Hero Quest PC: rule differences

[Kurgan]

Recently I was going back over the (DOS) version of the Hero Quest PC game released by Gremlin in 1991 (and re-released on CD-ROM in '95). I'd checked it out before, but this time from the standpoint of rule variants. Since this is an old game, you'll either need a vintage computer to run it properly, or an emulator like Dosbox. The interface is pretty simple. It's an sprite based video rendering of the board game, but with animated characters, in a point-and-click mouse driven interface with colorful icons and cartoony characters. Though released in 1991 it seems like it is something from a few years earlier. Most of the programming was put into keeping track of all the stats and events, rather than fancy graphics and sound (beyond the intro), though the music is kinda cool.

I'm aware there's a port for the Amiga (that got the direct and mysterious Legacy of Sorasil sequel) with slightly different art and a C64 version that gets dumped on for its quality (don't forget the plucky ZX Spectrum version!). A leaked prototype (two actually) for nintendo 8 bit consoles also exists. The sequel to this game "Hero Quest II: Legacy of Sorasil" was released exclusively on Amiga computers and the Amiga CD 32 console. But here we're talking about the original game. Observations follow...

While the overall package is clearly based on the EU editions (Morcar is the bad guy, quest naming conventions, search for traps & secret doors at the same time) some other things are different.

It's a hot seat style setup based on the board game, so you can play multiple heroes yourself and Morcar's duties are fulfilled by the computer. The camera is an isometric perspective and things are rendered in full color with cartoon style graphics (and some basic animations, monsters disappear in a burst of flame when killed). I like how when you have combat, it shows what "dice" you and the monster got (it only shows the dice that "counted" and the monster defenses are represented by the same white shields as Heroes).

There's a cool opening cutscene of Mentor's study and narration at the start. It's a bit hard to tell but the white bearded man is depicted and seems to be Morcar, but Mentor looks a little scary himself, like a wizened Elf type character. The way the scene is paced and interspersed with text reminds me of a silent movie, albeit in full color.

1) Heroes can search corridors for treasure (like the 1st edition).

2) Due to the perspective, you can search a single corridor multiple times, because you only search what is on screen, not the entire thing.

3) You can play the quests in any order and even repeat quests (which means gold grinding is possible). This also means you can start on the battle with the Witch Lord and be unable to beat him if you lack the Spirit Blade (but you can still escape down the stairs).

4) Also like the 1st edition, The Maze is the first quest. The instruction manual mentions "The Trial" as occurring before the other quests, but then contradicts itself by listing the Maze as the first quest. This is because the pdf manual gives the BOARD GAME instructions first then gives the computer game instructions!

5) Return of the Witch Lord is included in its entirety, but not Kellar's Keep.

6) Monster AI is really dumb, moving in straight lines toward the Heroes and getting blocked by objects. Monsters discovered in rooms don't seek the Heroes out if there's nobody in the same room with them, they just "camp."

7) Like the EU version you can't save yourself from dying with spells or potions, and unused potions disappear when you leave the quest (and no alchemist shop or extra artifacts seen in ROTWL as expected). EU prices in the Armory and you can't sell back gear, as expected for EU rules.

8) Hand axe and Spear are included, but no Bracers or Cloak of Protection (and as expected, Dagger and Longsword aren't included either).

9) Using a spell in the wrong way causes it to be wasted (for example, trying to launch it at a monster that is obstructed by an object).

10) Each room or corridor (section of passage shown on screen) can only be searched for treasure once and secret doors/traps once. That's right, not once per Hero in this version. If you try extra searches, it wastes your search saying it has already been searched.

11) You can view the overhead map anytime, and it automatically goes to this perspective when its Morcar's turn, or when you are trying to cast a spell. You also use the map view if you're going to attack at range (throwing the spear/handaxe or shooting crossbow).

12) No trading objects between Heroes. But yes, the Wizard has no restrictions... he can use all equipment in the game!

13) You don't have to use all four Heroes, so you can play solo (Morcar is automated). The prototype NES version of the game only had 1 or 2 Heroes at a time, probably to save memory, and the colors were a lot less than this VGA game (you can also play it in EGA or Tandy style graphics). This means lots of gold for a single Hero, but certain quests may take longer (Prince Magnus' gold) playing this way.

