''Questron'' is a 1984 game from

Strategic Simulations Strategic Simulations, Inc. (SSI) was a video game developer and publisher with over 100 titles to its credit from its founding in 1979 to its dissolution in 1994. The company was especially noted for its numerous wargames, its official compute ...

, the first fantasy title from a company known for computer wargames. It was written by Charles Dougherty and Gerald Wieczorek and released for the

Apple II The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-mold ...

Atari 8-bit family The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers introduced by Atari, Inc. in 1979 as the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The series was successively upgraded to Atari 1200XL , Atari 600XL, Atari 800XL, Atari 65XE, Atari 130XE, Atari 800XE ...

, and Commodore 64. A sequel, ''

Questron II ''Questron II'' a 1988 role-playing video game published by Strategic Simulations for the Apple II, Apple IIGS, Atari ST, Commodore 64, IBM PC, and Amiga. It is the sequel to 1984's ''Questron''. The story and original design is credited to Ques ...

'', was released in 1988. After a
out-of-court settlement
the structure and style of the game were both officially licensed from

Richard Garriott Richard Allen Garriott de Cayeux ('' né'' Garriott; born July 4, 1961) is an American video game developer, entrepreneur and private astronaut. Although both his parents were American, he maintains dual British and American citizenship by birth ...

, author of '' Akalabeth'' and '' Ultima''.From Questron in-game menu screen, Apple II and Commodore 64 versions.

Gameplay

In the first ''Questron'' game, the player takes on the role of a young serf who tries to make a name for himself by traveling the realm in order to gain the power and experience necessary to defeat the wicked "Mantor", ruler of the "Land of Evil". The view is mostly in

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style for the world maps and town encounters, but switches to a first-person style in the dungeons of the Land of Evil. Some features were novel for a game of its type at the time of its release. First there are two "games within a game" that allow the character to permanently increase dexterity or intelligence attributes if completed successfully. Also, various casinos about the towns allow the player to gamble for gold pieces in games of blackjack,

roulette Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning ''little wheel'' which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi''.'' In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the ...

, and

double or nothing Double or nothing (UK often double or quits) is a gamble to decide whether a loss or debt should be doubled. The result of a "double or nothing" bet is either the subject doubled to twice the amount as the original ''or'' the doubling of a debt. It ...

. Various monsters and foes are immune or more vulnerable to different weapons. The player would occasionally have to switch weapons depending on which enemy they faced in order to defeat them. Magic spells can also be cast, but only in the dungeon levels.

Reception

''Questron'' was SSI's first RPG, and became the fastest-selling new game in the company's history at almost 35,000 copies in North America, more than triple the sales of the typical SSI game. Others followed, such as ''

Phantasie ''Phantasie'' is the first video game in the '' Phantasie'' series. Gameplay Based on the Isle of Gelnor, ''Phantasie'' allows a group of six characters to adventure the countryside and try to defeat the evil Black Knights and their sorcerer ...

'', '' Wizard's Crown'', '' Gemstone Warrior'', and the ''

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Several different editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of ''D&D'', Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the ga ...

Gold Box Gold box may refer to: *Decorative boxes made in gold *''Gold Box Gold box may refer to: * Decorative boxes made in gold *'' Gold Box'', a series of video games of 1988 to 1992 * Gold box (phreaking), a phreaking box to create a bridge between two ...

games. ''

Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through t ...

'' in 1984 stated "if you are in need of a new and challenging role-playing game similar in play to the ''Ultima'' scenarios, then look no further". James A. McPherson praised the 3-D dungeons and "an ending fit for a king", and concluded "the differences from the ''Ultima'' type game do make Questron refreshing. I await the sequels". The magazine's

Scorpia ''Alex Rider'' is a series of spy novels written by British author Anthony Horowitz. The novels revolve around a teenage spy named Alex Rider and is primarily aimed towards young adults. The series currently comprises thirteen novels, as w ...

in 1991 and 1993 also liked the game and praised the ending. ''

Ahoy! ''Ahoy!'' was a computer magazine published between January 1984 and January 1989 in the US, focusing on all Commodore color computers, but especially the Commodore 64 and Amiga. History The first issue of ''Ahoy!'' was published in January 1 ...

'' in 1985 praised the Commodore 64 version of ''Questron'', describing it as "one of those game that you start playing and suddenly realize it's three hours past bedtime. SSI should label the box 'potentially hazardous to your sleep'".

Reviews

* ''

Casus Belli A (; ) is an act or an event that either provokes or is used to justify a war. A ''casus belli'' involves direct offenses or threats against the nation declaring the war, whereas a ' involves offenses or threats against its ally—usually one ...

'' #22 (Oct 1984)

Legacy

Chuck and John Dougherty also created some similar games that were not direct sequels to ''Questron'' or ''

''. * ''

Legacy of the Ancients ''Legacy of the Ancients'' is a fantasy role-playing video game published by Electronic Arts in 1987. Gameplay The player takes on the role of a young shepherd who finds and loots a recently dead body while on a first trip to the city, taking a b ...

'' * ''

The Legend of Blacksilver ''The Legend of Blacksilver'' is a fantasy role-playing video game developed by Charles W. Dougherty and John C. Dougherty of Quest, Inc. and published by Epyx in 1988. It is an indirect sequel to the game ''Legacy of the Ancients''. Originally d ...

References

External links

''Questron''
at Atari Mania *{{lemon64 game, id=2055, name=Questron

at C64Sets.com * ttps://archive.org/stream/ElectronicGames/Electronic%20Games%20Issue%2031%20%28January%201985%29#page/n21/mode/2up Reviewin

Electronic Games An electronic game is a game that uses electronics to create an interactive system with which a player can play. Video games are the most common form today, and for this reason the two terms are often used interchangeably. There are other common ...

Review
in

Commodore Power/Play ''Commodore Power/Play'' was one of a pair of computer magazines published by Commodore Business Machines in the United States in support of their 8-bit home computer lines of the 1980s. The other was called ''Commodore Interface'', changed to jus ...

Review
in

ANALOG Computing ''ANALOG Computing'' (an acronym for Atari Newsletter And Lots Of Games) was an American computer magazine devoted to the Atari 8-bit family of home computers. It was published from 1981 until 1989. In addition to reviews and tutorials, ''ANAL ...

Review
in

Family Computing ''Family Computing'' was a U.S. computer magazine published during the 1980s by Scholastic It covered all the major home computer platforms of the day including the Apple II, VIC-20, Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit family, as well as the IBM PC and M ...

1984 video games Apple II games Atari 8-bit family games Commodore 64 games Role-playing video games Strategic Simulations games Video games developed in the United States