The Manhole is commonly cited as the first computer CD-ROM adventure. For the narrower PC question, a detailed chronology lists its Mac/DOS CD-ROM rerelease in 1989. The date is not settled: another account says the game was first distributed on CD-ROM in 1987, and the answer depends on what counts as “first.”
Why The Manhole is the best-supported answer
The Manhole began as a floppy-disk game, then appeared on CD-ROM. The CD-ROM Journal chronology dates its original Mac release to 1988 and lists a Mac and DOS CD-ROM rerelease in 1989, describing it as the first computer CD-ROM adventure. That makes it a strong answer for an early PC-compatible computer CD-ROM game, but not a game originally designed for CD-ROM.
Why sources give different dates
A scholarly chapter titled “CD-ROM Games,” hosted by Ludov, calls The Manhole “the first game distributed on CD-ROM in 1987.” That conflicts with the chronology’s 1989 date for the Mac/DOS CD-ROM rerelease. The available accounts do not establish a single uncontested date, so it is more accurate to give the category and both dates than to present either as definitive.
What “first PC CD-ROM game” can mean
The answer changes with the scope of the question:
- First computer CD-ROM adventure: The Manhole is the chronology’s choice.
- First PC-compatible computer CD-ROM release: The chronology lists The Manhole’s DOS CD-ROM rerelease in 1989, while the scholarly account gives 1987 for CD-ROM distribution.
- First game originally designed for computer CD-ROM: The chronology identifies Alice: I Can’t Explain Myself (Mac, 1991) as the first computer CD-ROM-native adventure, distinguishing it from a floppy-game conversion.
- First CD-ROM game on any platform: This is broader than PC computers. The chronology lists Fighting Street and No-Ri-Ko among the PC Engine CD’s 1988 launch titles; that was a console, not a PC.
A planned Sierra game was not the first release
A 1989 article in The Computer Paper discussed The Manhole among CD-ROM entertainment products and reported that Sierra had begun work on a PC CD-ROM adaptation of Mixed-Up Mother Goose. The article described a project in development, not a released game; it should not be counted as the first PC CD-ROM title.
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Sources and what they establish
- CD-ROM Journal, “A Chronology of First CD-ROM Games,” June 29, 2023: identifies The Manhole as the first computer CD-ROM adventure, dates its Mac/DOS CD-ROM rerelease to 1989, and distinguishes the 1991 native adventure Alice.
- “CD-ROM Games,” scholarly chapter hosted by Ludov: gives 1987 as the date The Manhole was first distributed on CD-ROM.
- The Computer Paper, Vol. 5, No. 11, November 1992: period coverage of CD-ROM entertainment and Sierra’s planned, unproduced Mixed-Up Mother Goose adaptation.
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