Manhole

Manholes. If someone had given me a list in 1992 of things I'd think you could build a game around, manholes wouldn't have been on it. And yet here's Manhole by N.K. Dann.

The setting is, to say the least, quirky. In the fictional land of Sozz, manholes are everywhere, but nobody's thought to close them yet. Your grandfather's manhole cover is the only lid you've got, and your job is to protect the locals from falling into the holes in the ground. One cover, many holes, a stream of careless pedestrians. You couldn't come up with a simpler premise if you tried.

It's a reflex action game where you dash across the screen with the manhole cover and seal the holes before anyone steps into them. The controls are straightforward, the pace ramps up, and soon the game starts putting the squeeze on you — more pedestrians appear, holes shift around. There's no depth or strategy here, just pure pressure on your reflexes and patience. Exactly the kind of game where you'd lose twenty minutes in the nineties and then couldn't believe how fast it went.

What I remember about Manhole and what holds it together is that absurd economy of the concept. N.K. Dann didn't overcomplicate it — they took one mechanic, refined it into something playable, and shipped it. When half the games on DOS wanted to be either an RPG or a shooter, this stood a bit apart. Whether that was intentional or just the result of a limited budget, it's hard to say now. The graphics fit 1992 without any overtime, and the soundtrack probably wasn't why anyone bought a Sound Blaster either. What's aged worst is the longevity — today's player will exhaust what the game has to offer pretty quickly.

Manhole appeals mainly to those who like short, simple retro games and don't expect more than what they offer. In a browser via DOSBox, it's a one-sitting affair — no installation, no tweaking, no frustration with clunky controls. If you want proof that a lot of stuff was released in 1992, here it is. And if you've got things scattered across your floor at home, this might just force you to clean them up. Preventively.