Shannara is a computer game released in 1995 for DOS

DOS

DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...

 and Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...

. It is based on the Shannara

Shannara

Shannara is an epic fantasy series of novels written by Terry Brooks, beginning with The Sword of Shannara in 1977 and continuing through Bearers of the Black Staff which was released on August 24, 2010, as well as a prequel, First King of Shannara...

series of books by Terry Brooks

Terry Brooks

Terence Dean "Terry" Brooks is an American writer of fantasy fiction. He writes mainly epic fantasy, and has also written two movie novelizations. He has written 23 New York Times bestsellers during his writing career, and has over 21 million copies of his books in print...

.

Plot synopsis

You are Jak Ohmsford, son of Shea

Shea Ohmsford

Shea Ohmsford is a fictional character and the protagonist of Terry Brooks' epic fantasy novel The Sword of Shannara. In the universe, he is the last known person with the blood of Jerle Shannara, making him the only one who can wield the powerful Sword of Shannara to vanquish the Warlock Lord.-...

. Your adventure starts in Shady Vale where you meet Allanon

Allanon

Allanon is a fictional character from the epic fantasy Original Shannara Trilogy and the trilogy's prequel, First King of Shannara; all four are by Terry Brooks. Described as Brooks' "most enigmatic character", Allanon is very secretive and appears only when needed...

. He tells you of the horrible Warlock Lord

Warlock Lord

The Warlock Lord is the principal villain of Terry Brooks' novel The Sword of Shannara....

's return. So you set off into the Land of Shannara

The Four Lands

The Four Lands is the fictional world where Terry Brooks' Shannara series is set. The Genesis of Shannara trilogy reveals the Four Lands to be located in the modern Pacific Northwest region of the United States and Canada. Much of the landscape has been changed from a future holocaust, but some...

. On your journey you meet familiar friends, horrific enemies, and some surprise characters from the books. Although the story contains characters from the novels, it isn't based on any of them. It takes place after 'The Sword of Shannara' and before 'The Elfstones of Shannara'.

Object of the game

The game is divided into two parts:

• First, you must find the Sword of Shannara.
• Second, you must travel to each of the Four Lands
  The Four Lands
  The Four Lands is the fictional world where Terry Brooks' Shannara series is set. The Genesis of Shannara trilogy reveals the Four Lands to be located in the modern Pacific Northwest region of the United States and Canada. Much of the landscape has been changed from a future holocaust, but some...
  
  , to recover four magical artifacts needed to repair the Sword.

Puzzles

Shannara is an adventure game, and is puzzle-based. While the puzzles can be quite interesting, most reviewers of the game complain that they are too easy. The game will usually take about 10 hours to complete, significantly less if you have read the Shannara

Shannara

Shannara is an epic fantasy series of novels written by Terry Brooks, beginning with The Sword of Shannara in 1977 and continuing through Bearers of the Black Staff which was released on August 24, 2010, as well as a prequel, First King of Shannara...

books.

Combat

Shannara does feature some combat, though it is lacking in many ways. You do not actually control the action - you can only select who you and your companions will attack, such as the weakest, strongest or the leader. You and your companions can also use magical items. There is no character development and no way to select weapons. This makes some of the combat very difficult; many players cite a battle with orcs as being unduly challenging.

External links

• Review for Shannara at justadventure.com