About the Genre

A Brief Introduction to Adventure Games

The adventure is among the oldest and most popular genres in computer gaming. The format of this game style is simple: the player explores a fantasy world, meets interesting characters, scavenger hunts and solves puzzles as a compelling story in which he is the central character is gradually revealed. While each adventure tells a unique story and has a different role for you to play, they all share these elements and often include extremely difficult challenges to face and surprising obstacles to overcome while on the road to becoming a true adventurer.

The environment is highly interactive, allowing the player to explore nearly every inch of a vast unknown world. To succeed in the many tasks set for you, go everywhere you can possibly go, look at objects and read everything that contains text of any kind. But don't stop there! What seems an obvious solution may be a trap and certain characters' answers may be intentionally misleading. Examine everything and question everyone! If you're stuck, the odds are good that there's a clue, hint, or hidden message in something you've not examined, heard or read somewhere in the vast adventure realm. But don't get lost as you seek it! Venturing through distant lands does you little good if you don't know where your are or how you got there. Plot your path and log your travels as you go. If the game doesn't provide a map for you, it's wise to make your own.

Always tread carefully as you explore, for in many games the player can die or be killed as the result of a misstep, incorrect puzzle choice or fight. For this reason, nearly all adventures allow you to save and load games in progress, so save often! You should also accumulate all the possessions you possibly can. If something can be taken, take it! You never know when the most peculiar object will come handy.

As in Role-Playing games, all your possessions are kept in a magical place called your "Inventory." In some adventures the inventory storage capacity is limitless and you can collect a vast array of items, including those that are unbelievably large and heavy. In others, a more realistic approach is taken and the size of the inventory is limited. But no matter what kind of inventory you have or what environment you explore, one thing is certain: you are in for quite a ride!

Adventure games can be even more fun and exciting when played with others. Share your adventure experiences with your friends and you may find that putting your heads together uncovers the solution to a seemingly unsolvable puzzle. Maybe this is the reason adventure enthusiasts insist that "two adventurers are better than one!" 8^)

Author: RainyDay