Adventure Quest
Level 9 Computing 
1982
- Language:
- English
- Authors:
- Mike Austin , Nick Austin, Pete Austin
- Systems:
- A-code
- Platforms:
- Amiga, Amstrad CPC , Amstrad PCW , Apple II, Atari 400/800, Atari ST, BBC/Electron , C64/128 , Camputers Lynx , Enterprise , Macintosh, Memotech MTX , MSX/MSX2, Nascom , Oric/Atmos, PC , Spectrum, ZX81
- Genres:
- Fantasy, misc.
- Related:
- Jewels of Darkness [1: Colossal Adventure, 2: Adventure Quest, 3: Dungeon Adventure]
- Entered by:
- dave, Gunness, Starscream, Strident
- Added:
- 10-05-2010
- Edited:
- 20-01-2020
Synopsis
The game takes place several centuries after Colossal Adventure. You take the role of an absolutely inexperienced wizard who is tasked with overthrowing the demon lord Agaliarept. This takes you through a desert as well as a large underwater area until you finally arrive at the demon lord's dark tower.
Notes
The games in the trilogy originally had various references to Tolkien's body of work and was therefore known as the Middle-Earth trilogy. When it was re-released by Rainbird, all Tolkien references were dropped and the trilogy retitled Jewels of Darkness.
On the Amstrad PCW, Apple II, and the 16-bit platforms, the game was only released as part of this trilogy. The Jewels of Darkness version also had illustrations added, the original versions were text-only.
The date of release for this adventure is often listed as 1983, however magazine advertising as early September 1982 show that the release date on the initial formats was 1982.
In the early days of Level 9, both 16K and expanded 32K variants of Adventure Quest were released for the Nascom, BBC, Spectrum, and ZX81. After the release of Dungeon Quest, the 16K versions were no longer sold.
Resources (Upload file)
- Solution
- by Gunness
- Map
- by nimusi
- Map
- by Canalboy (trizbort)
- Map
- by Exemptus
- Hints
- by Gunness
- Clue sheet
- by Gunness
- Further Info:
- Search at Atari 8-bit Forever
- Search at Atari Legend
- Search at Atari Mania
- Search at Complete BBC Games Archive
- Search at CPC-Power
- Search at Gamebase64
- Search at Generation MSX
- Search at Lemon Amiga
- Search at Museum of Computer Adventure Game History
- Search at Oric Site
- Search at Spectrum Computing
- Search at The Tipshop
- Search at World of Spectrum
- Search at ZX81 Collection
[+] Users currently playing this game
The Middle Earth trilogy remain my favourite Level 9 releases. I still remember the frustration of loading one via my Atari tape recorder in to my Atari 800 back in 1983. It took about twelve minutes to load (the tape counter stopped at 200) and about 50 percent of the time it failed during the actual loading process. The tape recorder they supplied was very prone to this.
I eventually bought the hard disk drive for it in the summer of '84 and couldn't believe the speed at which games loaded.
Ahh! This was (and still IS) my favourite text adventure. I seem to remember there being a situation where you lost some of your inventory. I agonised for ages and kept reloading my game, just in case I had made the wrong decision, but Level 9 being the geniuses they were, there was no need for me to worry.
To anyone, thinking of playing this, just do it!!!
And there was me trying all kinds of sophisticated and not so sophisticated commands to entice the 300 pounds abominable snowman to follow me. I should have known to try the most unrealistic action.
Nimusi I remember thet too. Do you mean the part where items you drop somewhere underwater are sucked through a hole in the rocks? I recall making lots of saves here and feeling a great sense of relief when they turned up further on in the game. It must be 43 years ago now so I can't actually remember where they turned up. This and Dungeon Adventure are my Level 9 favourites even if they do lack the sophistication of some of the later releases. Dungeon in particular has a VERY strong sense of decay and isolation which I have seldom encountered so markedly in text adventures over the years.
This is the first game designed from scratch by Level 9, and it's tricky and undexpectedly sophisticated. Very large for 8-bit platforms, environmental puzzles abound, and requires re-planning due to not obvious (but logical) cause-and-effect connection between sections of the map far apart. Not for novices, requires plenty of time and patience, but very engaging and satisfactory to solve. Make sure to play the 1986 "Jewels of Darkness" version.