DBGL

DBGL or DOSBox Game Launcher is a piece of software that aims to give nostalgic retro gamers a chance to easily access and enjoy DOSBox video games. It's a Java-based frontend or GUI for DOSBox.

The aim here, like in the case of most GUI apps, is to make it easier for inexperienced users to configure the otherwise complex piece of software. The app is pretty straightforward. You will need some knowledge to run it successfully, but it is definitely an improvement over other more classical methods of running these games.

The feature that does indeed make DBGL stand out is the fact that it is portable. In other words, you can carry your DOSBox game collection on a USB stick, and show your friends what you've been up to lately. Retro gaming is slowly picking up pace once again, so you're bound to score a few cool points. The app itself supports all DOSBox official configuration options. It ads to an already successful formula.

DBGL supports quite a number of DOSBox versions, from 0.74 all the way down to 0.63. There is support for custom builds as well. You can alter associations and a couple of other settings from within the app. The addition of Templates for setting up games is also a factor to take into account when acknowledging how easy it actually is to put together.

If you thought this was it in terms of adjustments one can make, you were wrong. Another neat feature with this app is the Windows system integration, a component that actually allows one to send a DOSBox game executable straight to the app to have it run. Profiles are also an important aspect of this program. The amount of versatility regarding this aspect can once again be seen in the number of commands that can be executed, things like exporting, importing, duplicating, and sorting profiles.

Other smaller features like the ability to export a list of games you played in .CSV format only come to show the extent to which this app has been polished. DBGL is an interesting program that simplifies the procedure one must follow when running DOSBox games. Still, this does not make it foolproof yet, so you'll have to be somewhat knowledgeable to make use of it properly.