The Templars are back in this fan-made game of the Broken Sword Series! George comes back to discover the origin of a mysterious letter he received about Nico's death, and uncover the whereabouts of the modern day Templars once again... The ScummVM Team is proud to announce that the fan-made game Broken Sword 2.5: The Return of the Templars is now playable in ScummVM using the [latest daily builds](/downloads/#daily), and is ready for testing. Please report any bugs as well as unknown versions you find in our [bug tracker](http://bugs.scummvm.org/), following our [bug submission guidelines](/faq/#question.report-bugs). Any [screenshots](http://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Screenshots) of your playthrough are as usual welcome. Many thanks to the wonderful [mindFactory team](http://brokensword25.com/team/mitglieder.htm) who created this great sequel, and shared the original source code with us! The game can be found for free [here](http://brokensword25.com/).
We have been using SourceForge.net for many years. It was the very first home for our project, and it served us very well. However, we had to move on, and we were looking for a new home. Last year Florian Schicker, CEO of [easyname GmbH](http://easyname.com) approached us with the thrilling proposal to donate a server and host it in their Data Centre. And what makes it so special is that they are doing it "because they are veeeery big fans of the good old scumm games"! Go, look at [company teampage in that fancy scumm-feeling](http://www.easyname.com/en/company/team)! A really generous proposal and completely unexpected. Thus, we are moving. First we moved our main website and downloads, and you probably already noticed the speed boost thanks to the new service. Also, we said goodbye to the advertisements during downloads, as they were provided by SourceForge.net. The only ads that will be associated with this project from now on are the ones we want to do by ourselves (and that, of course, includes easyname.com, look at their nice logo in the right pane). Eventually, we will move more services to the new server, and perhaps even extend it with something new. So please join us in our joy of a new home!
While aboard the subway, your train car is sucked into an alternate dimension, a labyrinth that spans the space-time continuum. Its creator, Daedalus, is forced to oversee its construction by the evil King Minos, who wants to use it to invade and conquer all times and places. Daedalus pleads for the player to find a way to destroy the labyrinth before Minos can complete his conquest. The ScummVM Team is proud to announce that *Labyrinth of Time* is now playable in ScummVM using the [latest daily builds](/downloads/#daily), and is ready for testing. Please report any bugs as well as unknown versions you find in our [bug tracker](http://bugs.scummvm.org/), following our [bug submission guidelines](/faq/#question.report-bugs). Any [screenshots](http://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Screenshots) of your playthrough are as usual welcome. Many thanks to [The Wyrmkeep Entertainment Co.](http://www.wyrmkeep.com/) for sharing the game's original source code with us!
After a very long break, we are finally starting preparations for our next release, ScummVM 1.8.0. The last one year and a half have been very busy, and we added 10 (ten, zehn, dieci, dix, diez, десять) new games: **Rex Nebular and the Cosmic Gender Bender* **Sfinx* **Zork Nemesis: The Forbidden Lands* **Zork: Grand Inquisitor* **The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Serrated Scalpel* **The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Rose Tattoo* **Beavis and Butthead in Virtual Stupidity* **Amazon: Guardians of Eden* **Broken Sword 2.5: The Return of the Templars* **Labyrinth of Time* Also, we had a major rewrite of the AGI engine, so all AGI games should work better, but could also have new, unexpected bugs. Thus, we need your help with testing out these games, including AGI-based ones. For your convenience, we gathered together what requires testing on [our wiki](http://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Release_Testing/1.8.0). There are also a few other old classics on that list that could use another run through. You need to grab a [daily build](/downloads/#daily) of ScummVM and you may start helping right away! If you happen to find any bugs, please report them on our [bug tracker](http://bugs.scummvm.org/). After completing one of the games, please let us know on [the forums](http://forums.scummvm.org/viewtopic.php?t=14006) so we can mark your progress on the [wiki](http://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Release_Testing/1.8.0) and other players can concentrate on untested games. Please be sure to follow our guidelines for release testing, which can be found [here](http://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Release_Testing). Also some of these games require [screenshots](http://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Screenshots), which you can make along your gameplay. Happy adventuring (in a test mode)!
