 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2007) |
| Microsoft Entertainment Pack | |
|---|---|
 Cover art for Pack 1 | |
| Developer(s) | Microsoft |
| Publisher(s) | Microsoft |
| Designer(s) | Robert Andrews |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows Game Boy Color |
| Release | 1990 (Pack 1) 1991 (Pack 2) 1991 (Pack 3) 1992 (Pack 4) 1994 (The Best of) May 30, 2001 (GBC)[1] |
| Genre(s) | Various |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Microsoft Entertainment Pack, also known as Windows Entertainment Pack[2] or simply WEP, is a collection of 16-bit casual computer games for Windows. There were four Entertainment Packs released between 1990 and 1992. These games were somewhat unusual for the time, in that they would not run under MS-DOS. In 1994, a compilation of the previous four Entertainment Packs were released called The Best of Microsoft Entertainment Pack. A Game Boy Color version was released in 2001.
Microsoft advertised Entertainment Packs for casual gaming on office computers. The boxes had slogans like "No more boring coffee breaks" and "Only a few minutes between meetings? Get in a quick game of Klotski". The marketing succeeded; Computer Gaming World in 1992 described the series as "the Gorillas of the Gaming Lite Jungle", with more than 500,000 copies sold.[3]
Minesweeper from pack 1 was later bundled with Windows 3.1, and FreeCell was included in Windows 95. WinChess and Taipei, both written by David Norris,[4] received remakes in Windows Vista, called Chess Titans and Mahjong Titans, respectively. Mahjong Titans was replaced with Microsoft Mahjong in Windows 8. Microsoft Solitaire Collection also includes versions of Tut's Tomb (as Pyramid) and TriPeaks.
- ^ "EBgames.com - Game Boy Advance". June 4, 2001. Archived from the original on June 4, 2001. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- ^ Simon, Barry (April 14, 1992). "Windows: It's a Fun Place to Mouse Around". PC Mag. 11 (7): 477–478. ISSN 0888-8507. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
- ^ "Welcome To Gaming Lite". Computer Gaming World. September 1992. p. 74. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
- ^ "Chessprogramming - Ziggurat". Archived from the original on May 29, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2016.