''The Return of Heracles'' is a role-playing video game for the Atari 8-bit family, Commodore 64 and Apple II computers. It was written by Stuart Smith and published by Quality Software in 1983. Following Smith's adventure role playing games ''Fracas'' and ''

Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves" ( ar, علي بابا والأربعون لصا) is a folk tale from the '' One Thousand and One Nights''. It was added to the collection in the 18th century by its French translator Antoine Galland, who hear ...

'', and built on an engine that was a precursor to '' Adventure Construction Set'', ''The Return of Heracles'' is set in the age of

Greek myth A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities of d ...

and allows the player to assume the role of one or more heroes and attempt various quests. It was later bundled with ''Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'' in a compilation called ''Age of Adventure'', published by

Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the ...

Gameplay

''The Return of Heracles'' is an RPG adventure. Each character is defined by three basic characteristics: strength, dexterity, and speed. Strength and dexterity determine how effective a character is in combat, while speed determines how many squares can be moved in one turn. Characters may also have special training in defensive techniques, use of the sword, and use of the dagger.

Reception

'' Softline'' called ''Heracles'' "Lively and colorful ... truly a must" for gamers. '' Computer Gaming World'' praised the game's transparency, stating "The rules explain themselves. Although documentation comes with it, you'll never have to read it." Although the magazine found the game enjoyable, several flaws were noted, particularly the inaccuracies pertaining to Greek mythology.

Reviews

* '' Casus Belli'' #23 (Dec 1984)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Return of Heracles 1983 video games Apple II games Atari 8-bit family games Commodore 64 games Quality Software games Heracles in fiction Role-playing video games Video games set in antiquity Video games based on Greek mythology Video games developed in the United States