The Games: Winter Challenge

The Games: Winter Challenge is a sports game based on winter events at the Olympics developed by Mindspan and published by Accolade. It was released in 1991 for DOS and Genesis. There is a sequel called Summer Challenge as well. The game is not an ‘official’ one endorsed by any Olympic committees, as it was released just a bit too early for licensing.

Winter Challenge features eight Olympic sports: Ski Jump, Downhill Skiing, Cross-Country Skiing, Luge, Giant Slalom, Bobsled, Speed Skating, and Biathlon. The game also offers two different modes to play: Training and Tournament. Training is exactly as it sounds; you can participate in the events to get the hang of it first. In a Tournament, you can compete with up to 10 opponents in multiple events. All events are scored by time except for the biathlon and ski jump, which are judged by accuracy and distance. The player can choose their appearance, nationality, and difficulty setting.

The game scored pretty well when it was released, and many fans cite it as one of the best winter sports games ever made. With an easy-to-use interface that keeps it from being overly complicated to play, Winter Challenge is perfect for winter sports fans.