14) You can't attack other Heroes, but you can launch offensive magic attacks at them (and they take damage).

15) If you attempt a ranged attack at a monster but don't have a ranged weapon equipped, it tells you the attack fails, but doesn't actually waste it.

16) The HUD for each character shows your body, mind, movement squares, and gold, that's it. You do get to name your Heroes.

17) Backtracking is possible in corridors, but not rooms (usually). If another Hero is just "offscreen" say at a doorway or edge of a corridor, you can't pass through them. Also, a monster can be just off camera (on the overhead map he appears once you realize the way is blocked) and you can still attack him. The "offscreen" monster also can't attack you.

18) Player order is fixed: Barbarian, Dwarf, Elf, Wizard, then Morcar. Of course if some Heroes are not "in play" it skips over them. Also when you move it doesn't show the red dice it (oddly) shows a spinning coin instead and displays the movement numbers decreasing by one with each square you click with your mouse or keyboard. Like many games of the era it uses icons and symbols as much as possible rather than text in actual gameplay. Little scrolls of text appear when you search or to tell the result of battle or the end of the quest. When you roll to move, if you were quick enough, you could even "stop" it on a specific number, in theory.

19) Monsters don't appear to be able to stand on the staircase, but the instant a Hero touches it, they get sucked out of the quest, no option to stand there or confirm it first.

The Artifacts are the same as the EU edition, so as expected, no Elixirs of Life, Ring of Return, Spell Ring, Wizard's Staff/Cloak or those featured in the expansions (no Spell Scrolls, Armband of Healing, Rabbit Boots, Anti-Poison Quill, Magical Throwing daggers or Dust of Disappearance) and the Wand of Recall appears (instead of the NA equivalent, the Wand of Magic). It appears any Hero can collect and use these "quest treasures." Borin's Armor, Spirit Blade and Orc's Bane need to be equipped to be used. You can't pass these items to other Heroes (discoverer automatically gets it), so if you die with them, they will be lost, though you can reload a previously saved character (between quests) with status as it was then. Or you can just replay the quest needed to find another copy of the needed artifact (quest treasure).

I haven't checked to see what happens to a Hero's gear if he dies in a room or corridor with other Heroes. I presume it just vanishes, but will have to test it...


Interestingly, one of the music tracks in the game sounds like a midi keyboard version of "Golden Brown" from The Stranglers. The Adlib soundtrack is great, though the Roland sounds really cool too I wouldn't want to listen to it on a loop as I played. The sound effects are very subtle and easy to miss over the music.

[Kurgan]

20) To avoid enemies, just step outside the room they're in... they cannot follow! Spells don't require direct LOS as expected in EU rules... I cast sleep on an orc who just was in the same room, and I healed another Hero in the same room with Healbody). Genie seems to require LOS as it was "wasted" when I tried using it to attack a monster that wasn't direct LOS. Overall the game is very easy, probably the easiest version of HQ you will ever play, once you know how the mechanics work.

21) A "sleeping" enemy in the room still prevents a treasure search while in the same room (no animation for the sleep effect either).

22) A monster in the same corridor, that is separated from a Hero's LOS by a blocked square, prevents a treasure search (that monster will stupidly try to run into the wall to get at you, and fail).

23) Leaving a quest early means your body and mind points aren't automatically restored between quests. You can "renew" your character to do this manually, but it also resets your gold.

24) Dwarf begins with a Toolkit. When he searches for and finds a furniture trap, it is automatically disarmed. Other types of traps seem to require you to stand next to it (or be in or on top of the pit) to "fix" it. Update: You can actually "fix" a Pit Trap in the same room/section of corridor without being next to it, you just need a toolkit. I presume that the Dwarf still has a better chance of disarming, but I have no way of verifying that short of a statement from the developers or a peek at the code.

25) Shortsword can NOT attack diagonally. You'll need the spear or staff for that!

