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Four games in one grand fantasy adventure/RPG quest

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 15
Date: November 17, 1999
Author: Amazon User

I am the co-author of this series, but am writing here to tell you a little about why I think this particular collection of them is special. Incidentally, Quest for Glory 1: So You Want to Be a Hero won Computer Gaming World's "Adventure Game of the Year" title when it was first released in 1989. All of the other titles in the series have also won awards and gotten very favorable reviews. These were the first games to combine the graphic adventure and role-playing game genres. They feature puzzles, story-telling, character development, and action.

Lori and I always intended all of the games in the Quest for Glory series to be played consecutively. Your character (the "hero") progresses from a raw beginner in the first game to a famous hero -- and eventually King -- in game 5 (not included in this set). We are really happy to see them all together and for a very affordable price.

Taken as a set, the games in this collection explore the themes of good vs. law and the individual vs. society. Your character is truly important as you help right wrongs in the fantasy world of Gloriana. The first game is set in a small German town. Then the action moves to an Arabian Nights setting, to East Africa, to Transylvania, and finally to the Greek Isles in Quest for Glory 5: Dragon Fire (also available on Amazon.com).

Have fun!

The best RPGs ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 15
Date: August 04, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I have been playing this series for thirteen years now, and have never grown tired of playing. Even now, I am discovering new aspect of the game.

QFG1 is set in a "Germanic" setting, with all the traditional flare of medievalism. Aside from the fact that there is not much point playing a mage character (just give your thief or fighter magic instead), it is a perfect little game.

QFG2 is set in an Arabic setting, borrowing heavy from "1001 Nights" to "Casablanca". It's use of text is quaint. Once again, the mage has little to do.

QFG3 is a Kenya-like setting. Unlike most reviewers, I liked QFG3 except that it was by far the most linear of the series. Sort of buggy, especially if you play a fighter/paladin, but rather good.

QFG4 could feel repetitive, as its Balkan-like setting is not that different from QFG1. All character classes will find things especially for them to do here. However, the game is horribly buggy; the Mad Monk Tomb section especially.

Due to the age of the game, you may find problems playing it. I bought a new computer in January 2003 and on none of the 4 games will my computer play any of the music from the game; although the voices of QFG4 do work. You will need to do a Google-search for a program called Turbo, which slows down your computer's processing speed, just so you can complete certain sections of the game, in particular QFG1's maze room and QFG4's Mad Monk Tomb. Even then, using a new computer makes the Mad Monk Tomb impossible to complete.

Even with its bugs, I can not help but give this my highest recommendation, if for nothing else than for the great joy the series has given me the past 13 years.

A part of my childhood I'll never forget

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 13
Date: August 24, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game series has a special place in my heart. I grew up with the Sierra adventure games, and its something I look back on fondly. I enjoy the first person shooters, real-time strategy and dungeon crawl RPGs of today, but there is something about the adventure game format that has been all but forgotten today. It's like reading a good book but being able to interact with the world and have it presented visually like a movie.

Quest for Glory was something different though. Far more ambitious on a technical level than the other Sierra games, the series had a certain level of immersiveness to it that made it worth playing over and over, and still sticks with me today long after I last played it.

The first obvious improvement over the other Sierra games was the adding of an RPG element. This was advertised as adding replayability to the game, but more importantly it adds a level of immersiveness that you don't see these days. When you start out in QG1, your ultimate goal is to be a hero, but first you gotta make some money so you can eat! You might take a rather humbling job cleaning out the stables every day. You'd also be looking for ways to build your skills, be it by throwing knives at a target or training with a master swordsman. Activities like these never really got repetitive and really made you feel that YOU were that character and you had earned those skills you spent so much time developing.

The dialogue system was the other major feature of the QfG series, which doesn't get talked about as much but was probably as critical to the success of the series as anything else. Dialogue is a critical part of the game, because you figure out how to overcome many obstacles by talking to various people who know something about the subject. But they don't just come out and tell you -- you have to ask the right questions, which comes from listening carefully to what people have to say and thinking about it. Particularly in the first and second games, with the text prompt, it plays a bit like a mystery where you are a detective finding the clues to solve the puzzle. The richness of the dialogue also adds to the "good book" like feel of the game and you will begin to develop a feeling of attachment to many of the characters.

