Elvira: Mistress of the Dark is a horror

Horror fiction

Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...

 RPG

Role-playing game (video games)

Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...

 starring the actress Cassandra Peterson

Cassandra Peterson

Cassandra Peterson is an American actress best known for her on-screen horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. She gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ wearing a black, gothic, cleavage-enhancing gown as host of Movie Macabre, a weekly horror movie presentation...

 (Elvira). The game was created by Horrorsoft and released by Accolade in 1990.

Elvira was Horrorsoft's second published game after 1989's Personal Nightmare. The game was followed by the sequel Elvira II: The Jaws of Cerberus

Elvira II: The Jaws of Cerberus

Elvira II: The Jaws of Cerberus is the second game in the Elvira series of horror role-playing video games. It was produced by Horrorsoft and published by Accolade in 1992.The game is a sequel to Elvira: Mistress of the Dark...

 in 1992.

Gameplay

Elvira is a first-person perspective mix of a role-playing game

Role-playing game

A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

 and point-and-click adventure game.

Plot

The game begins following events of the 1988 film Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. After the death of the evil Uncle Elmo, the witch Elvira inherited Castle Killbragant and restored it its former glory, planning to turn it into a tourist attraction for horror fans. However, while doing this, Elvira has inadvertently returned to life her ancient ancestor, the Satan-worshipping sorceress Queen Emelda the Evil, along with several hundred of her monstrous followers. The player's character has been called upon to help by Elvira to help her prevent the full resurrection of Queen Emelda, who died before she could take over the world after obtaining ultimate magic and now plans to rule it again. In the beginning of the game the player is captured by Emelda's minions then rescued by Elvira and asked to help get her powers back and to find a way to send Emelda back to hell before it's too late.

Reception

Elvira was generally well-received, including the ratings of 84% by Computer + Video Games (PC), 93% by Zero (Amiga, Atari ST, PC), 90% (Amiga) and 81% (C64) in Zzap!, and 84% in CU Amiga, 4 out of 5 stars in Dragon

Dragon (magazine)

Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...

 , and won Computer Gaming World

Computer Gaming World

Computer Gaming World was a computer game magazine founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication. Early issues were typically 40-50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings , Dan Bunten , and Chris Crawford...

s 1991 Role Playing Game of the Year award.

See also

• Elvira: The Arcade Game
  Elvira: The Arcade Game
  Elvira: The Arcade Game is a platform side-scrolling video game released in 1991 for the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64 and PC by Flair Software. The game is based upon the film Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, released in 1988, and she features as the playable character...
  
  
• Elvira II: The Jaws of Cerberus
  Elvira II: The Jaws of Cerberus
  Elvira II: The Jaws of Cerberus is the second game in the Elvira series of horror role-playing video games. It was produced by Horrorsoft and published by Accolade in 1992.The game is a sequel to Elvira: Mistress of the Dark...
  
  
• The Legacy: Realm of Terror
  The Legacy: Realm of Terror
  The Legacy: Realm of Terror is an adventure/RPG computer game developed by Magnetic Scrolls and published by Microprose in March 1993.-Premise:...
  
  

External links

• Elvira at MobyGames
  MobyGames
  -Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
  
  
• Elvira: Mistress of the Dark at Giant Bomb
  Giant Bomb
  Giant Bomb is an American video game website and wiki that includes gaming news, reviews, commentary, and video, created by former GameSpot editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis in collaboration with Whiskey Media...