Quest For Glory: Shadows of Darkness (PC, 1993)

This game is the 4th in the series of the 5 Quest for Glory games by Sierra. It is the last version which has the classic feel to it, before the newer SVGA QFG5 came out. This game is based in Mordavia, which has a very similar look and feel to how Transylvania has been portrayed in many books, movies and other games. The game is a classic adventure game with a role playing element in that you have skills which you can improve throughout the game, which help you achieve your goals. You can interact with people in the town and elsewhere throughout the land, battle monsters in the forest, and acquire items. This is my personal favourite of the 5 games in the series. The storyline, the atmosphere and the music all tie in very well together. Although it is now 14 years old (1993 release), I still play it now and again. If you own any of the first 3 QFG games, you can export your character once completing any of those 3 games and import that character into QFG4. One of the great things about this series is that you can start a character in QFG1 and play that same character right through all 5 games. However, if purchasing QFG4 would be your first QFG game, that is not a problem. You can start a new character in QFG4 and build up your skills within this game. In other words, having the whole series is great, but this game by itself is also great. You choose from 3 character types; a Fighter, Wizard, or Thief. Each character has specific sub-missions throughout the game, each with their own sets of unique objectives and unique ways of achieving those goals. The great thing about that is, the game has a different feel for each character. This increases the game's replay value, so unlike some games, you probably won't just play it once and then throw it in the closet with those other games you've played once and then don't want to see again. The only downside with this game is that it does have some bugs when playing on newer systems, however there is a patch out there which fixes those issues. Unfortunately I cannot post a link to it in this review, but if you go to any QFG fan forum and either ask or search for QFG4 timer fixes you should be able to find it no problem. If you have an older 486 computer, you probably won't have to worry about this. One another thing to note is that there are two versions of this game. Usually the one in the purple box is the 3.5 diskette version, and the one in the white box is the CD-ROM version. I own both of them and can't really tell the difference between the two, although the CD version does seem to run a little better on my newer PC with windows XP, and also has the option to turn on a narrator. The CD version has both a DOS version and a Windows version, whereas I believe the diskette version only has a DOS version. The DOS version does run fine on Windows XP as long as it is patched. I find it also runs when using DosBox.

This is the 4th game in the Quest for Glory Series. After getting sucked into some sort of rip in time at the end of Quest for Glory III, you are transported to the strange and eery land of Mordavia. You as the hero must then try to figure out how you got to this strange land and why. And also how to get out of here.

I have always been a huge fan of the Sierra adventure games and have pretty much grown up playing Kings Quest, Space Quest, and Police Quest. Recently I decided to give the Quest for Glory series a try. One of the coolest features of this series is that after you finish the game, you can export your player and import him into the next game in the series.

Having just finished up Quest for Glory 3, I was anxious to play the next game. I didn't own it and so out to eBay I went to try and aquire a quick copy. I wasn't sure what to expect when it came to this game, but I wasn't displeased in the least. The storyline was entertaining and made me want to keep playing. The puzzles were just as challenging as the previous games and some of them more so. And we get to meet many new characters in Mordavia. Some are funny, some are serious, and some we know from the past. (If you've played previous games)

The only negative in my opinion would be the combat sequences. The the previous two (maybe even three) games the combat sequences seemed to flow a little better. I could time my dodges and attacks to build up stats. In this game the fighting style more resembles Mortal Combat. It wasn't horrible by any means, but it took some getting used to.

Overall, after you get used to the new combat style this games holds it's own with any other the earlier games in the Quest for Glory series. It is highly entertaining.

If you are looking for an adventure game with humor in every form while at the same time experience the depth of the fires and tribulations of an adventurer, this is the game. Sierra has always been popular for their adventure games and they never dissapoint. You can't go wrong with a Sierra adventure game, especially the Quest for GLory series.

Love this Game! The best in the series. Lots to do, and much to explore. I played this one before I played all the others, great game. explains things wonderfully. perfect game for a first timer.

This is a great classic game. Humour, soundtrack, gameplay, are all fantastic, not found in today's games for some reason.