Shamus

Shamus is a classic early action game originally created by William Mataga for Synapse Software in 1982, and later seen on a range of platforms including MS-DOS. Cast as a detective exploring a sprawling maze of interconnected rooms, you shoot your way through a hostile complex while hunting your nemesis, the Shadow, dodging enemies and collecting keys to open colour-coded doors.

It blends maze exploration with twitchy shooting, and part of its reputation came from sheer size and difficulty — the labyrinth is large, the Shadow taunts and pursues you, and a single careless move can end a run quickly. It was influential enough to spawn sequels and is often cited among the notable action-adventure hybrids of the early 8-bit era.

Played now it is unmistakably a product of its time, with stark visuals and unforgiving mechanics, but its mix of shooting and navigation gives it more staying power than many of its pure-arcade peers.