26) Equipping your gear: You CAN switch weapons on your turn. Go to your inventory pouch, click on the one you want, then do it. For example to use the crossbow, even though you have a few swords, switch to that and your ranged attack will work. In the same way you can click on the combinations of armor you want to equip. This lets you choose the shield or switch between types of armor. When you buy a new piece of equipment it is not automatically equipped. This also explains the shield combination.

27) There's a key icon that let's you open a door (and reveal what is inside) without stepping through the door. As expected, this doesn't waste an action.

28) A treasure chest contains treasure (except when it doesn't). And you don't have to go up to a chest to search it, just have to be in the same room.

29) Searching sections of corridors for treasure also means you can search around corners in some cases. Whatever section is on camera gets searched!

30) In some situations Heroes can pass through each other. If you're both in the same room, and one is standing in the doorway, you can walk through him to leave the room. But if the other Hero is standing just offscreen in a corridor, he blocks you.

31) You can fire a crossbow diagonally across a table at an enemy on the other side. Doesn't have to be direct LOS, just in the same room. This weapon is absolutely devastating, because you can stand in a doorway and shoot all of the monsters in the room and they're powerless to confront you, unless one of them happened to start on the square opposite the door (have to be at least one square away to fire). I have seen some crazy examples of shooting enemies from very far away round corners, it seems like being in any part of a room is equivalent to being in the doorway for purposes of aiming. But you still can't fire unless you are at least one square away from the target. I've even shot monsters straight though single blocked squares (the squares seem only to hinder movement and possibly the Genie spell, otherwise it's like they're not even there). To test: I forgot to check if the crossbow can hit the four direct diagonal squares...

32) There might be a gold bonus for completing three quests (to become a Champion, as Mentor's introduction portrays), but I could be wrong (wasn't paying attention to my gold).

33) Found my first pit trap. I searched and found it, tried to use my toolkit but it wouldn't let me disarm it saying there was nothing it could be used on. With the tool kit selected, I stood on top of the trap and it said the floor creaks but holds. Standing on top of the open hole, I clicked my tool kit in the pouch and it said I "fixed" it. You can fix a pit trap after falling into it. Have to click the toolkit off and then on again to use it.

34) In Prince Magnus' gold, you have the option to return the chest or keep it (becoming an outlaw?). It takes awhile but you can clean up on gold with a solo Hero, by getting rewarded 200 gold for each chest returned. Wear plate armor while carrying a chest doesn't slow you down extra than you already are.

35) If you click on Holy Water it is instantly wasted if there are no Undead monsters in the room/corridor.

36) When you search and find the "Nothing" treasure, it doesn't let you search again (this room has already been searched).

37) Unarmed combat: I checked Legacy of the Orc warlord, and it's all goofed up. Even though you're supposed to be without your equipment, your character sprite is still carrying a weapon, and you still have your "base" attack, meaning you only lose spells and any purchased equipment.

38) Apparently to jump a trap you have to have enough movement and click the square beyond the trap to jump it, but of course you could fail and fall in (I haven't tried this yet).

39) Sir Ragnar can apparently roll the equivalent of 2 dice (I see "12" appear as a number on the spinning coin, though usually he rolls a 7, which is still more than he can in the regular game!). He also has SIX MIND POINTS (we never knew how many in the original game, and I guess this is to make it harder to kill him with your magic). He has his usual 2 Body points, and using a healing spell on him restores him back to 2. Killing him (try Genie spell) just means you fail the quest (you can exit, but no reward is given). Hey.. it's the EU version and he was a traitor anyway...

40) A spear is definitely lost when thrown (and isn't recoverable, it is just gone from your inventory). You CAN combine it with a shield.

41) Spells: I'm not sure how Veil of Mist works in this version... I don't seem to be able to pass through monsters when it is cast on me. Maybe it prevents you from being attacked for a turn?

42) As expected, there doesn't appear to be any way to trade items or share gold. In the "Armory" a Hero can only purchase items for himself.

