Balance of Power is almost a simulation of the cold war. As one of the two major superpowers (USA or USSR) you try to gain influence without starting a nuclear war.
The rest of the world is serving as a playground for the enemies. Other countries are not directly conquered but you try to get the respective government on your side or to overthrow it.
Border Zone is another of Infocom's IF masterpieces. That means it uses the greatest parser ever made. But that alone doesn't make a great game!
There are other things that cause this. First the plot. It is a spy thriller. With microfilms, evil agents, an assassination and all the other cool features you know from these old movies. Only that YOU are involved this time!
Putting this game into a genre is impossible! It's a mixture of everythin you can think of. But it's this point that makes the game so special!
You are Max (or Maxine) Remington, agent at the CIA. Your boss calls you to his office to give you a mission. He introduces you to the basic problem and the available information. Then you're on your own! Well, not really. There are CIA-analysts who support you. They collect all the data and filter out the important stuff.
Frank Herbert's Dune is one of the best known pieces of fictional literature - beaten only by the bible and a few others. Millions of people have read it and even those who didn't at least know the name because they've seen the movie, they've just heard of it somewhere or they've played one of the computer games.
The early days of the Cold War. The USSR is blocking all land transports to the western sectors of Berlin. The USA have initiated an air bridge to supply the city. But Berlin is like a tiny island in what is going to be the GDR - when it comes to war, it'll be overrun by the Red Army immediately!
Finally – your long-awaited promotion: Director General of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries! Located on the thirteenth floor in an unconspicuous office building, many deem it an incredibly boring, bureaucratic job. What they don't know is that this name is just a cover; in fact, you've just become the chief of the country's secret police. And it's not just any fictional or anonymous third-world country, but the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Global Conquest is a kind of sequel to Command HQ. The whole system is therefore quite similar. For more detailed information read this one's review. You start with one (or a few) cities and you have to conquer the whole world. That is (of course?) achieved by military.
Kevin Mitnick...THE man. Have you heard about Kevin Mitnick? Have you ever wanted to be like him? Yeah I know...stupid question, of course you did. To be sincere, I wanted that too. I even broke into ***.*****.****.*****.edu but that's another thing.
The daily life of Dr. Henry Jones Jr. Somewhere in Central America, he's carrying out his archeological duties. It all starts with his colleague Marcus Brody giving him his latest assignment. It usually concerns finding an artifact before a competing archeologist does, freeing someone from the clutches of the nazis or something similar. The best thing about it: every time you start the game, you get a different adventure to play. Or at least that's what the advertisement says.
It's the last days of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev has destroyed part of the old structures. But as always when there's change, there are groups who want to take advantage of it. For some, it doesn't go quickly enough, some want to go back as much as possible. And some of those aren't all that peaceful about it...