 Yesterday, Google announced the list of accepted mentoring organizations and we have the great pleasure to be one of those. In previous years, we have primarily focused on adventure games. However, after discussing with our sister project ResidualVM, we are happy to announce that, this year, we will also be accepting RPG tasks. ScummVM and ResidualVM are now waiting for motivated students, willing to work during this summer on reviving adventure and role-playing games. Be part of it! Make History and join our best GSoC so far! Take a look at [our ideas page](http://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Summer_of_Code/GSoC_Ideas_2016) or bring your own idea, then contact us: we are waiting for you on IRC impatiently! One place: Freenode. Two channels: #scummvm and #residualvm
No, we do not want to make it a new rule to release ScummVM slower and slower! It has been many months since the last official release... but in that time, tons of work has been done, resulting in one of our biggest ScummVM releases to date! ScummVM 1.8 adds support for *ten* new games using eight brand new game engines: **Amazon: Guardians of Eden* **Beavis and Butthead in Virtual Stupidity* **Broken Sword 2.5: The Return of the Templars* **Labyrinth of Time* **Rex Nebular and the Cosmic Gender Bender* **Sfinx* **The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Rose Tattoo* **The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Serrated Scalpel* **Zork: Grand Inquisitor* **Zork Nemesis: The Forbidden Lands* In addition to new game support, we've updated the MT-32 emulator to the latest upstream version of munt, and switched AdLib to Miles Audio for those games which originally supported it. This means games in ScummVM sound better than ever! We've also overhauled the graphics subsystem in AGI, basically replacing it. As a result game compatibility with old Sierra titles is high as never before, and even includes platform-specific system dialogs, palette and font for Apple IIgs, Atari ST and Amiga versions of the games. Game speed for Apple IIgs is handled properly now. And it's even possible to switch to the looks of another platform. New ports include GCW-Zero (yes, sev finally got one from the Kickstarter) and Raspberry Pi. Also, along the way we have moved to a new server and added translation capabilities to our main website. If you'd like to help with translation, [here](http://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/HOWTO-Translate_ScummVM_Web_Site) is the link with the guide. This list is far from complete. The more comprehensive version of it can be found in [the release notes](https://downloads.scummvm.org/frs/scummvm/1.8.0/ReleaseNotes) and the binaries for your platforms are available from our [downloads page](/downloads/). The porters are still building their packages, so please be patient if you do not see the up to date download for your platform yet. Don't get lost in the Labyrinth, and in the worst case call Mr. Holmes! (And we promise to release more often!)
You stumble upon an old handwritten book. It describes an island world named Myst. When you touch one of its last pages, you are transported to the island. As you explore Myst you learn about its inhabitants Atrus, Catherine and their sons Sirrus and Achenar. You quickly discover each son is trapped in a book. Will you solve the puzzles of the Myst ages and free them? The ScummVM Team is proud to announce that *Myst* and *Myst: Masterpiece Edition* are now playable in ScummVM using the [latest daily builds](/downloads/#daily), and are ready for testing. Reports of bugs and unknown versions are appreciated. They should go to our [bug tracker](http://bugs.scummvm.org/), and must follow our [bug submission guidelines](/faq/#question.report-bugs). You can help us fill our [screenshot gallery](http://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Screenshots) with captures from your playthrough. In addition to the main game, the making-of video and the [demo version](https://downloads.scummvm.org/frs/demos/mohawk/myst-win-demo-en.zip) are supported.
We are pleased to announce that John Carmack (yes, *the* John Carmack) will be joining the ScummVM and ResidualVM teams. We first met John at GDC 2016 and hit it off immediately. We had been feeling for a while now that we have to move beyond simply recreating old games and actively improving them, while staying true to their original spirit. We talked to John about our plan after a few tequilas and he was immediately on board. John's experience will be invaluable in helping us achieve our goal. Here is [screenshot](/data/news/20160401.jpg) of John's early work with Monkey Island - notice the improved combat system and the subtle tweaks to Captain Smirk's sprite, you'll see why we are so excited. So please join us in welcoming John! **UPDATE:** No, not really. This was a joke.
 On Friday Google announced the accepted projects for this year's Summer of Code. We are pleased to say that ScummVM will be mentoring four lucky students who will have to spend their summer in a dark room in front of their screen. We expect this will be an interesting Journey, passing through shadowy gates to visit scary dungeons under dark clouds. All while the mentors will be hunting three-headed monkeys on a tropical island, enjoying the sun, the beach and the grog. *Borja Lorente Escobar (a.k.a. blorente) will be working on porting the ***MacVenture engine*** to ScummVM. *Bendegúz Nagy (a.k.a. WinterGrascph) will work on adding support for ***Dungeon Master*** *Dmitriy Iskrich (a.k.a. Iskrich) will be working on a ***Macromedia Director*** engine, with focus on ***The Journeyman Project*** *Ткачёв Александр (a.k.a. Tkachov) will be adding **cloud storage integration** to ScummVM to allow sharing saves and game data between devices. Welcome to our students for what we hope will be a productive and interesting summer! You can follow their progress throughout the summer on the [ScummVM Blogs](http://planet.scummvm.org).
Since the 1.8.0 release we've been very busy with fixing small and big bugs in the newly supported engines, and now we are almost ready to present you the result in a form of the ScummVM 1.8.1. Please, help us to test a few games, especially those which were not touched for a long time, or those which have significant changes in their engine. We prepared a short list on [our wiki](http://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Release_Testing/1.8.1). Also from now on we encourage you to test any game which we support and report any bugs or your success on the forum so we can keep track of current state of affairs in the ScummVM Land. For testing the pre-release you need to download a [daily build](/downloads/#daily) of ScummVM. If you spot some glitches or bugs, please report them on our [bug tracker](http://bugs.scummvm.org/). If everything went smoothly, please report your success on [the forums](http://forums.scummvm.org/viewtopic.php?t=14077), and we will instantly reflect it on the [wiki](http://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Release_Testing/1.8.1) (yes, you can be famous for your testing efforts!) You can find a guide on how to test a new release [here](http://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Release_Testing). A few games are still missing [screenshots](http://wiki.scummvm.org/index.php/Screenshots). Please help up complete our gallery.
