The introduction of the CD-ROM format in computers allowed many developers to make an extraordinary leap in quality and complexity. You probably remember the use (and abuse) of full motion video in interactive games that occupied several CDs, but if you want to know which was the first PC game commercially released on CD, you'll have to travel back to 1989 and explore one of the original projects of the Miller brothers, better known for the unforgettable Myst.
At first, installing a CD-ROM drive in a computer demanded a real fortune. Even then, the possibility of accessing discs with 650 megabytes in the late '80s and early '90s justified it all, and it didn't take long for some companies to release kits with CD drives and sound cards. But what about software and games? What was the first title to be distributed on CD-ROM?
Actually, that recognition does not belong to a computer game, but to two PC Engine titles: a port of the classic Street Fighter renamed “Fighting Street” from 1988 (a more or less faithful conversion of the original, remembered mainly for having a superior soundtrack), and “No-Ri-Ko”, a visual novel/dating sim inspired by singer Noriko Ogawa. Now, if we decide to look for the first “PC” game sold on CD, what we find is… a manhole?
The Manhole: The First PC Game Sold on CD
That's right, the first game released on CD-ROM for computers is The Manhole, a creation of Rand and Robyn Miller, both responsible for the classic Myst. The Manhole debuted in 1988 with a floppy disk distribution from Activision, but a year later it arrived on the optical format thanks to the same company. In 1992 it received a “new and improved” edition, and three years later it returned to store shelves as “The Manhole: CD-ROM Masterpiece Edition” under Brøderbund, with more color, voices, music, sound effects, and additional characters.
Technically, The Manhole is an exploration game. The player opens a manhole, a giant beanstalk emerges from it (a line similar to the famous tale), and at its top appears a portal to a magical world. There are no missions or anything like that, just multiple scenes where we can click and activate different objects and effects. Dragons, elephants, and rabbits are some of the creatures that live there.
In short, The Manhole is a game designed for the little ones in the house (and why not, the occasional adult) to lose themselves in for a good while. And the good news is that anyone interested won't have to struggle with CDs or DOS environments. The Masterpiece Edition is available on both Steam and GOG (at a price ranging from $4 to $7), ready to run on modern systems.
