BEWARE FOOLISH MORTAL, YOU TRESPASS IN AKALABETH, WORLD OF DOOM!!

Akalabeth: World of Doom, a remarkable piece of gaming history, the grandparent of the computer RPG genre, and a direct predecessor of the landmark Ultima series, is now available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, as a gift to the world of gaming from Lord British and GOG.com!

In the year 1979, a teenager - born in Cambridge, England and raised in Houston, Texas - summoned upon this world an idea of unfathomable might. This boy, young Richard Garriot, son of a NASA astronaut, employed the power of his imagination with the creative force bestowed upon him by the Apple II personal computer, and brought a fantasy world of his invention to digital life. Akalabeth: World of Doom, one of the very first computer RPG titles, came to existence. This act of creation sparked an eternal flame that's been burning bright in the hearts of gamers ever since. The flame of love for virtual realms populated with heroes and villains, for stories told by the digital campfires, for dungeons filled with shiny loot and repulsive monsters. The flame of love for computer RPGs!

This historical title laid the groundwork for the Ultima series, the legendary role-playing saga that grew with the computer gaming medium, giving joy, wonderment, and adventure while preaching knightly virtues and the value of imagination to generations of gamers, decade after decade. It's often referred to as Ultima 0, while its creator is now - and shall be forever - known to the gamer folk as Lord British. In 2008 - 29 years after selling the first copy of Akalabeth packed in a ziploc bag complete with photocopied manual - Richard Garriott de Cayeux (as he now calls himself in our mundane dimension) fullfiled one of his life-long dreams and followed his father's footsteps. He visited the International Space Station, becoming the 6th private space-traveler (that we know of) in the history of mankind. Then, soon after the safe landing, he began his pursuit of another dream: to keep alive the legacy of the world he fathered in the form of its spiritual successor, Shroud of the Avatar.

Today - in this day full of wonders - we celebrate both the exceptional man, and his monumental creation. By a special decree from the court of Lord British, Akalabeth: World of Doom shall be henceforth available for FREE to all of the gamer folk, alongside Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar, Worlds of Ultima: The Savage Empire, and Ultima Worlds of Adventure: Martian Dreams (the two spin-offs of the saga). All the remaining title s of the Ultima series are discounted by up to -80% until Friday, December 26, 8.59AM GMT. Rejoice, oh RPG fans! And happy holidays to all!

PS. Once again, this classic release was made possible with the assistance of GOG.com long-time community member and supporter, tfishell, who needs no introduction here, on the GOG forums! Thank you, Tyler, that's another that might have never happened without you!

Wednesday, December 24, Twitch.tv/GOGcom: Ultimate Ultima holiday special! 35 years of gaming history, 12 hours of streaming, one man crazy enough to do it: GeordyJones!

One brave soul volunteered to showcase this groundbreaking series, game by game, on one of the most exceptional days in the year. You can watch recorded right here.

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Twitch.tv/GOGcom is a one-of-a-kind variety channel with great games, classic and new, streamed almost daily by passionate gamers of the GOG community, game devs, guest stars, and sometimes even GOG staff. Join us for the stream and follow the channel for many, many more!