44) Graphically, this game doesn't seem to use the "hook-sword" Orc or the Chaos Warlock... for special monsters it instead uses the Gargoyle sprite (yes, even for the Orc Warlord, Stone Chaos Warrior or Witch Lord!). Sir Ragnar however has his own unique sprite (on the mini-map his icon is the same as one of the Heroes though). The Hero sprites never change, regardless of what equipment they are using, so your only attack animation variants are a strike or firing an arrow (for any ranged attack). No animations for spells. Chaos Warriors lack the little "ball" on their helmets joining the horns. There don't seem to be weapon variants among monsters (all Orcs have cleavers, etc). So Barbarian always appears to be carrying a two handed sword, Wizard always carrying a staff, Dwarf always a hand axe and Elf always a short (?) sword.

45) Mummies get a lot more movement (I saw one move 6 squares)!

46) Holy Water is VERY powerful. Use it like a potion (doesn't count as an action like before) and it kills multiple Undead in the same room/corridor!

47) Staff appears to only attack with 1 Combat die and CAN be combined with a Shield.

48) Turns out the Wizard CAN equip armor, not just buy it. While weird, I guess this compensates for the fact that the Cloak of Protection and Bracers are not available. In the EU version the Wizard could equip Borin's Armor with Bracers + Cloak to defend with 6. Now he can do the same with Helmet+Shield+Plate. Since Wizard restrictions are lifted, one could consider the Spear to be the equivalent of the Wizard's Staff (an NA artifact) or the (stronger) EU version of the staff. Of course now the Wizard could have a 2 or 3 dice ranged attack that he didn't get before (only being able to throw daggers for 1 in the NA version). Him being able to use a Broadsword or Shortsword isn't so crazy if he can use the magical versions of those weapons, the Artifacts known as Orc's Bane and the Spirit Blade in EU editions. But he's a little more powerful, potentially, here (even if he has to spend more gold to do it, for comparison the Bracers were 200 gold and the Cloak 350 in the EU edition). If you're playing solo, you need all the help you can get!

49) You can find "Quest Treasures" (Artifacts) multiple times (one per character) by replaying quests. Since you can't trade them I'm guessing it would be possible for the Barbarian or Dwarf to "find" the Wand of Recall (rendering it useless, forcing you to replay it and then have the Elf or Wizard find it instead, in the same place it was originally found in). Then again, the Wand isn't required to complete the campaign, but it's harder if you don't have it later!

50) Since the Shortsword, Hand Axe and Spear are all the same price, I'm not sure why you'd ever buy a Shortsword... there are no Chaos spells (and you have base attack based on character). Sure, if you wanted to have two throwable 2 dice weapons (cheaper than buying a crossbow with unlimited ammo) you could get the Handaxe and spear. The Spear is the same strength as the Handaxe but allows diagonal attacks, so it's just better overall (and has no problems combining with a shield). As the Wizard, if I can afford it, my first purchase will be the Spear and just bypass the staff!

51) As expected, the Talisman of Lore increases your mind points by 2. You could have each character replay the quest and get the bonus by acquiring his own Talisman, but why bother when there are no Chaos spells (unless you're planning to attack each other with magic I guess). There's little fun in a deathmatch here since only spells can cause friendly fire (if targeted on purpose)... and little point anyway since you can't steal their gear (I don't think).

52) Disarming ("fixing") a trap (not a furniture trap which is automatically disarmed when you search for traps) does not count as an action.

53) In the "Castle of Mystery" quest, you have to get up to the doorway and click the "arrow" icon in the direction of the doorway to teleport. Once you pickup the "chest" at the mine entrance, you can't set it down (meaning you can only use magic to fight, until you hit the stairs). Also, there is no "Uller's Ghost" instead you get a wandering monster of an Orc. As expected there is no "Ring of Return" artifact since there isn't one in the EU edition.

54) In the NA version of the 3rd quest of the Return of the Witch Lord expansion, you can find the Spirit Blade, if it has been lost on a previous quest, but this is not the case in the EU version (and so it cannot be found in this computer version of that quest). Since you're not forced to play the quests in order/as a series, you can replay the search for the Spirit Blade until you find it, then skip right to the final battle.

55) The "Death Mist" in ROTWL is transparent and so seemingly can't be targeted. It could be destroyed in the NA version but I'm not sure if that is even possible here. I stayed out of the way so I didn't see what happened if it passed through one of my heroes, or if I could toss a Tempest spell on the square it invisibly occupied.

