The Quest (computer game)
Encyclopedia
The Quest is a graphic fantasy
text adventure computer game released in 1983 by Penguin Software
. Originally designed by Dallas Snell for the Apple II
and was later ported to several other home computer
systems of the era.
setting in the Kingdom of Balema as a dragon
threatens its citizens. The player takes the role of the King's newest Adviser and with the help of the King's champion, Gorn, set out to end the dragon menace.
and Boris Vallejo
.
.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
text adventure computer game released in 1983 by Penguin Software
Penguin Software
Penguin Software was a video game publisher from Geneva, Illinois that produced graphics software and games for the Apple II, Macintosh, IBM, Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari 8-bit, and Atari ST computers...
. Originally designed by Dallas Snell for the Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
and was later ported to several other home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
systems of the era.
Setting
The game takes place in a medieval fantasyMedieval fantasy
Medieval fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that encompasses medieval era high fantasy and sometimes simply represents fictitious versions of historic events. This subgenre is common among role-playing games, text-based roleplaying, and high-fantasy literature....
setting in the Kingdom of Balema as a dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
threatens its citizens. The player takes the role of the King's newest Adviser and with the help of the King's champion, Gorn, set out to end the dragon menace.
Gameplay
The player controls the actions of the party by typing basic commands that are to be issued by the player's character and performed by either the group, Gorn or your character. The game is played largely by nonlinear exploration and finding important items to allow the player to complete the objective. The player has access to both a text and graphic description of each scene and is able to toggle between strictly text and text/graphic mode.Graphics
The game was highly regarded at the time for its large use of high resolution artwork and the artistic style of Co-Designer and graphic artist Joe Toler. Visually, scenes share stylistic similarities to the works of Frank FrazettaFrank Frazetta
Frank Frazetta was an American fantasy and science fiction artist, noted for work in comic books, paperback book covers, paintings, posters, LP record album covers and other media...
and Boris Vallejo
Boris Vallejo
Boris Vallejo is a Peruvian-born American painter. He immigrated to the United States in 1964, and he currently resides in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He frequently works with Julie Bell, his wife, painter, and model....
.
Reception
When the game was brought to Penguin Software, some of its content was deemed slightly too mature for publication and was subsequently "toned down" for its release. Despite these changes, the game was given a review in Playboy Magazine and is the only game published by Penguin Software to be reviewed by the magazine. Also this would be Dallas Snell's first game in a career of over 30 games he contributed to and who would go on to co-found Origin SystemsOrigin Systems
Origin Systems, Inc. was a computer game developer based in Austin, Texas that was active from 1983 to 2004...
.