Quest for Glory I: So You Want To Be A Hero

The Good
Like most of the adventure games that Sierra made during the time period of 1991-1992, it shares the same sort of graphical style that can be found in RH: Conquests of the Longbow and King's Quest V. Since those games (and this one, as a matter of fact) have a very classic and distinct look, it sort of rubs off here as well and gives the setting of Spielburg Valley a distinctly fairy tale look that is sort of absent from the rest of the series. This is probably a good thing, as I can’t imagine the same look working in QfG 2 and 3. It works here though.

The Bad
It's REALLY short. It took me only a few short hours to complete the game. And I got close to the maximum score (492 pts.) as well. Other than that, I can't really complain.

Well, I could mention that the puzzles are a bit easy and that choosing your class doesn't really affect the plot or what you can do in the game. I played as a Thief/Magic User and I was able to accomplish just about everything that both classes can do in the game with only a minimal amount of fuss. And, as I stated earlier, I wish that there were two separate panels in combat (one focused on conventional combat and one for spell casting), instead of having to switch between the two.

But I shan't hold these problems against the game, as it's far too enjoyable to do so.

The Bottom Line
If you can find a copy of this available somewhere, I would get it. You may need to get a DOS Emulator (like the excellent and free DOSBox program) to run it properly on Windows XP, though.

The Good
What's there not to like about the game? The hand painted graphics still hold up almost two decades after the game's original release, the claymation monsters and models would never really get old, and the overall story would be best dubbed a classic.

Compared to the EGA version, the land of Spielburg (contrary to popular myth, is not named after Steven Spielburg, but is a pun: Spielburg means 'game town' in German), is much more alive and easier to explore, with the added benefit of a few new easter eggs (such as finding Earl Sinclair from Dinosaurs) that were more from the early 90's than the late 80's. the level of detail and quality of the artwork is better than the original as well. This wasn't surprising, since Quest for Glory was the last major 'quest' series to be launched by Sierra (though not the very last, EcoQuest held that title, but it wasn't nearly as big as any of the rest), and when they got about to making the remakes, it was the very last game to be remade. For that, I'm wiling to assume that the artists had had enough experience with graphic design to make this game the best looking of the original EGA and VGA remakes.

The interface was also quite good, with the icons looking better than most early sierra VGA games actually. What really was improved dramatically I believe I was the combat. Beyond better graphics, I believe that the game play, while not perfect (The series was never that good on combat mechanics), was much better than the original EGA, which for the life of me, I never quite got. Also the tie-ins from other QFG games and sierra series never fail to put a smile on my face. The dialogue trees were also some of the best in the entire series, if overtly simplistic (but that could be excused by the fact that they are not tied to any in-game event, and as such are available in their entirety from the start). And in my own opinion, the inventory interface is still the best in the series.

The Bad
(Please note that these might contain some spoilers. You have been warned)

I mentioned in my title that I called it 'almost' completely superior. Are there problems? Yes there are, and sadly, many of them are so glaring that they seriously detract from the game play and immersion.

Firstly, in the bad old days of pre-DosBox, there was the Sword Master problem... in the game, as a fighter, you had to beat the sword master to get full points, and since the game ran on it's own clock, if you manage to get the game running without dosbox, it meant that he would move at lightening speed and defeat you before you were able to press the first attack button. Though this has been solved by DosBox, it still annoyed me for years on end before then, and I still resent it quite greatly (while other games had clock issues, none of them had problems of this magnitude).

The other big problems were the potions and goblins 'training' looting bugs. When buying potions of the from the healer, you had to open and close your inventory twice after every purchase to make sure you got it. What I mean is, if you buy two stamina potions in a row, but don't check your invention after every purchase, you will only end up with one potion. Same thing applies to looting the dead goblins you fight in the goblin training grounds screen. If you search one and don't double check your invention, you will only get the money from the latest one you searched. Though this isn't a gamebreaker, this issue makes it rather tedious to perform what is a routine game function.

Another bug (again solved by DosBox, but still annoying) is that Yorick does not leave the maze room even after you explain your purpose there, and unless you adjust the game cycles he would continue to throw things at you to hinder your progress through the maze. In the original game, after telling him/ why you were there, he would leave you alone. It was another notable error.

The graphics issue that almost everyone has experienced... well I suppose I could give it a notable mention, but to be honest I was never bothered by it as a kid, and as an adult, I just like to think it's the effect of the mushrooms that the hero would use to get his mind of the fact that every monster in the forest wants him dead.

But to me, the single biggest problem in the entire game is the dagger bug. In every iteration of QFG, before combat, you could throw daggers at your enemy, and then after combat you could pick them up. This includes QFG EGA, but in the VGA remake, if you throw a dagger at your enemy and then enter combat, that dagger is gone forever. You could avert it by throwing a dagger and then picking it up before combat, but that still does not excuse the original issue.

The Bottom Line
Have you ever wished you could leave the world and all it's problem and embark on a great adventure? Well this is it, and it gives a brilliant and colorful start to a great series of adventure games.

That being said, the game really was an overall great improvement and if it wasn't for the annoying bugs, it would have been a 100% improvement over the original in every way.

The Good
A remake of the original Quest for Glory, this game features improved graphics, a point and click interface, and easier combat. The storyline remains the same as the original game, and features one of Sierra's best musical scores, rivaling the King's Quest series. The character and world graphics are amazingly detailed for their time, and the land of Spielburg has a wide array of different environments to show them off. The point and click interface allows for easier interaction with objects in the world, the inventory menu, and dialogue options. Combat has been changed from keyboard commands to an action bar in the corner that allows you to click on your desired action, making it much easier for someone to just open up the game and start playing.

The Bad
Purists of the original game might find the new combat system a bit watered down from the original. Also, with the new engine came new problems. An occasional graphical glitch can occur for most users, causing the graphics to remain glitched until the user exits the game. Players may also find themselves not knowing what to do next in the game, due to some lack of instruction on where to go or what to do next.

The Bottom Line
The Quest for Glory series is an epic story that spans 5 games, and this is the one that started it all. It is a game that has wonderful storytelling, a diverse character ensemble, and quite a bit of humor that will want you playing the sequel immediately after beating it. If you have a few hours you can just sit down and spend with a game, I would highly recommend this title to any fan of fantasy or adventure games.