Of all of the Sierra "Quest" games, QfG (or "Hero's Quest" as it was originally named) stood out. It offered the standard screen-based adventure system, but was the first to roll in RPG elements like combat and stats. You also got to choose your class, instead of being issued a single option for completing the game, you were allowed to choose between Fighter, Magic-User, and Thief. And the solutions to the puzzles changed with each character: A thief might have to climb up to retrieve an object whereas a magic user would fetch-spell the item down. But my fondest memory of the series was the absurdist humor. The writers were fans of Monty Python and the Marx Brothers, as well as classic films, and it showed. For example, you might find yourself having drinks with characters from Casablanca in The Dead Parrot Bar. Or have your trek through the forest interrupted by Groucho Marx strutting by. The maniacal attention to detail will actually have you seeking out weird ways to kill your character in the game, or seeing just how many different conversation trees the Coles ended up writing. Not to say that the game offered only zany humor and hack-and-slash monster-killing, it also could also offer a pixelated, VGA tug at the heartstrings. Restoring hope to a woman turned into a tree, putting a drowned soul to rest, or returning a cursed vampire to life to be with her parents... there are some moments in these games that are quite touching. What this adds up to is a solid five games (the third one was a little bit on the dry side, but still a Good Old Game) with great writing and continuity, and a must-have for anyone who enjoys RPG adventure games and wants to see where it all started.
