Ahhhh the nostalgia, my first ever adventure was Ship of Doom, but this was soon after (and the first adventure for many!).
In fact the game has achieved a legend I was not sure it deserved. This is the acceptable adventure for non-adventurers i.e. pretty much the only one they played so it was ok. In a rather threadbare review of it on Facebook it received this faint praise, magnified in the comments, and with this in mind I thought I would go back nigh on 40 years after my first play to see if it deserved the (empty) accolades.
Well.....I remember Thorin et al from back in the day and my original take out was that, despite quite sustained play, it was a frustrating game with significant flaws.
So! What is like in 2022? To be honest I was expecting to find an annoying experience, but with David Elkan's 'A Guide to Playing the Hobbit' in hand (not really needed) I set off. The same old niggles were there, BUT, and it's a big but, the ability to save on an emulator actually removed the majority of issues I faced in the past.
It turns out this is a fun little game with great character! Yes Thorin and Gandalf can irk a bit initially, but you need them and I found Gandalf wandered off never to be seen again very early on. The NPCs are actually quite amusing with the addition of save states (Yes I know I'm an infidel for not using original machinery!), Elrond was helpful, the Goblins/Elves less annoying and the Warg just turned up dead!
I only got as far as Mirkwood and the Elven dungeon back in the day, but with its logical (ish) puzzles and surprisingly helpful and logical vocabulary ("Look across river" being a great example!) I found the puzzles challenging and fun. The mapping was arduous in the case of the Goblin dungeon, but I got there in the end and the rest of Wilderland was a pleasing exploration.
It was with great excitement that I found the Lonely Mountain (and foolishly left Bard alone.....back a fair few moves there!) and I felt a great sense of achievement getting the treasure back home (I did have a long stall trying to get back through the woods though!)
Has it stood the test of time? You know what? I'm going to say yes! Maybe it's not as sophisticated (or frustrating) as it was then, but it's still a great play and gives great satisfaction.
I even enjoyed the pictures! Oh Lonely Mountain!!!
If you haven't played it, you should, THIS is history.
If it's the only adventure you played and you call it the best? Go and play some more and then compare!
Has stood the test of time reasonably well! Logical and useful.
It's the Hobbit! Of course it's good!
In places the you really need some luck more than judgement. Those bulbous eyes! That butler!
Enjoyable and logical enough.
If you haven't played it? Do! Breathe in the history!