Much like the early stone tools of Neanderthals, or a credit card imprinter (google it ;)), Akalabeth is a game that is only relevant today from a historical or academic perspective, not an artistic one. It is and was an achievement only for pushing the technical boundaries in computer gaming in its time. It is not a creative achievement, for it has neither inspired music, or story, or even sprites. It is not an achievement in game design, for there is no real strategy or variation in gameplay, particularly if one uses the MA/LM strategy. The fact that this game-breaking strategy (and a relatively easy one) exists in one of the earliest RPGs is exactly one of those elements that should fascinate any gaming scholar. All of this is not to bash or diminish in any way its importance, or a resentful criticism. Quite the opposite. Because the greatest achievement of Akalabeth was perhaps, to inspire a young Richard Garriot to pursue game design, and any GoG user surely knows the results of that labor. So, thank you Akalabeth, (even if I spent more time on you than i should have ;)) for being the stepping stone to getting the Ultima Series, which many of its games were and are great achievements in all aspects of game design.