The second game is probably the crowning achievement of the series. The world is huge and detailed, the combat system is excellent, the entire gameplay is much more polished, the ending is the best in the series and the story is perfect.

Which leads me to my last comment on Quest for Glory. The story of these games was truly something to behold. The plot of each game is the same, you arrive in a city and must become the local hero. The first game takes this little idea and runs with it, creating a nice game world with an authentic atmosphere. From there though, the game universe gets thicker as your character grows, relationships with other people deepens, and the game progressively gets more mature and darker.

The fourth game is particularly interesting. By far the darkest of the series, the game oozes story as you are thrown into an area with a very complex history, and are forced to confront much of your own past as well. The game is also much more "story oriented" than the others, with much of the game being dominated by your relationship to one of the characters. There is a bit of a love interest in the game, and for me it was very effective. At the time I was going through puberty and having my own experience with "the one that got away", which really fit in well with the game and cemented this series role as an unforgettable part of my childhood.

The last game of the series is fairly anti-climatic. The authors had the very difficult task of writing an acceptable set of endings for the many different characters you could have played, plus it's clear Sierra pushed the game out the door before it was finished. It's probably best looked at as an expansion pack to the series, as a chance to return your character to civilization, meet some old friends one last time, and kick some [backside] now that he/she has become the character you dreamed of becoming while you were shovelling horse [material] in the first game.

I'm not sure if others will be able to get the same experience I did from Quest for Glory. The games are difficult to run on modern machines and maybe don't speak as well to people of different ages or backgrounds. I have to say though that I think these were some of the best games ever made and they always be a part of my childhood. To me, that's the best compliment you can give a game. Congratulations to the authors and thanks for making such great games.

Beloved classics; these games are forever.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: January 17, 2003
Author: Amazon User

No game, excepting perhaps Baldur's Gate 2, is closer to my heart than the Quest for Glory games. Ancient by today's standards, they are still worth the time of anyone looking for charming story and characters, good puzzles, a big sense of humor, and even a bit of role-playing. They were made in a time when computer games were not a money-grubbing franchise, but a quirky art form that abounded with love. A bit of a lowdown: your character has statistics, like strength and charm, that determine his ability to perform feats and what paths he can take to overcome challenges. There are three hero classes--fighter, magic user, thief--and the gameplay is different for each choice. Each challenge often has two or three solutions, and the best choice depends on your class as well as your skills. You navigate your character through a world that goes through night and day cycles. You must keep food to eat and water to drink. The more you use a skill, the better you get at it--for example, climbing walls and fighting with a sword will improve your strength.

Quest for Glory 1: So you want to be a Hero, aka Hero's Quest, was one of the first adventure games I ever played. In all its EGA glory it nonetheless made a big impression on me. I replayed it again, more than once, when it was re-released with then-fancy 256-color VGA graphics. The game takes place in a traditional forest/town/cave fantasy setting. Sounds like just another medieval game world, but the designers make it their own with eclectic style and winning humor. The quests range from thwarting a witch to dealing with a camp of brigands. You meet a diverse cast of lovable characters, many of whom make repeat appearances in later QFG titles.

Quest for Glory 2: Trial by Fire takes off where the first left off, in the Desert cities of Shapier and Rasier. Throughout the labyrinthine streets of the cities, and across the deserts lie many interesting characters to meet and puzzles to solve. One of the main quests is saving the city from four elementals--Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. I can still remember the fortune teller's beautiful description of the elementals' nature. QFG 2 is the only QFG game that is still text-parser based, which is actually quite wonderful because there is so much to talk about with the NPC's--the graphical dialog trees in newer games are convenient, but they remove a lot of detail. One of the most fun things about QFG2 (and the original version of the first) is just talking to the NPC's, trying to think up topics that they will have something to say about, and often being humorously surprised when, indeed, the game designers anticipated your question. The best example of this can be found at the Dervish's Oasis, out in the desert. His dialogue is well-written, eloquent and often funny (like all QFG dialog, come to think of it.)

Quest for Glory 3: Wages of War is the most beautiful of the series. It is the first game I played that utilized 256-color graphics, and I can still remember how utterly blown away I was by the artwork. The overhead map, with your hero departing into the jungle and the MIDI music playing, is a scene I might never forget. In another part of the game, you ascend a giant tree to seek a gem from some spirits--it is truly beautiful.

