I didn’t realize that the Mac port was made years after the DOS version – in fact, I thought they came out right around the same time. Indeed, even a few years would make a huge difference, in that era. Actually quite sad, though. That sounds like a record amount of time porting a DOS/Win32 game to Mac OS!

You know, a simple visit to Wikipedia or a Lemmings forum/website would reveal that the DOS version is one of the first versions made.

The Amiga and DOS versions were made at the same time. The DOS version comes in three graphical variants: VGA graphics, EGA/Tandy graphics, CGA graphics. It also has two audio variants: AdLib, and Tandy.

The VGA version is that which you’ve played. You probably played it with AdLib sound since that is the default choice.

The EGA/Tandy graphics are the same, but with only 14 colours. Most pink things become grey or purple, and brown things become bright orange and yellow. Still, it’s very playable. The graphics in this game were made for EGA graphics cards (which were quite common at the time), and for a computer called the Tandy Jr.

The CGA graphics are horrible: blue, pink, and white. Maybe grey as well. It’s awful to play, but it was necessary as monitors and graphics cards at the time were still quite limited. To actually own a graphics card capable of running the VGA version of Lemmings was extraordinary.

The AdLib sound is bad. You’ve heard it. At the time it was cutting edge, but by today’s standards it sounds like squealing.

The Tandy sound sounds a bit like playing on an 8-bit console, and was still a considerably good sound. By today’s standards, it sounds just slightly better than an NES.

It’s worth noting that the Macintosh version was made 4 or 5 years after the Amiga and DOS versions were released. It was released around the same time as Lemmings for Windows 95 which featured the same graphics but different music. Given time, of course it’s going to be a superior port.

There are negative changes (depending upon your viewpoint) to remark on. The exit for the Hell-themed levels is changed from a demon-pig to a sort of nerdy face with extremely short ears and huge eyes. Also, a level called “All the 6s” (which is a giant ’666′ made out of boulders) was removed in favour of another level.

For some inexplicable reason, the Lemmings have sleeves on their shirts in the Macintosh and Windows 95 versions of the game.