Original 1996 Tomb Raider Reimagined – GLIDOS Free Until the End of February
GLIDOS is a Glide emulation for DOS that allows games like Tomb Raider (1996) to show their full detail on modern computers. Essentially, Glidos is a program that emulates the Glide API of the first Voodoo graphic acceleration cards so one can use a modern Windows PC. This way Tomb Raider I– as well as some other games of that era– can be played in almost the same quality as Tomb Raider II. With the help of high resolution texture packs the quality can be enhanced even further.
GLIDOS emulates the old Glide API of the early Voodoo 3D acceleration graphic cards and translates them to (“wraps” them for) modern DirectX or OpenGL function calls. Furthermore, newer versions of Glidos come packaged with DOSBox for 16 bit DOS emulation on modern 64-bit Windows systems that no longer support real-mode DOS programs.
Paul Gardner, the programmer behind GLIDOS, is making the unlock service available for a LIMITED PERIOD until the end of February. Until now, you could either buy the program for $10 or try the demo with a spinning GLIDOS logo in the background.
If you wish to take advantage of this offer, head over to GLIDOS and set up your free account. Full and detailed instructions are available on the website and if you don’t have the games, I bought Tomb Raider 1, 2 & 3 yesterday at GOG for $5.89, which is a steal. The GOG service now offers a new platform/client called GOG Galaxy, with older games launching through DOSBox, so no more head scratching and fiddling about.
Running older games on modern computers has never been easier, but if you need a little more help, see my articles here and here on how to run older games on modern computers, but don’t forget to take advantage of this generous offer.
**Some photos courtesy of GLIDOS and Stella’s Tomb Raider Site.
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