, and you won't be disappointed. It's great fun when you have nothing to do.

Thanks, mouse31e, for giving this game to me. :)

More commonly known as the best game in Microsoft's Windows Entertainment Pack series and one of the most innovative games ever made for any system, Chip's Challenge was actually first released by Epyx in 1990 with little fanfare.

The game even has a neat plot for an action game: Chip is a love-starved nerd who's desparate for a date with Melina, a fellow nerd (nerdette?). To prove that he's worthy of her attention, Chip must go through dozens of rooms to get to Melanie.

Unlike a typical puzzle game in which every level presents only slight variations on the same theme, Chip's Challenge offers such a wide range of tasks to perform and sub-goals to reach on your way to the exit, that no two levels feel the same. The main goal is to escape, but the subtasks needed to accomplish this varies so widely that it's impossible to find a universal strategy. Among other things, Chip will negotiate mazes, race against time limits, avoid thieves, turn off force fields, deal with water, fire, and ice hazard, avoid chip-eating creatures. And he must do all this in addition to collecting all the computer chips on the level to open the exit door.

The seemingly endless variety of levels is what makes Chip's Challenge so addictive, since different levels require different strategies to finish. Some levels require doing things in a certain sequence; others have lots of possibilites but only one answer, and still others require precise timing and fast movement. Most levels, however, emphasize quick thinking over reflexes, so anyone who is not blessed with lightning-fast reflexes shouldn't feel too intimidated.

Last but not least, the interface in Chip's Challenge is extremely friendly, and encourages replayability. Chip has an unlimited number of lives, so you can redo a level as often as you want until you solve it. If you fail too often, the game will even generously let you skip the current level. Best of all, the first eight levels are tutorials that gradually introduce new gameplay elements so that players will not be overwhelmed. Overall, this is one of the best puzzle games ever made, and a must-have for every puzzle gamer, especially experts who have frowned at easy games.

How to run this game on modern Windows PC?

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