Another Dune game has arrived to join it’s brethren in the games collection. And a special one it is: the version with the fold-out sandworm. As a big Dune fan, that’s a version of the game that I very much wanted to have in my collection. Benjamin from the excellent BigBoxCollection.com graciously let me buy his copy from him. Thanks Benjamin!

It looks immaculate. It’s the EU version that has the same box art with the two moons as the regular version. But because the sandworm edition is oriented horizontally instead of vertically, the picture of the moons is more zoomed in than the regular version. Interestingly, the picture is flipped vertically.
The big surprise of course, is the fold-out section of the box that reveals a sandworm that opens it’s mouth with hundreds of teeth. Such a great detail!

It’s always interesting to see the different interpretations that different artists give to the illustrious sandworms. One can argue that it’s pretty difficult to distinguish one from the other, there’re all just worms after all. But even one who’s not a connoisseur can easily spot the difference between the Cryo sandworm and the Denis Villeneuve sandworm. The mouths are very different.

I actually bought the game just before the LGR video about the 1992 game dropped. In his video, Clint shows the US version of the sandworm edition, which has more abstract box art with one flap showing sand dunes and the other flap drops of water. Interestingly, this version looks like it’s more vertically oriented, just like the regular edition and not horizontal like the EU version. I like the EU version more because of this, and because it also has a cutout on the inside that adds some depth and makes the sandworm stand out more. It’s nitpicking, I know.

One thing I find curious is that the sandworm edition doesn’t come with a big poster while the regular version does. I would think that it would be the other way around. If I had the space for hanging posters on my walls, which I don’t, this one probably would make the cut.

The first time I played this game was on my Amiga 500 back in the early nineties. I think I had already read the books by then, but don’t remember exactly. After booting it up and watching the awesome intro, I was quickly immersed in the story and hypnotized by the incredible music.
I also remember going to the HCC Dagen in the nineties, which was a massive computer expo, where I watched a demo of the CD-ROM version of the game. Maybe I already had traded in my Amiga for an IBM compatible PC by then, but if I hadn’t, that probably pursuaded me to do so.

With all those games in my collection, it’s becoming increasingly hard to find a proper place for each game. Especially a game such as this, that deserves a special place, preferably in the vicinity of the other Dune games. I think I have found a place that fits the requirements and it’s in the middle of the room, so I can admire it whenever I walk in. It is a bit threatened there by the growing row of Discworld novels though, so in time I will have to make other arrangements. But that’s for another day. Now I’m off to listen to the Dune soundtrack.