In the halycon days of 1994 my parents made a huge investment in a monolithic 66mhz computer that ran Windows 3.1. One of the features that had me super excited was the double speed CD-ROM! I’m sure my mom intended it for purely educational purposes, as Microsoft Encarta was one of the first purchases she made. My dad on the other hand, had other ideas as one of the first CD-ROM games he bought for me was Star Wars: X-Wing.

Star Wars: X-Wing allowed you to jump into the cockpit of the titular Incom T-65 starfighter (or the the A-Wing or Y-Wing) and fight the Galactic Empire in missions set before and leading up to the Battle of Yavin.

By early 1990s standards, the game play in X-Wing was amazing. The ability to use a joystick, while using keyboard controls to balance shields, engine speed, and lasers was about as interactive as you could get. There were cut scenes (albeit hand drawn) and music pulled from the movies. Star Wars: X-Wing had a couple of expansion packs B-Wing and Imperial Pursuit and spawned a few sequels. This game made an indelible mark on my young gaming life, and as far as Star Wars games go was probably my favorite until the release of Star Wars: Rogue Squadron for the N64

In 2014, the games were repackaged and available for download on GOG.com for all you nostalgic X-Wing jockeys out there for a very reasonable price.