56) While drinking potions and equipping weapons can be done without wasting an action, they can ONLY be done on that Hero's turn. This is an interesting way to do it, and I may actually incorporate this version of "equipping" into my own houserules with the physical game.

57) Bastion of Chaos gold bounties: 10 for each goblin, 20 for each orc, 30 for each fimir or chaos warrior (NA gives 50 gold for the latter).

58) You can find secret doors in a section of corridor even if they're on the other side of a blocked square.

59) A falling block trap was triggered by one Hero and landing on top of my dwarf. There were no squares for him to move to, so the rocks just appeared beneath the square he was on. Yet he didn't die instantly... I was able to, on his turn, use my toolkit to first remove a pit trap in the same room (that was not yet discovered) and then remove the falling blocks from my head! Also, my Dwarf took no damage from the rocks landing on his square.

60) In the regular game system quests, several times now, I have searched a room for traps, and then triggered a falling block trap as I move through the room! When I use a toolkit to fix it, it first "fixed a pit trap" (maybe the hole in the ceiling where the rocks fell from?) and then on a second disarm, the falling block trap itself. As with the EU system, the blocks land on an adjacent square, not the one you're standing on.

61) Two monsters in a corridor (with space between them, in fact one was a screen away from the other) and I was able to shoot the one on the far side with a crossbow (without hitting the one that was between us).

62) Multiple instances of the same Artifact ("Quest Treasure") is absolutely possible. You can replay the Search for the Spirit Blade and have each Hero acquire the Spirit Blade, even if another member of your party has it active. Makes this easier later on! It would have been a cool feature if the quest was re-arranged when you replay it, but it isn't.

63) Killing the Witch Lord first time was pretty anti-climactic. Of course he only has one body point, but there's not even any special text after taking him out! Not sure if you see anything after beating the ROTWL quests...

64) Confirmed, you don't get to search the inside of a Pit as if it were a separate room in this version.

65) The instruction manual PDF included on the CD-ROM edition is strange. First it explains the game rules and features as if it is talking about the EU board game. Then later it talks about the PC game, mentioning the differences (for example, the lack of Cloak of Protection and Bracers). It also makes a big deal about the inclusion of the "first expansion" Return of the Witch Lord.

66) Quest 10 of Return of the Witch Lord ("The Court of the Witch Lord") plays in reverse. In the board game you start at the stairs and you win by killing the Witch Lord. In the PC game you start in the throne room and you make your way to the staircase to "escape." Since these are EU rules, he only has 1 body point. Also, like other "special monsters" he's represented by the Gargoyle sprite. There's no special text when you complete this quest. I completed the 14 original quests, one of the ROTWL quests and then skipped to the end, so I can't say if it displays any ending text if you beat them all in order, but I doubt it.

Overall this was a valiant effort to faithfully port the EU game to home computers. To save memory they cut corners where the PC format would have allowed them more versatility, such as in terms of using different graphics and animations for weapons, or different colors for monsters, or having a Hero's appearance change based on their Equipment or health status (you could paint the actual board game, how about allowing customization of the colors used on the digital figures?). I noticed there is both a floppy disk and a CD-ROM version of the game as well. The diskette has memory limitations that at the time the CD would have allowed them to bypass, of course. There was a missed opportunity here to make greater use of the medium and make it something truly special. If you didn't already know what Hero Quest was, you'd probably wonder what the big deal was with this game...

The choice to include ROTWL is a logical one, as I think it was the better of the two original quest packs, and has the recurring villain from the original game system.

The multiplayer is hotseat only, I guess they figured a LAN party option or modem-to-modem option wasn't worth the effort. Even today the board game is more expensive (even if it's less rare) than the pc game port.

[Kurgan]

Was reading a guide to the Amiga version and it sounds like it has more of the missing features... BUT I am suspicious of its accuracy. The writer did refer to the "Talisman of LOVE."

I checked a video recording of it, and while the alternate graphics are cool (EGA mode anyway), the content seems to be the same. I like the additional sound effects, but the equipment and spells appear identical.

