I was looking through Butmac's old posts to come across this little gem. It got me misty for the old days of wonderful DOS gaming.

For me, "Shareware" (or "Abandonware") games are some of the most inventive and exciting games around. Though dated in every aspect now, these games used to be just as enthralling as games are today.

Back in school, we had all sorts of DOS games loaded on the oversized floppy disks.



Treasure Mountain, by The Learning Company, just happened to be my favorite.



Following the bloody events of the great leprechaun war, The Master of Mischief has usurped the power of Treasure Mountain from the once-triumphant Leprechaun King. Forced to the bottom of the ragged cliffs of wailing torment, the leprechauns hired a nameless mercenary to take back what was once rightfully theirs.



Armed only with a magical net and your sharp as a tack wit, you must find hidden objects and answer riddles to ascend to the peak of the mystical, Treasure Mountain to ultimately decide the fate of the Master of Mischief himself in an epic, violent showdown...



As cool as that sounds, it’s "Mildly" embellished...

Unfortunately, upon playing this game again as a 20 year old, I found it to be somewhat...less epic.

Throwing coins mindlessly at random objects such as Ice Cubes, Flags and Trees to reveal hidden mysteries of the mountain was a tedious chore (considering Nameless Joe slogs around like he is stuck in tar), and brain teasers like this:



not only tested my knowledge, but my patience, which just so happened to be growing incredibly thin.

What was it about this game that I missed? Anything? It seems as though the 6 colors and 3-bit sound kept me entertained back in the days of my youth, but now It's become nothing more than a fleeting, nostalgic memory as I once again trudge through the Leprechaun infested, Treasure Mountain!

The Learning Company went on to produce other titles in the Super Solver/Seeker series, but none seemed to be as memorable (but just as crappy) as Treasure Mountain.

Maybe it wasn't such a great experience after all...

-Jd