Play Space Ace on Msdos Online

Space Ace on MS-DOS is basically Dragon’s Lair in space—same frantic "press the right button at the exact right second or die horribly" energy, but with a few neat twists. You play as Dexter (or his buff hero form, Ace), dodging killer robots and laser traps by hitting joystick directions in sync with the animation. Mess up, and you’ll watch poor Dexter get zapped, crushed, or otherwise demolished in gloriously cheesy '80s cartoon style.

What makes it stand out? For one, you pick between three difficulty levels at the start—Cadet’s forgiving, but Ace mode throws everything at you, including scenes you’ll never see on easier settings. Some levels even branch: you might choose to duck down a side tunnel or ignore the "Energize!" prompt to stay as scrawny Dexter (which, honestly, feels like playing on hard mode anyway). The coolest part? When you do transform into Ace mid-scene, the gameplay flips—instead of running away, you’re suddenly punching robots or blasting through obstacles. First time I tried it, I totally panicked and mashed buttons, but pulling off a perfect sequence feels weirdly satisfying.

Just don’t expect to beat it in one sitting unless you’ve got the reflexes of a caffeinated squirrel.

Each game uses different controls, most DOS games use the keyboard arrows. Some will use the mouse , "Alt" ,"Enter" and "Space bar".