Quest for Glory 4: Shadows of Darkness, is thoroughly enjoyable but not as creative as the first three. It remixes elements from its predecessors into a setting that's something like the first, only darker and more gothic. The town and forest give a definite sense of deja vu, but again the characters and story, not to mention the gameplay, make the tale worthwhile. There's something very amusing about your big hero getting kidnapped by pixies...

The Quest for Glory games are classics, golden oldies by now. Their graphics are dated, but their stories, characters, humor, and gameplay are not. I grew up with these games. They are close to my heart and I will never forget them.

Play these on your new computer with VMWare

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: December 14, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I truly miss all of the old Sierra games. While I would never trade my first person shooters, I would love to see these games come back. The entire Quest For Glory series is a work of art to be enjoyed by everyone, even kids.

Someone gave a low rating because of the price. The price isn't set by Sierra. These games are out of print and are now collectors items. The price has to do with supply and demand.

Lastly, in order to play these games you can do one of several things. The first thing is to invest in software called VMWare that allows you to run other operating systems from Windows. Install Windows 98, and play these games with that OS. Again, you won't need a dual boot system; Windows XP will be a "host" for Windows 98. Or you can do a google search and find a good emulator that allows you to play these games with full sound. Believe it or not, there is a large community that loves these games.

Unfathomable fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: May 31, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I've been a fan of games by Sierra for a long time now. And my favorites are those of the QFG series. If you think you'd like an RPG with a light touch of comedy, this series is the one to play.

The CD contains episodes 1 through 4, along with a modern remake of episode 1. You may want to experiment a bit with the original QFG1 for a little while, for historical reasons; but, of course, the remake's graphics and sound make it the one to actually play.

Episode 2 is very good and enjoyable, despite having its original 16 color graphics and low resolution.

Episode 3 is great, and its ending blends in very well with episode 4. Great graphics. You will feel the need to play Episode 3 right away after beating the game.

Episode 4 is a very interesting one. You must play episode 3 before episode 4 to get the right feel of it. Besides having great graphics and voice for the characters, it seemed to me like reading a novel, except that I was one of the characters. Maybe I'm a bit sentimental and vulnerable right now, because of the fact that I'm one of those technical people who got caught up by a "dot com" failure; but I got really into episode 4, and just NEED to get episode 5, otherwise I'll feel horrible.

If you're thinking about getting QFG 5: Dragon Fire, play at least episode 4 first. But preferably begin with episode 1: So you want to be a Hero.

Quest for Glory, The ultimate RPG

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: November 24, 1999
Author: Amazon User

One of Sierra's best, a game series people from every genre of gaming will enjoy. This is the second Sierra game I owned, I had the original "So you want to be a Hero?" The challenge of having to think to win, not just hack and slash is the key to these games, games that challenge your mind, kick your adrenaline, and frequently, tickle your funny bone, I love these games, all of them, I hope you enjoy them as much as me.

the Quissical, Quipping Quest

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: November 23, 1999
Author: Amazon User

The Quest for Glory series are great games. The puzzles are (as expected with role-playing games) clever, cyptic and curious. That means you have to use your brain - which is definity a good thing (and for some people it'll be a novel experience :-) ). Admittedly, there is a rather annoying - but understandable - limitation in the third game that I wish wasn't there but like they say, that's the way the cookie crumbles. I have played all four games with multipule characters. The option of choosing characters (fighter, magic user/wizard and thief) and being able to give him skills not essential to his 'career path' is one of the appealing aspects of the games. The jokes and puns are funny, well, in my opinion, and it is always amusing to find those 'easter eggs' along the way, such as the lock ness monster in the first game.

A Good Collection with Some Technical Difficulties...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: December 06, 1999
Author: Amazon User

If you've never played the Quest for Glories, then you're missing out on a lot. They're really great games, with a combat system that is quite addictive. My own, personal gripe with this collection is that I can't get Quest for Glory 4 to work on my computer (it's too advanced). Sure, I could start all over, but my guy's a Paladin and he's got 300 points in all statistics... Still, these games are some of the best, and if you haven't played them, or if you've wiped them off your hard drive, then this collection is really worthwhile to get.

Quest For Glory Series!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: December 06, 1999
Author: Amazon User

This series is wonderful save one or two exceptions. The 5th in the series was not at all fun to play. They strayed from their already fabulous interface to a newer, harder 3D style. It lost some of it's glamour this way. Other than that I would highly recommend!

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