It's not every day that a PC Gamer writer stumbles across a collection of indie horror titles that focuses on an alt-history and a deeply cursed version of PC Gamer. PC Cursed is a surprisingly elaborate, free 22-indie horror game grab bag, complete with a 60-page fictional magazine and even a printable CD inlay (because this is the cover disc that was lost in 1998).

The collection is by Jacob Jazz and ends with one of their games. I played the game "Pizza" first. It's a lo-fi first-person game in which you take on the role of a person preparing for a visitor and ordering a pizza. The moment my character ordered four pineapple pizzas, I thought to myself, "This is a bad idea. Sure enough, after the game freaked me out, a mixture of fear and adrenaline jump scare hit me and I quickly moved on.

I didn't play all 22, but I felt it was worth a run through to get a feel for the atmosphere; Dead Pets, a very strange shooter supposedly dedicated to the author's own dead pets, featured grotesque enemies that quickly dispatched me several times They did (at least it wasn't a jump scam). The Man in the Park and its sequel somehow managed to be deeply silly, quite funny, and managed to scare me on more than one occasion. They are all short 5-10 minute experiences.

The game comes bundled with a 60-page magazine called PC Cursed. That means creepypasta, horror stories, articles about this other-dimensional game, cheats and tips, and "experiences that will haunt you long after you close the page." In a winning move, the book comes with a DIY printing kit that allows you to print your own malicious cover disc inlays at home.

I played Jacob Jazz's own "114 Miles to Dr. Noodle's Farm" for the last time. You're a rather charming looking pumpkinhead who first finds the car keys, and then you find Dr. Noodle's Farm (a teaser for Jazz's "Tamarindo's Freaking Dinner" (a "90s horror sitcom" set in a time loop that ), which plays like a teaser for a "90's horror sitcom" set in a time loop.

As you start down the road, a cheerful little earworm of a song starts playing on repeat, and everything becomes lovely. And you begin to wonder if you are really going 114 miles down the road. And then I decide to stop. And then something happens and I get sad.

Perhaps the nicest thing about this collection of not-so-nice games is the curatorial element that the "PC Cursed" theme brings: Jazz clearly knows all about indie horror games and has a broad taste, so bundling good titles and offering is a true service to players (and struggling journalists). Just remember, PC Gamer is a lovely bunch of people and wouldn't dream of ordering a pineapple pizza.