The 7th GuestJust when you thought your CD-ROM was safe from Stauf's scary, floating melon ...

The classic CD-ROM horror/puzzle game "The 7th Guest" will be re-released for the iPhone and the iPad in December. It will be followed by its grittier sequel "The 11th Hour."

For those who may not know the interesting history of this groundbreaking PC game, "The 7th Guest" was brought to life by Trilobyte Games, a small gaming studio with big dreams. It found worldwide acclaim and success with its premiere haunted-house title, which took players through an ultra-creepy mansion run by the ghost of an evil toymaker.

The success of the game gave them new capital to explore other creative outlets for gaming, including a serious interactive drama called "Tender Loving Care," which starred John Hurt, and an office-politics sim called "Dog Eat Dog" that would have starred Mira Sorvino (had it gotten off the ground). Unfortunately, the company failed to equal its prior success and its principal founders eventually parted ways.

GameSpot has an interesting and exhaustive feature on the company's rise and fall called "Haunted Glory." If the game didn't make your bones quake, the company's history will.