Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire

The Quest For Glory series reached its peak at a time when point-and-click adventures were the talk of the town and RPGs were curiously still in vogue. Quest For Glory cashed in on this fact by offering a subtle blend of both elements, making for a well-rounded and compelling gaming experience.

The fifth episode in the series is almost here, but things have moved on since the earlier titles were released, and the developers of Dragon Fire will quickly discover that the rules have changed. The point-and-clicker is all but extinct, with the new breed of adventures turning to 3D and freedom of exploration in their bid to regain their popularity of old (Cendant's own Gabriel Knight 3 and Mask Of Eternity are notable examples). RPGs are evolving from statistic-based character improvement affairs into fully-blown arcade games. So where does all this leave Quest For Glory 5: Dragon Fire?

The game's developers have obviously thought long and hard about this and decided to stick to the formula that has served them so well in the past. To this end, the latest episode of Quest For Glory ignores the current obsession with first-person games and reverts to the third-person action seen in previous games in the series. Once again you can choose to play a magician, a fighter or a thief, all of whom have individual skills and offer different advantages (and, of course, disadvantages) depending which character group they come from. There are also many different ways to solve the puzzles depending on which character you're playing.

The RPG element kicks into play as characters become better at fighting and spell-casting over time and as they gain experience. If the RPG element works in the same way as in the earlier titles in the series, you can expect it to play a minor part in the great scheme of things, as opposed to the more usual full-on stats-fest seen in games like Lands Of Lore 2 and Dungeon Master 2. Adventure fans, however, will be on more familiar territory, as Dragon Fire will contain puzzles and game elements similar to those in many of the early Sierra adventure games, hence inspiring a sort of mini-revival of the point-and-click adventure.

We are cautiously optimistic that Dragon Fire's intuitive interface and simplistic approach to the adventure genre will prove to be a breath of fresh air to gamers who are tired of fumbling their way around 3D environments, constantly adjusting camera angles so they can see what the hell is going on. But, of course, we may be proved wrong. So, a potential rival for Tomb Raider and co, or a nostalgic walk down the digital alleys of yesteryear?