Quest for Glory IV: Shadows of Darkness

Sierra On-Line, 1993

Shadows of Darkness is an appropriate name for this fourth outing in the Quest For Glory series. In this chapter you must journey to Mordavia, a dark land that could have been taken straight from the spookiest of Transylvanian legends. Against this sinister backdrop you must battle monstrous creatures that strive to bring about eternal darkness. This edition also allows character import from earlier games in the series and was highly ranked by popular gaming magazines of the time.  This game is way better in graphics, sound and music than it predecessors and the CD-ROM version of the game also features digital speech. The title covers numerous gaming elements like visuals, music, story, fighting system, replay value, atmosphere, and combines them into one of the best gaming experiences you'll ever come across.

Simon the Sorcerer

Adventure Soft Publishing, 1993

One of mankind's oldest fantasies is to live in a world where magic really does exist. Thanks to Adventuresoft, you can now experience such a life in the timeless adventure, Simon the Sorcerer. You play Simon, a young boy of fourteen, who is transported to a magical world by goblins. You soon discover that your abduction is part of the sinister plan of the evil Sordid, a vicious wizard bent on taking over the mystical realm. Put on your pointed hat and rescue Calypso, a grand wizard from the manacles of evil Sordid.  This title features standard 256 color VGA graphics, beautiful MIDI music and game controls that allow great freedom of movement. While the interface most likely resembles the LucasArts' style the storyline is almost similar to Monkey Island games. But overall, it's a highly recommended game and series.

Gold Rush!

Sierra On-Line, 1988

One of the first graphic adventure games from the well-known house of Sierra On-line.  Like other early text-and-graphic based adventure games, this one is story-driven.  You play the part of a young man from New York who travels to California during the Gold Rush in search of his missing brother. You can choose any one of the three different paths to reach California with different puzzles. So, play your cards right and you will not only discover your brother's fate, but also find fame and fortune.

The graphics and the internal PC sound is good enough for the time, The puzzles are not very hard and make this game worth playing by younger children or more experienced players who don't want too much of a challenge.