Adventure in Serenia

Hi-Res Adventure #2: The Wizard and the Princess, Wizard and the Princess

Release Date: December 31, 1982

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A PC version of the classic Wizard and the Princess adventure game, released in 1980 on Apple II computers and considered a prelude to the legendary King's Quest series. In the game we play the role of a wanderer, who in exchange for half of the kingdom decides to free Princess Serenia Priscilla from the hands of the evil wizard Harlin.

Adventure in Serenia is a PC version of the classic adventure game, which debuted in 1980 on Apple II computers under the name Wizard and the Princess. The co-author of the title is Roberta Williams, founder of the legendary Sierra company and later the author of one of the most famous computer adventure series - King' Quest. The game itself, both in terms of plot and concept, is commonly considered a kind of prelude to this cycle.

The action of the game takes place several years before the events known from King's Quest V in the title land of Serenia, ruled by King George IV. When his daughter Priscilla is kidnapped by an evil sorcerer named Harlin, the king has no hesitation in dedicating half of his kingdom to a daredevil who goes to the castle far in the mountains, defeats him and frees the imprisoned Priscilla. The player plays the role of an ordinary wanderer, who decides to take up the challenge and save the princess from the hands of the tormentor.

A peculiarity is the fact that the PC version of the game practically does not differ from its precursor released on Apple II computers, even though from the very intra one could deduce that we are dealing with its continuation. It shows Harlin, who, using the sand of time, reverses the course of events, making the player have to defeat him again.

In terms of mechanics, graphics represent a typical model of its time, combining static graphics with a complex text layer and the need to enter commands directly from the keyboard. The gameplay boils down to moving between locations and solving puzzles that push the plot forward. It is worth noting that Adventure in Serenia is the first game of the legendary Sierra studio (originally On-Line Systems) released for PCs. It was also the first massively sold adventure game, offering fully colorful graphics.

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Last updated on August 14, 2015