I have to admit, I have always been a huge fan of laserdisc games like Dragon's Lair, and Space Ace since I was a kid, and played them when they originally came out in the arcades. To this day I still don't quite understand why the deep fascination. Kids today will just never understand just how innovative these games were back in the day. Trying to explain just how fun those games were is like trying to play fetch with a dead dog. They just don't get it. They say that there's no interactivity, no real control, which in part is true, but I beg to differ about the interaction involved. One has to remember that back in 1983, games like Donkey Kong, and Pacman were still considered cutting edge gaming technology. Also, with cut scenes so common in today's games it's easy to forget that back then something like that had never been done before. It was unheard of to have full screen animation running in a game, so when Dragon's Lair came out, I just remember it being one of the most jaw dropping experiences of my life. To me the control wasn't lost, it had merely changed in form. Yes you can't make Dirk walk wherever you want to on the screen, but there's still a great deal of interaction needed to play the game. It's just something that if you weren't there you will probably never get it I suppose.

  I remember I couldn't get enough pictures, peeks on TV shows (Silver Spoons had a Dragon's Lair in the main characters living room, and I would watch that show just to get glimpses of the game... yes I was sick), and I especially couldn't play it enough. I was the first in my local arcade to finish the game, and I remember I was revered that night like a local hero. The crowd of people around me watched and cheered as I slayed the Dragon. Ahh the days, but finally they are not lost...

  I just recently discovered a great program called Daphne (http://www.daphne-emu.com) which emulates the hardware that was used to run the old laserdisc machines. It can be used with an original laserdisc player and the original discs, or even better, it can be used with all of the movies in mpeg format sitting on your hard drive. Over the years there have been many versions of Dragon's Lair and Space Ace, but none can even hold a candle to the emulated perfection that Daphne offers. And what's even better is that Daphne also emulates other games that haven't seen the light of day since they were in the arcade almost 20 years ago! The two that I really liked other than DL and SA was Cobra Command, and Cliff Hanger... All shots shown here are actual shots of the screen of my cabinet.

Dragons Lair
The game that started it all. Nothing more need be said

Actual screenshots from my cabinet...

Space Ace
What an incredible game this was. Definately one of my all time favorite games.

Space Ace! YEAH!!!!

Cobra Command
Cobra command was a great game that places you in an attack helicopter. You had to control an on-screen crosshair and position it over enemy targets like planes and other copters, and fire at the right moment. It has a very "GI-Joe" look and feel to it as I'm sure it was all animated with the same techniques and probably by the same people. The game was very unique in the day, and I remember spending all my allowance money on it.

Bottom right is an "in game" shot. Notice the crosshair.

Cliff Hanger
Cliff Hanger was more along the lines of Dragon's Lair and Space Ace. You move the controls in the appropriate direction at the appropriate time. However Cliff Hanger has an additional "foot" button (not a button you push with your foot, but rather a button that you pushed when you needed the character to do something relating to his feet.) I honestly never really got to play this game much. My local arcade never got this machine, so the only time I ever played it was just the few times I saw it at amusement parks. I look forward to finally being able to play this game through its entirety.

Badlands
Badlands is probably one of the few games ever to be completely controlled by a single button. Granted I think that button was more like a gun in the arcade, but aiming wasn't necessary I believe, so the gun was really just a fancy button. Get used to seeing gratuitous scenes like the one below :)

Astron Belt
In Astron Belt, you fly through the universe battling alien ships to make your way to fight the main Alien Battle Cruiser. Along the way, you fly across alien planets, through tunnels, through trenches, and get involved in a few astro-dogfights with enemy space fighters. Sega / Bally / Midway later released a sequel to Astron Belt which was called Galaxy Ranger.

Bega's Battle
In Bega's Battle, you play a character named Bega. You must face the alien Varga who is trying to take over the earth. You must defeat Varga to save the earth from destruction. Other goals are to rescue your friends Luna, Jobe, and Sony. Once rescued, Luna gave you extra firepower, Jobe gave you the shield, and Sony gave you teleportation ability.

Goal to Go
Goal to Go was a laser disc game created by Stern in 1983. Playing the offense of a football team, you must control your quarterback, receivers, and running backs to get first downs and score touchdowns. After you chose one of the on-screen pre-designed plays, you would watch the play develop and have to interact using the joystick, hands, and feet buttons at the proper moments of the play. The game ends if you do not continue to make first downs.

No screenshots available as emulation is currently not working.
Movies, roms, and framefile are in perfect working order

Esh's Aurunmilla
Esh's Aurunmilla was a laser disc game released by Funai in 1984 (creators of Interstellar Laser Fantasy). In this game, you play a character named Don Davis. Emperor Esh, who is trying to take over the Universe Orion, has kidnapped princess Sindy. It is your job to rescue Princess Sindy from the evil Emperor Esh. Armed with only a sword, you must fight your way through the obstacles to rescue the princess and save the universe!at an incredible game this was.

Galaxy Ranger
In Galaxy Ranger, you fly through the universe battling alien ships to make your way to fight the main Alien Battle Cruiser. Along the way, you fly across alien deserts, through tunnels, over alien cities, and get involved in a few "astro-dogfights" with enemy space fighters.

Super Don Quix-ote
Super Don Quix-ote was a laser disc game released by Universal in 1984. The game play was similar to Dragon's Lair. You are a knight named Don. Your girlfriend, Isabella, has been captured by an evil witch who is holding her hostage. You have a sword for a weapon and a sidekick named Sancho. You must battle your way to the evil witch's hideout and save Isabella.

Super Don Quix-ote was the first game released in what was called the "Universal System 1". Other laser disc games were planned to be released as conversion kits for the same cabinet. Here is the list of laser disc games that were planned, but never released: Time Slip, Wilderness Kingdom, Adventure in Middle Earth, Space Dracula, Circus Circus, and Adventure Mr. Do!

Thayer's Quest
Thayer's Quest was a laser disc game created by RDI Video Systems. It was released in 1984 as a conversion kit for Dragon's Lair. The founder of RDI, Rick Dyer, was the man directly responsible for Dragon's Lair and Space Ace. Thayer's Quest was unlike any other arcade game of that time. For the controls, it used a membrane keypad rather than a joystick and buttons. "Survival and success depended more on decisions that you made rather than your reflexes."

These games look great in my cabinet. The images are crisp and clear, and better than I ever could have hoped for. Even the beep noises are done perfectly. I was nearly on the verge of finding a laserdisc player and some discs to try to play some of these, but that would of ended up costing me hundreds of dollars in the end, with probably many headaches. Daphne is free and works absolutely wonderfully.