Standing the test of time unmarred, Quest for Glory remains one of the true classics in adventure games.
Many American role-playing games take a page from Quest for Glory's book, especially in the first step of the game - character creation. Choosing between the thief, the magician, and the fighter meant choosing between three distinct styles of gameplay. Want to avoid combat, rob the townsfolk blind, and swing by the local Thieves' Guild? Pick a thief. Want to hack and slash your way through Spielberg? Choose the fighter. Want to test your intellect... with mind bullets? The magician is your pick (please note that while there are no actual mind bullets, there is telekinesis of a sorts).
You then adjust your characters statistics in several different categories, such as strength, magic, throwing, and climbing. Again, your choices here will affect the way you play the game. If you choose not to allocate any points to throwing, youre going to have to figure out how to work around a character who throws rocks like a quadraplegic.
Your character arrives in the vallye of Spielberg just after the one entrance to the valley has been cut off by a snowstorm. After a curt visit with the local sheriff and his yo-yo slinging enforcer, you're off to discover that this valley is in dire need of a hero... and you're just the man for the job.
While the plot is not incredibly clever, it is highly entertaining, especially as you uncover more and more of the valley's recent history. Some of the humor falls flat, but this is rarely the case. As with many of the adventure games of the time, it is quite obvious the creators and writers have great creative talent. Homages to culture abound, including a guardian statue reminiscent of the bridge guard in Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail. Other highlights include the adventurer's guildmaster, the many deaths that can come to your hero, and a suspicious bar with some killer drinks.
Graphically, looking back from 2006, it's hard to say now that the graphics were fantastic. At the time, however, the graphics were top-notch and vibrant, giving life to the valley with some great little touches (Otto and his yo-yo, the odd submarine tube, the wizard's home). The later VGA release was able to add that much more color, although essentially the two versions were the same.
One of the greatest strengths of the series was its scoring, and even the original was no exception. To this day, I catch myself humming many of the songs, especially Erana's Peace and the theme. Unfortunately, until the release of the VGA version, the sound effects were little to none. The VGA version added a few sound effects, but these were still relatively sparse, even for the time.
The series would go on to spawn four sequels, and while all had their merits, few would stand out as much as the beginning of the saga. If you can find this game, I highly recommend it.