Reversi (Microsoft, Windows, 1985)

Reversi was the first game bundled with Microsoft Windows, mostly forgotten about these days because Microsoft hasn't shipped it with their operating systems since forever (though there were plans to that effect). It's most famously known for its brutal and unforgiving AI.

Version Differences#

Icon#

Windows 1.x & 2.x	Windows 3.0	Windows 3.1 (Driver Library)

The game went to having a colour icon in the version bundled with Windows 3.0 rather than a monochrome icon.

Other Differences#

The Windows 1.x and 2.x versions lacked a help system.

Although this game was not included with Windows 3.1, there is a Windows 3.1 version,¹ included with the Windows 3.1 Driver Library.² This version adds animations and replaced the green background with a grey one. The last known build of Windows 3.1 containing Reversi, the Beta Release 1/build 034f, includes the Windows 3.0 version of Reversi instead.³

Unreleased Win32 Port#

A fully functional port of Reversi to 32-bit Windows is included as a sample in some versions of the Win32 SDK and persists into the source code for as late as Windows XP, and has also been seen in repair packages for later versions of Windows. This version was first seen in early betas of Windows NT and appears to be based on the Windows 3.0 version, still using the old icon and graphics, being marked as "Version 3.0" in the about box, and not having any of the changes made for the Windows 3.1 version. The source code seems to be compilable for both 16-bit and 32-bit Windows, suggesting that it is identical to Reversi for Windows 3.0. Due to a bug, the graphics are forced into monochrome on display adapters in color modes greater than 8-bits-per-pixel. The only change that has been discovered aside graphics is that the only option in the Help menu that works is "About Reversi...", everything else in the Help menu does not do anything at all.

References#