🎄 Jetpack: Christmas Special! (1993) — Retro Holiday Fun on DOS/Windows
If you’re into classic PC games from the golden age of shareware and DOS/early Windows gaming, Jetpack: Christmas Special! is a delightful seasonal spin on a beloved platformer that really deserves a place in any vintage game hall of fame.
📅 Origins and Release
Originally released in 1993 as a freeware promotional edition of the classic Jetpack platform game, Jetpack: Christmas Special! was developed by Adept Software and published by Software Creations. It was distributed through shareware collections and floppy disk compilations that were common in the early ’90s PC scene.
Unlike many Windows titles of the era, Jetpack: Christmas Special! ran natively on MS-DOS, but it was often bundled or launched from simple Windows shells during the Windows 3.x era, letting fans play it on both pure DOS and early Windows systems.
🧑🎄 What Makes It Special
This seasonal edition puts a festive twist on the original Jetpack gameplay:
- You play as Santa Claus, jetpack strapped on and ready to fly through Christmas-themed levels instead of the original gem-collecting missions.
- Santa must collect presents and gifts across levels full of platforms, hazards, and enemies — all while managing limited jetpack fuel.
- Like the original game, you’re navigating flip-screen platformer design: every screen is a puzzle of walls, obstacles, and secret paths.
- The game includes its own level editor, so players back then could create and share their own festive stages.
There are 10 holiday levels included, each dressed with Christmas graphics and seasonal flair that capture the nostalgic charm of PC gaming’s heyday.
💾 Gameplay & Features
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- Genre: Side-view platform/action
- Graphics: 320×200 VGA with 256 colors — classic early-’90s pixel art that still holds up for retro fans.
- Modes: Single-player and local multiplayer up to 8 players (taking turns).
- Input: Keyboard (optional joystick support).
- Tools: Built-in level editor lets you craft your own holiday challenges.
Many players back in the day remember trading custom levels with friends and spending hours just exploring new screen puzzles. That little bit of community creativity is part of what gives Jetpack: Christmas Special! its warm retro legacy.
🎮 Legacy and Nostalgia
Though never as widely known as big publishers’ holiday titles, Jetpack: Christmas Special! holds a special place for those who grew up with PC shareware collections. It’s a wonderful snapshot of an era when developers rewarded players with seasonal spin-offs, and when holiday cheer came in the form of pixelated Santa jetting between platforms.
Copies of the game still circulate online on DOS archive sites, and it runs beautifully in emulators like DOSBox — making it a fantastic piece to revisit during the holiday season if you’re dusting off old Windows/DOS games. Be sure to pick up your copy, download button below and Happy Holidays!
