After Dark (1989) 64 Novelty MacOS Windows DOS

After Dark, from Berkeley Systems, Inc, is a set of entertaining screen savers for Mac and Windows. After Dark for Windows started off as "Magic Screen Saver" for Windows 2.x. After Dark was most famous for its "Flying Toasters" screen saver. Afterdark was very popular on both the early Macintosh computers and Windows 3.0, as neither included any kind of screen saver or screen blanker that would help prevent screen burn-in.

• 1.0 for Macintosh
• Magic ScreenSaver
• 1.0 for Windows
• 2.x
• 1.0 for DOS
• 3.x
• 4.x
• Tenth Anniversary
• 9

Microsoft Plus! (1995) 59 Utility Novelty Windows

Microsoft Plus! was an add-on package to Windows that added desktop themes, screen savers, sound effects, power-toys, and other assorted goodies for the home user. Plus! 95 also included Internet Explorer 1.0, which was not included in all Windows 95 distributions.

• 95
• 98

Instant Artist / Print Artist (1992) 38 Graphics Publishing Novelty DOS Windows

Instant Artist, later renamed to Print Artist, is a greeting card and sign creation program that uses vectorized graphics. It was created by The Pixellite Group, the original authors of The Print Shop, and published in 1992 by Autodesk. It was later sold by Sierra On-line. It features a high quality set of generic reusable clip art. The clip art uses vector based technology that was also used in BannerMania.

• 1.0 (DOS)
• 1.0
• 2.0
• 3.0
• 4.0
• 6.0
• 8.0

Microsoft BOB (1995) 19 Novelty Windows

Microsoft BOB is a Windows 3.1 graphical shell intended for novice users. It presents your desktop as a series of "rooms" with various selectable objects, and assists you with a friendly animated guide. It features vector based graphics that scale to any size or resolution screen, supports user profiles, and includes rudimentary editor, calendar, address book, and checking programs. It was created as a response to Packard Bell Navigator and is somewhat comparable to Apple At Ease and 3DNA.

• 1.00
• 1.00a

Microsoft Windows a Vision for the Future (1997) 14 Novelty Document Windows

This is a promotional collection of documents in HTML format released in 1997 describing Microsoft's upcoming plans for future versions of Windows.

• 1997

Microsoft Scenes (1993) 11 Novelty Windows

Microsoft Scenes is a screen saver that displays a slide show of photographs. It was packaged in several varieties with different themed galleries.

• 1.0
• 2.0

Microsoft Creative Writer (1994) 11 Word Processor Novelty Windows MacOS

Microsoft Creative Writer is a dumbed down Microsoft BOB-like word processor and sign maker targeted at children. It was sold alongside, and later bundled with, a drawing program called Microsoft Fine Artist

• 1.x
• 2.x

Microsoft Fine Artist (1994) 11 Graphics Novelty Windows MacOS

Microsoft Fine Artist is a dumbed down Microsoft Bob-like drawing program targeted at children. It was sold alongside, and later bundled with, a word processor called Microsoft Creative Writer.

• 1.x

ViaVoice (1997) 7 Utility Novelty Windows

ViaVoice is a voice recognition program from IBM. It was available in a number of different languages. It was based on the previous VoiceType product Helloooo computer!

• 4.x
• 98

Calendar Creator Plus (1990) 6 Novelty PIM DOS Windows

Calendar Creator Plus from Vermont Creative Software/Power Up, and later Spinnaker Software, is a tool for creating printed calendars with different styles and custom lists of events.

• 3.x (DOS)
• 2.0 (Win)
• 4.0 (Win)
• 5.0 (Win)
• 7.0 (Win)

Pyro (1990) 6 Novelty MacOS DOS

Pyro, from Fifth Generation Systems, is a commercial set of screen savers that started of as a simple black and white fireworks screen saver on the Apple Macintosh. It competed against AfterDark.

