What you have loaded into your computer is a piece of history brought to life by state-of-the-art emulation technology. It's a collection of some of the most creatively programmed strings of code in the history of computing.

The old Williams classic games are not only historically significant, but just as fun to play today as they were the day they first hit the arcades. The synergy between the graphics, the sound effects, and the gameplay is remarkable in these games, especially when you consider the archaic technology used to create them.

Like all good historians, Williams and Digital Eclipse are interested in accuracy. That's why we've returned to the primary source, the original arcade code, instead of creating a reprogrammed facsimile. Accuracy is crucial, because some of these games' best features are bugs that could never be recreated by reprogramming. Digital Eclipse's Digital Arcade emulator, written in Assembly language, simulates every nuance of the original Motorola 6809 chip and responds to code as the original arcade hardware would. Emulators for old computer systems were originally just shareware for hobbyists, but Digital Eclipse has elevated the genre by using them to resurrect the Williams classic games, giving anyone with a personal computer the ability to play the original arcade versions.

Of course none of it would have happened if it hadn't been for the magic of Williams. The game manufacturer attracted an amazing array of colorful characters, all extremely talented and inventive, to create the games that are now considered classics. While some personnel left to pursue other projects in the '80s, the most celebrated returned to Williams and to the creative environment that encouraged them to flourish. The company is still staking out bold new territory with Cruisin' USA and Mortal Kombat 3.

John Newcomer, who put his heart and soul into Joust, said the company gambled its full resources on the game even though many thought it was too unorthodox to be a successful game. "I guess that's what I love about this company," says Newcomer.

Video games are not generally thought of as something that age gracefully,  but truth is that classic arcade games deserve the same venerated status as classic films and television shows. The Digital Arcade will cement the notion that the video games that started a revolution have intrinsic qualities that outlast technological advances. It's ironic that most of today's video games, with monstrous memories and dazzling graphics, can't seem to pack the gameplay contained in a 64K Williams classic game.

This classic video game retrospective will give you an opportunity to meet the creators and hear the stories of the great Williams video games. Most of this exclusive material has never been seen before by the public. It's a small step towards preserving the history of an industry that is sorely under-documented. So click on your favorite game, read the text that introduces the movie clips and check out the still images in the Media Gallery. We think you'll agree that the classic Williams games are well overdue for a nostalgia trip.