Some extra equipment does seem to have been included in versions of the unreleased NES prototype that don't appear in the computer versions. Apparently the DOS was the last version of the adaptation released on home computers, and the CD-ROM version seems to be a straight dump of the floppy game instead of an enhanced or expanded edition (sadly).

Edit: Made several corrections to the first two posts with further testing.

[Kurgan]

"EXPERT MODE":

So, if you want a challenge (and less boredom), you can give yourself these "Expert" (honor system) handicaps while playing this PC game...

1) As the Wizard, limit yourself to equipping the Staff & Spear as weapons, and the Chain mail & Helmet as armor.
2) Use actual unobstructed LOS when attacking a monster with a ranged weapon or spell, and don't attack monsters that are "off screen" in general.
3) Only secure one instance of each Artifact (Quest Treasure) per party.
4) Don't reload a saved character if he gets killed. Start over with a brand new one, unless you're starting over at Quest 1.
5) Don't replay quests to get extra gold (only replay if needed to get the Spirit Blade if you lost or missed it).
6) You could try playing Solo, but it's really not that much more challenging unless you adhere to the above "rules."
7) Don't "disarm" fallen block traps (unless you're literally trapped such that even Pass Through Rock won't save you).
8) Don't combine spear and shield.
9) Only use Holy Water to kill a single LOS undead (use it on the last survivor of a group or lone monster).
10) When playing Legacy of the Orc Warlord, only the Wizard should attack enemies before you retrieve your gear.
11) Play the quests in chronological order!
12) When Switching between Battle Axe and Shield + Another weapon, take a turn to perform the switch. In other words, switch, then on your next turn switch back instead of immediately.
13) Kill all monsters you can (rather than just running away).
14) Don't search corridors (passages) for Treasure.

[iKarith]

If anyone would like the DOS game ready to run in DOSBox, there's this thing called eXoDOS and …

Code: Select all

tjcarter@aki:/srv/mirror/PixelCove$ du -hs eXoDOS
563G   eXoDOS
tjcarter@aki:/srv/mirror/PixelCove$ du -hs eXoDOS/eXo/eXoDOS/Hero\ Quest\ \(1992\).zip
1.2M   eXoDOS/eXo/eXoDOS/Hero Quest (1992).zip


I don't know what all is on that CD … but the game is pretty small. There's a couple of files one might want in a metadata zip file. This includes scans of the box art and all, though maybe not as large as we'd want by half. If the CD has audio tracks, they're obviously not included here. I'm nowhere near ready to poke at the DOSbox setup for this, but I'll ask eXo what he thinks about the idea of a script to pack up a one-off game with credit and all.

I'll be happy to extract the HQ stuff from it for people because … HQ. But I am not gonna tell you where to get this monster-sized archive on this forum because … if that's not a direct no-no rules-wise, it oughtta be. I'm pretty sure you can figure out how to find eXoDOS if you want to find eXoDOS by doing the most obvious thing possible. Seriously, they do not give any Fs, they're doing it openly, they don't care if your DOS game was published in 2018 for retrocomputing fans, it's in there (and Dave Murray knows about Planet X3… he said he's not worried about it as anyone who wants to play a new DOS game released in the Windows 10 era wants it in the box, with feelies and soundtrack, usually signed like my copy is. …I've heard he was initially pretty steamed, though.)

Oh, by the way, for the lulz: GoG offers a lot of old DOS games running in DOSbox for sale, usually pretty cheap. CD Projekt Red does actually obtain the rights to sell these games, and whomever owns those rights does get a cut. However, if you look into a number of them, you will find GoG often just uses the eXoDOS release of the game, uncredited and unmodified. Jerks!

(Then again, the version of Super Mario Bros that appeared on the Wii/Wii U Virtual Console was a downloaded ROM from the Internet. I mean, if anyone's entitled to download a copy of Super Mario Bros legally, it's freakin' Nintendo!)

[lestodante]

I guess the audio tracks can be midi files?
I would like to see what the images stored in the CD look like, even if the resolution is small.

