Mac Source Ports

Developer: id Software
Release Date: December 9, 1997
Source Code Release Date: December 22, 2001

Quake II is a first-person shooter, the second in the Quake series. Yamagi Quake2 is the most mature and advanced port actively being maintained.

  Buy Quake II on GOG.com

  Buy Quake II on the Humble Store

Developer: Infocom
Release Date: 1977

True story: I'm old enough to have experienced the concept of buying Commodore 64 software in toy stores as a kid. I'll never forget, it had to have been at the tail end of the C64's lifecycle and I'm going through this bargain bin and finding nothing interesting, and then I stumbled across Zork I, in what had to be one of the slim case budget re-releases. I had no idea what it was other than I had read the name in Family Computing magazine.

I go home, fire it up, it takes forver to load... and then only when I'm sitting at a text prompt does it hit me that this is a game without graphics. No wonder there were no screenshots. I'm pretty disappointed. I'm also bored and have nothing better to do so I start playing it.

What follows is legit one of the best gaming experiences of my life. There's a reason this game is famous - provided you're willing to give it a shot the premise, writing, puzzles and exploration concepts will lure you in, and the anachronistic hodgepodge of elements makes for an eclectic universe. You descend downwards into the ruins of the Great Underground Empire, now an abandoned world.

The backstory has been told at length elsewhere but the short version is that some computer scientists at MIT made a text adventure game called Dungeon to run on their mainframe and got the idea to make a company to sell versions of it for home computers. It proved to be too big to fit on the computers of the era so they split it up into a trilogy of games called Zork. The company was named Infocom and they are beyond legendary in retro gaming archaeology circles.

The technology the games ran with has been reverse engineered so well that an entire community has spawned programming languages and toolkits to make new games with it and there's hundreds of text advantures as a result, including an annual contest that's been running for decades now.

So unlike most games on this site there are literally dozens of options to play these games, and the current best in breed for the Mac is called Splatterlight.

  Buy Zork I: The Great Underground Empire on GOG.com

Developer: Infocom
Release Date: 1980

So as mentioned, the original gamed Dungeon was split into three games, so the second game picks up pretty much where the first game left off, diving deeper into the intricate underground realm of the Great Underground Empire as you navigate through mystifying chambers and encounter enigmatic characters. Unravel the secrets of the all-powerful Wizard of Frobozz, solving perplexing puzzles and overcoming perilous obstacles along the way.

  Buy Zork II: The Wizard of Frobozz on GOG.com

Developer: Infocom
Release Date: 1981

The last in the original trilogy and the last part of the original Dungeon game, this game features the deepest portion of the Great Underground Empire where you must face the wrath of the vengeful Dungeon Master as you journey through a treacherous underworld filled with ancient secrets and unimaginable dangers. Traverse through stunning landscapes, unravel mind-bending puzzles, and confront cunning adversaries in your quest for redemption. Might as well keep going if you've gone this far :)

  Buy Zork III: The Dungeon Master on GOG.com

Developer: Infocom
Release Date: 1987

Beyond Zork is an interesting entry for a few reasons. It's the first Zork game not derived from the original larger Dungeon game, and it was made after Infocom made an ill fated venture into business software. And it tries several new things as the technology evolved - instead of just being a text adventure it incorporates RPG statistics and combat elements, along with a crude on-screen map. It both is and is not more Zork, but it's worth checking out at least.

  Buy Beyond Zork: The Coconut of Quendor on GOG.com

Developer: Infocom
Release Date: 1983

As Infocom branched out, they tried new settings, like outer space. Set in a distant future where space exploration and cosmic mysteries abound, you play as s a lone astronaut marooned on a mysterious planet and tasked with unraveling its enigmatic secrets. Traverse breathtaking landscapes, encounter bizarre lifeforms, and uncover the remnants of a lost civilization. Prepare to embark on an epic journey of self-discovery as you navigate treacherous terrain, solve intricate puzzles, and forge unexpected alliances.

  Buy Planetfall on GOG.com

Developer: Epic Games
Release Date: May 22, 1998

Also known as that game that convinced you to buy a Voodoo card, Unreal was released in 1998 after a lengthy development cycle. Although the name Unreal is primarily known today as a game engine licensing powerhouse, the original entry in the series is more than a tech demo, it's a fasinating glimpse in to what it was like to try and make a polygonal FPS game before most of the rules were well known. It's also a perfect example of a game where what you remember is much different than what you play today.

The OldUnreal team, responsible for bringing us the Mac port of Unreal Tournament have received permission from Epic to also release a build of the original Unreal for the Mac. Although the original game was available for classic Mac OS, this is the first Mac port of it in... nevermind how long it's been.

Note that we are labeling this an Early Access release since the OldUnreal team is labeling this build a pre-release. The original renderer has been replaced with a new Metal-based renderer and some glitches are to be expected, but the game is definitely playable.

Developer: Jagex Limited
Release Date: January 4, 2001

Though probably not the oldest MMO still in existence, RuneScape is definitely one of the most popular. Employing a unique approach to game structuring, developer Jagex itrated on the original design resulting in the modern version of RuneScape (dubbed by some as RuneScape 3), while also maintaining - since 2013 - a separate, parallel version of the game from its circa 2007 incarnation under the title Old School RuneScape. And while Jagex maintains clients for the versions, it also allows other developers to develop clients as well such as this one: RuneLite, which is open source and offers a signed and notarized build for the Mac.

At this time RuneLite does not offer a Universal 2 app, so you will need to download the version that corresponds to your Mac. Apple Silicon users can run either build but performance is better with the Apple Silicon version.

Also note that Old School RuneScape is a free to play MMO, meaning that it must be online in order to play. In addition, some features may only be available to users with an optional paid subscription. Mac Source Ports does not benefit financially from any transactions in the game, we are only linking to this game in order to highlight examples of source ports with modern Mac support.

Developer: Epic MegaGames
Release Date: May 7, 1998

Although never as big as Mario or Sonic, Jazz Jackrabbit did well enough with a hungry PC gaming crowd to merit a second game in the series. It's your standard shareware sequel story: more levels, more twists, better technology. If you liked the original you'll like this one.

It also has a very confusing release strategy. The original game was shareware, when you bought it you got the full Jazz Jackrabbit 2 game. Later, it was re-released with an additional episode under the title Jazz Jackrabbit 2: The Secret Files. Then came a release called Jazz Jackrabbit 2: The Christmas Chronicles, which adds Christmas-themed levels. So when you get the game on GOG you might spot two entries, neither of which look like they're the base game, but both should work in Jazz² Resurrection.

  Buy Jazz Jackrabbit 2 on GOG.com

Developer: Origin Systems
Release Date: March 25, 1993

Continuing the glory days of the DOS-based RPG 90's era, Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle takes the "more is more" approach and is essentially more content in the same engine. I'd say that today we'd call this a standalone expansion pack, but believe it or not this sequel to a sequel also had its own expansion pack, Ultima VII: The Silver Seed. If you want Ultima VII we've got you fam.

The Exult project was started in 2003 and has been going ever since, adding official signed and notarized Universal 2 macOS builds just recently. The project is one of the more well known third party efforts, even receiving praise from Lord British himself.

Note that modern game retailers like GOG almost always feature both games and their expansions under the collective title Uiltima VII: The Complete Edition or something to that effect, so buying one package gets you everything and Exult allows you to pick which one you want to play.

  Buy Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle on GOG.com