Supposedly the best-selling game of all time, this King's Quest introduced graphics using VGA with 256 colors to the series and Sierra (though it was NOT the first game to use them). The graphics are very beautiful, with tons of detail and color. A delight for the eyes and ears, this game was dragged into the mud by a horrid new control system where you use icons representing various actions to accomplish things in the game. The interface allows little flexibility or imagination--you have to do what the designer dictates with very little of your own input. This game also suffered from several timed sequences where you must perform some action (usually an ill-defined one at that) in a short period of time or be unable to complete the game. The plot is similar to the previous game--it is displayed at the beginning, with a little bit of development along the way, though the plot does play a more important part in this game than it does in King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella, though the puzzles do not--it is easier than every other previous game in the series. All in all, King's Quest V is mostly a "bells-and-whistles" game with little reason for the serious adventurer to play it.

Return to the Computer Games Review Page