[Kurgan]

Sorry guys, the CD-ROM version will be a big disappointment to you. I got it because it was the most affordable way to buy the game, but there is no benefit to having this one over the floppy diskette version. The pirated warez version posted all over the internet on many "abandonware" websites has a glitch in it, wherein it is impossible to save your character as the Barbarian (so you need to beat the game in one session or with base gear only for him). That's the only benefit right now to buying the game unless a better rip becomes available (I don't rip games and post them online, sorry). If you're a collector of course, go for it...

On the CD there is no redbook audio, and no accessible midi files. You would have to extract audio and graphics out of the game itself if you wanted to play around with them (or hope to find someone else who has already done this). I'm not a coder... I don't do hex editing, I don't know assembly or C++, so you're asking the wrong person. This is not a modern game, but is from 1991.

A missed opportunity, the CD-ROM had plenty of space for them to have included extra music or art, but it's just a straight dump of the DOS diskette version (albeit since it's the legit thing, there's no problem with any character saving, like the hacked version you find online).

The only "extras" on the single cd-rom is Adobe Acrobat reader, so you can read the (largely useless) PDF file of the manual (it's just text, no fancy artwork). The Manual is weird, as it basically gives you an abridged version of the EU BOARD GAME rules, followed by the (contradicting) PC game rules. I guess to explain to hardcore nerds how it is very different from the actual board game it is based upon.

So unless you are good at hacking or are capturing images and sound from running it on your pc, there's nothing really to post here. Sorry.

The back cover is pretty lackluster and the cover is what you see above, basically a reframed version of the Les Edwards cover we all know and love. No fancy box art, this is just a jewel case with the front and back cover. There's an insert but it's just a generic ad for some unrelated pc games. So what you see is what you get... as a sheer novelty item probably you'd get more out of the Amiga version, even though it has fewer colors. The best thing about this one is the intro cutscene (only if you install it in VGA mode).

[Kurgan]

I don't own the diskette version, but if you want, here is what I found on Ebay. Again, nothing too special here:

It seems no version* of the game includes any extra quests, just the EU 14 quests (with the Maze instead of the Trial) and Return of the Witch Lord. Nothing else was ever released (that I could see) except Legacy of Sorasill which was an Amiga/Amiga CD32 exclusive (many videos of that sequel on youtube).

* released version. The NES/Famicom version technically has The Trial and KK quests too, but this was never officially released. There's a hack available that's "mostly" complete: (rom not included)

And for fun, the C64 box also from ebay...

Interestingly, the pics on the back of the Amiga box (this one looks like a 1993 re-release) say they are from the Amiga version but appear to be the DOS version (notice how Morcar/Mentor looks different). So who knows... errors on game boxes are nothing new, but since I don't own that version I can't compare, only basing my opinion on the recordings and shots others have posted and bootleg versions out there.

[Kurgan]

Screenshots of the different versions... again just for fun. I only own the DOS version on cd-rom (identical to the floppy edition released four years earlier)

(the NES/Famicom version of course is an unreleased prototype... hacks exist out there of the bootlegged prototype as everybody knows, many more items are available in this edition than in the PC game but you can only ever have two heroes in a game, period, even if there are two players... the cartridges you see of the HQ game are just bootlegs, somebody put the rom onto a chip and into a generic plastic cartridge shell with a custom made sticker based on the les edwards cover)

[Kurgan]

Videos (youtube):

And finally, the DOS intro...

here's the Amiga version intro...

DOS gameplay here

Amiga gameplay here

NES bootleg gameplay here

ZX Spectrum gameplay here

C64 gameplay here

Amstrad CPC gameplay here

Other than the incomplete NES/FC prototype, all the other versions appear to be poorer imitations of the DOS or Amiga versions although the Atari ST port looks pretty good as does the Acorn 32-bit (A3000) edition. This latter version is interesting in that the gameplay graphics are from the DOS version but the background (note how Morcar/Mentor looks) is more like the Amiga version although with a bunch of blue effects, and like each version it has its own unique sounding rendition of the background music.

Atari ST gameplay here

Acorn 32-bit (A3000) gameplay here (with commentary)


Heroquest II: Legacy of Sorasil Amiga gameplay here

(screenshot below is from Amstrad CPC gameplay)