Virus

Virus (known as Zarch when initially created for the Acorn Archimedes) is a 3d shooter designed by David Braben. It is one of the first real 3D games ever made.

Initially programmed by Braben as a demo called Lander, to show the capabilities of the Acorn computer, it later became a complete game, released in 1987 under the name of Zarch. One year later, the game was renamed Virus and ported to Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST, and DOS.

With enemies, trees, and buildings, drawn as polygons in real-time, shadows and lights, particle effects, and a complete 3d environment, Virus was definitely ahead of its time. Despite the difficulty level, the reviews were highly positive. Amiga Power voted Virus the 5th best game of all time in 1991. Many clones and sequels were released in the following years, the best one is probably V2000, created 10 years later by Frontier Developments for Windows and Playstation.