Author: CRPG Addict

That about sums up this entire session.          Today’s subtitle comes from a conversation I had this week with Irene. My wife occasionally takes an interest in my hobby and asks about what I’m playing. She usually begins by asking, “What year are you up to?,” to which whatever my […]

This screen is the same in both the German and English versions.                Dungeons of Avalon II: The Island of Darkness GermanyZeret (developer); published by CompuTec Verlag (German) and Amiga Mania (English)Released in 1992 for the Amiga Date Started: 7 January 2020         It was over three years ago that […]

Taking a mountain trail between two cities.             I spent most of this session wandering the sea lanes, trails, riverways, and mountain passes between various towns, on what has become a clear quest to collect various map pieces and other bits of intelligence about Hyggelik’s resting place. In its outdoor […]

The copyright date on the main screen would seem to refer to the Maces and Magic engine, not to this specific game, which all evidence agrees was released in 1981.          Morton’s Fork United StatesChameleon Software (developer and original publisher); Adventure International (later publisher) Released 1981 for TRS-80 and Apple […]

When I started this blog in February 2010, I immediately found that I enjoyed the blogging process–enjoyed it enough, I thought, that I would continue to do it even if I didn’t seem to have many readers, or any. After all, people enjoy writing in diaries with no expectation of […]

There’s no title screen, so here’s the box cover. Fame Quest United KingdomBrainGames (developer and publisher) Released 1984 for Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum Date Started: 7 January 2020 Date Ended: 7 January 2020 Total Hours: 2 Difficulty: Very Easy (1/5) Final Rating: (to come later) Ranking at time of […]

The party death screen. I got this a lot this session.               One thing I like about modern games is that they seem to share a philosophy about their initial stages. For the first roughly 4 hours, you don’t expect any particularly difficult combats in a modern RPG. You expect […]

There I am, third from the top, above even the creator himself.             Camelot United StatesIndependently written and released on university PLATO system in 1982 Date Started: 20 April 2019 Date Ended: 5 January 2020 Total Hours: 69 Difficulty: Moderate-Hard (3.5/5) Final Rating: (to come later) Ranking at time of […]

Notice how the box has little scenes from each of the five realms.              Challenge of the Five Realms: Spellbound in the World of Nhagardia United StatesMicroProse (developer and publisher, under its Microplay label) Released 1992 for DOS Date Started: 2 November 2019 Date Ended: 31 December 2019 Total Hours: […]

The game reverts to its preferred likeness of the Prince in the final scenes.              I began this session with three places left to visit: the village of Arinor, Mount Shaska and its portal to the realm of Aerieus, and the island of Vinazia, home of my treacherous uncle, Duke […]

This particular Camelot character has probably never existed before or since.              Back in 2004, I was meeting a friend at a bar in Boston. I opened the door to look in for him, saw that he wasn’t there, and backed out, elbowing in the stomach the man behind me. […]

Ah, the glamor of adventuring.           As we wrapped up the last session, the party had emerged from the undersea kingdom of Thalassy with the emperor’s crown and the emperor himself. That was the second crown out of five that we need to retrieve before confronting Grimnoth. This session began […]

I thought it was time for an update on Camelot even though I don’t have much to report. It remains a hard game, made only slightly easier by very favorable resurrection odds when you die. I haven’t lost a character permanently in ages, although I have lost attributes and my […]

            Counting down to my ten-year anniversary in February 2020, I offer this quick retrospective on my 10 most controversial opinions. I base this on the number of comments I’ve received arguing back at me when I’ve made certain statements, as well as what people have said about me on […]

A jester outlines three rumored fates of my father, any of which he would have deserved.            I spent a very long session with Challenge on Tuesday, in the midst of a snowstorm back home. I had hoped to win it, but I still have a few areas left and […]

But does he possess the Power of the Glow?              Dragon Warrior AKA Dragon Quest (original Japanese title) Japan Chunsoft (developer), Enix (publisher) Released 1986 for MSX and NES (Japan); English version released for NES in 1989 Date Started: 22 November 2019 Date Ended: 30 November 2019 Total Hours: 17 […]

              Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny Germany Released in Germany as Das Schwarze Auge: Die Schicksalsklinge attic Entertainment Software (developer); Fantasy Productions (German publisher); Sir-Tech (U.S. Publisher) Released 1992 for DOS, 1993 for Amiga Date Started: 13 November 2019                Where Britain and France mostly created their own styles […]