There is something about game boxes that fires up the imagination. I'm not talking about the modern day boxes that are now so commonplace, where PC games are housed in uncreative DVD cases (or none at all if you go down the download distribution route). I am talking about the big bulky cardboard boxes that take up lots of shelve space and crumple around the edges if not looked after properly. They were a huge part of computer gaming in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, with most big releases coming in a large box with the game and manual contained inside like a secret treasure.

It's not a coincidence that adventure game collectors the world over pay substantial sums of money for original game releases in their vintage packaging in mint condition complete with manual. They have a special quality about them, brimming with a personality and charm that DVD boxes fail to possess. Even today, despite the fact that space is at a premium, I have a small collection of adventure games in their big box format (most of which happen to be on floppy disk) that I'll never part with due to their collectability and memories they invoke.

Some were not just a container for the game and manual either, they were an extension of the whole experience. It was not uncommon for early text adventures to include novellas penned to provide background to the game, while LucasArts and Sierra titles contained posters, diaries of the characters' exploits and even miniature colouring books. One particular title that stood out for me at the time of release was Beneath A Steel Sky. The black box was thicker than most on the market and the silver logo and game title oozed class and simplicity. Even better, inside was a small comic book drawn by Dave Gibbons (a renowned graphic novelist) that provided the setting for the game ahead. Such attention to detail enhanced the experience, made even better by the fact that the game was great to play on its own merits.

We can see why publishers went down the DVD case route – they are cheap, easy to manufacture, durable and you can store far more of them than the old style of container – but there's a part of us that misses boxes and that feeling you were getting something special upon purchase. They may also play a small part in the nostalgia of classic adventure games, dating back to a time when all games came with a printed manual and had the feeling of being hand crafted rather than mass produced. The time of huge boxes has passed, as has the era of extra booklets when these days you're lucky to get a printed manual, and that’s a sad reality for today’s gamer. Still, it's fun for us long-time gamers to remember the old days when things really were better and feel privileged that we were once a part of them.