Underrated fantasy gem
Now this is gem, a largely unknown and almost forgotten slice of interactive fiction mixed with RPG elements that paved the way for games like Eye of the Beholder and which inspired the first video game novel (which was written by well known novelist Alan Dean Foster). The game is a graphical adventure which charts the tale of nine adventurers who seek to overthrow the demon who has taken over the all important Shadowkeep. While the story itself is the usual fantasy stuff, albeit well enough written, the game manages to transcend its mundaneness to create a compelling and absorbing adventure. In fairly typical RPG fashion, your adventurers explore and fight their way through a series of dungeons, but as this a text based game, players must input a series of commands via a surprisingly complex interface. There are plenty of customisation options available, with magic and weapons also up for purchase to help you defeat the many denizens of the maze-like dungeons. Speaking of which, these are particularly well designed, while the writing and range of enemies are also impressive. While Shadowkeep is far from perfect, it remains something of an underrated classic. The pace can be slow at times and fights are often frustrating, but the inventive addition of some clever inventory-based puzzles as well as the range of challenges and customisation options largely make up for this. The story is not overly original, but is well written, so if you've ever played games like the Zork adventures or are a Dungeons and Dragons fan, then this should turn out to be something of a treat.
