Giza

Giza is a Mac-exclusive 3D first-person adventure by Bob Mancarella of Squeegee Software (later Caesar Software), originally released in January 1996 and updated through version 2.1.7 in January 2000. You play a scientist racing to save the Great Pyramids of Egypt from imminent destruction by recovering hidden secrets from inside them.

Premise

The pyramids are about to be destroyed, and the only way to save them is locked inside their own walls. You descend into the structures to gather hieroglyphs and clues -- in later versions, recorded onto a Newton ArcheoPad -- piecing together the pyramids' true origins before time runs out.

Gameplay

Giza is a fully texture-mapped first-person maze game spanning 25 levels, blending exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat. You contend with traps, secret passages, transporters, magic potions, a special ring, gold to collect, and hostile inhabitants of the pyramid. Later versions added the ability to shoot enemies and save anywhere.

Level editor

A bundled Giza editor lets players design their own pyramid levels and share them with others -- a notable feature for a shareware Mac title and one Inside Mac Games specifically called out, alongside the "stunning 3D graphics that rival many commercially-distributed games."

System requirements

Giza needs a 68020 or better, a 256-color display, Sound Manager 3.0, and QuickTime 2.0 with QuickTime Musical Instruments for music. It runs on System 7.0 through Mac OS 9 on both 68k and PowerPC, and was engineered to ship on a single 1.44 MB floppy.