• 4.x (Mac)
• 1.x (DOS)
• 2.x (DOS)

Whereabouts Deluxe (1991) 5 Novelty DOS

Whereabouts Deluxe flashes a fun, animated, and colorful messages on your PC that tells people your whereabouts. Choose one of 11 bright messages from each volume or create your own custom message.

• 1.x

Microsoft Dangerous Creatures (1994) 4 Reference Novelty Windows

Multimedia title from the Microsoft Home series about venomous and dangerous animals, such as spiders, snakes, fish, etc. from around the world. Runs on Windows 3.1 or later.

• 1.0

VoiceType (1997) 4 Utility Novelty Windows

VoiceType is a voice dictation and speech recognition program from IBM. Compared to other products, VoiceType was considered fairly fast and accurate, but required several hours of "training" to achieve that. It was aimed at a fairly niche voice dictation market.

• 3.x
• Simply Speaking 3.x

Microsoft SoundBits (1992) 4 Novelty Windows

Microsoft SoundBits is a Windows 3.1 program that adds a variety of annoying sounds to actions such as opening a program, or minimizing a window. Because multimedia! It comes in three different flavors: Hanna-Barbera, Hollywood Movies, and Musical Sounds.

• 1.0

Icon Do-It (1992) 4 Utility Novelty Windows

Icon-Do-It, from Moon Valley Software, is a utility that enables you to customize your program group icons, and add animated icons to normal program items. It also includes a screen saver module. It is designed to work with both Windows 3.0 and 3.1.

• 1.x
• 2.x

Expert Astronomer (1992) 4 Reference Novelty DOS

Expert Astronomer from Expert Software is a budget star chart with a large number of features. Database includes around 9000 objects including stars, constellations, and planets.

• I

Catz (1996) 4 Novelty Windows

Catz, from PF Magic, Inc, is a fun program that places an animated cat on your desktop for you to play with.

• 1.0
• II

MegaDittos (1994) 4 Novelty Windows

MegaDittos is a set of political screen savers that poke fun at Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and Hillary.

• 1.x

Comic Book Creator (1991) 4 Novelty DOS

Comic Book Creator is a graphics program that enables the user to quickly create customized comic strips based on a small predefined set of clip art and backgrounds.

• 1.x

ABC 3D Atlas (1997) 3 Reference Novelty Windows

A 3D world atlas.

• 98

Johnny Castaway Screen Saver (1992) 3 Novelty Windows

Johnny Castaway Screen Saver from Sierra.

• 1.x

Flying Fingers (1993) 2 Novelty Education Windows

A nicish typing tutor that works as memory resident and annoys the hell out of you by sticking up a little man who knocks on your screen every now and again to remind you to type faster, or as a standalone app. similar to Mavis Beacon...

• 1.0

Microsoft Saturn Screensaver (1995) 2 Novelty Windows

The Microsoft "Saturn" screen saver is a plasma-like screen saver that uses 256-color VGA pallet rotation to create dazzling effects.

• 1

Expert Pet Care (1992) 2 Reference Novelty DOS

Expert Pet Care, from Expert Software, is a budget title for the IBM PC. "Expert Pet Care is your complete guide to your pet's health and upkeep. Developed by a practicing veterinarian, Expert Pet Care offers valuable information and advice on nutrition, exercise, emergency care, behavioral problems, training, and medication. It also includes special tips on training, diet and grooming, plus produces pedigree and descendants charts. You can lean about the various breeds of dogs and cats, and even view pictures of them! Expert Pet Care contains information on over 150 different breeds. You'll learn about each breed's physical attributes, history, and special care considerations. Expert Pet Care Provides vital emergency health care do's and don'ts which may literally save your pet's life. You can easily create a medical history for your pet. Expert Pet Care tracks information such as vaccinations, allergies, surgery and more. All you have to do is fill in the blanks. Expert Pet Care is simple to use - it's arranged like a stack of index cards that can flip through at your own pace, and in the order you like!"

• 1992