So these days it seems we’re obsessed with DRM and how it does or does not affect sales of PC games. Still, while the methods change, the principle of stopping casual piracy is nothing new.

Eurogamer has done a fun retrospective on some of the copy protection methods employed by publishers over the years.

I have to say, I reserve particular disdain for the Lenslok system. As a young lad, I couldn’t ever get past the copy proetection on any of the Lenslok games my Dad had (legitimately) purchased, so any time I wanted to play any of those games, I had to ask him to do it for me. And even then I don’t think it was easy…

A few years later, though, and I was able to get past the copy protection for Midwinter without even looking at the manual. You were shown a picture of one of the game’s 50-odd playable characters and asked to name them. And, sad bastard that I was (am?), I knew all of their faces off by heart…