Sierra On-Line, IncHistoryIn 1980, Ken and Roberta Williams founded On-Line Systems. The company changed its name to Sierra On-Line in mid-1982. They later bought Dynamix. Their development section was spun off as Yosemite Entertainment and originally killed off in 1999, but it was later bought by Codemasters and is still in business. As a publishing house, Sierra is still very much in business, even though it has changed hands several times. It was originally privately owned under Ken Williams, then sold to Cendant, and is now owned by Havas Interactive.
PackagingTheir early games, up to Time Zone and Softporn Adventure, were made under the On-Line Systems name. All the adventure games that were originally marketed under On-line Systems came in small square folders in ziploc bags. They were rereleased as by SierraVenture in 1982 and had much more professional-looking folders (approximately 8" X 11"). The action/arcade games were released under SierraVision for a while. Some of the earlier games like Mystery House, Wizard and the Princess and Cranston Manor, have been released with more different cover art variations than you'd care to know. SierraVenture and SierraVision had an older Sierra On-line type logo employed on the back of the box, on the disk labels and the disk sleeves, and all of it was dumped around 1984, when Sierra employed a new Sierra logo, the more familiar one, and began packaging their games in grey boxes with plastic trays. In 1987, they began using the thin slipcover case. A standard two piece tan box with the Sierra mountain logo on it and a slipcover with the game's artwork. Around 1990 (after King's Quest V) the slipcover became double width to fit the games that had more disks, as Conquests of Camelot and Colonel's Bequest really packed it into the smaller boxes. The two-piece box itself was plain white. Nowadays (1998) they have a new logo and boxes nearly as big as their old ones (Time Zone, etc) used to be. Hint books are available for at least some of their games.
TechnologyAll the SierraVenture games were written using different frameworks. Starting with King's Quest, Sierra started using a common interpreter called AGI which made their games much more portable. Their "enhanced versions" and presumably later releases as well are written in a programming language called SCI (Sierra's Creative Interpreter). There are inofficial sites about Sierra On-Line, Inc:
They are or have been distributed by All American Adventures and IBM. They distribute Dynamix and Coktel Vision. For more information, see Dynamix, Yosemite Entertainment and Codemasters.
HiRes Adventures/SierraVenturesThis series was published 1979-1982, and contained around
ten games. The official numbering stopped after #6.
King's QuestSpace QuestThe Space Quest games chronicle the adventures of Roger Wilco.
More information can be found in the The SpaceQuest FAQ.
Leisure Suit LarryMeet Larry. He's just turned 40, and he's still single. If you can
get past the glow of his Grecian formula, you can see his hairline
beginning to make a hasty retreat from his forehead. Larry's
leisure suit is of the highest quality (100% manmade material,
permanent press too!). He wears at least 11 gold chains and his
freshly-capped teeth could blind you in a bright light. Down at
the singles bar he tells all the chicks, "Sure, I'm single... I
got in a fight with my ol' lady and she threw me out." He doesn't
tell them the "ol' lady" was his mom, or that he was 38 at the
time.
Police QuestThis series is written by Jim Walls who is a police man in
real life (although he retired before he started writing
games). Daryl F. Gates who has written the later games is a
retired chief of LAPD.
Quest for GloryLaura BowIn the roaring 20's, seemingly mousey Laura Bow is a detective in
the very best Jessica Fletcher sense of the term. That is,
whenever she drops in on the party, people drop like flies. The
first game is pretty tight, and rather logically reasoned, but the
second is poorly executed and involves more guesswork than it
does actual deductive skills. No further Laura Bow games are being
planned, apparently, as Amon Ra was released 6 years ago (1998).
Gabriel KnightMickey's Space AdventureWritten 1984 by Roberta Williams.Runs on: Notes: This was a joint project with Disney, before they worked on Black Cauldron. Intended for kids and doesn't belong in any series. The PC version comes on two 360KB 5 1/4" disks. Comments: Same format as Winnie the Pooh.
The Black CauldronType: Moving character graphics/Multiple choice Written 1984, rereleased 1986 by Roberta Williams [design], Mark Crowe, Scott Murphy [programming] and Ken Williams [programming].Runs on: Notes: This game was aimed at kids and followed the Disney movie pretty closely.
The original booting version copyrighted 84, 85 with
CGA/PCjr/Tandy support. Re-released as DOS-based in at least
two different versions, both copyright 86, 87 and supporting
CGA/EGA/PCjr/Tandy. All versions feature enhanced sound for
PCjr/Tandy, and the booting versions feature 16 colors on PCjr
and Tandy.
Winnie the Pooh in the Hundred Acre WoodType: Interactive graphics Written 1986.Runs on: Comments: Similar to the very early Sierra games. Dark Crystal-like. How
does that go together with Interactive Graphics?
Dragon's KeepNotes: I don't know if this really is an adventure. Comments: Mainly text-based interactive reading adventure for younger
children.
Troll TalesNotes: I don't know if this really is an adventure. Comments: Mainly text-based interactive reading adventure for younger
children.
Mixed-up Mother GooseWritten 1987, 90 by Roberta Williams.Runs on:
Mixed-up Mother Goose (enhanced version)Type: Moving character graphics/MusicRuns on: Notes: This is the same game as the above, but with improved graphics. The Amiga version was on two disks instead of one. Gold Rush!Written 1988 by Doug MacNeill and Ken MacNeill.Runs on: Notes: This was one of the last Sierra games to use the AGI interface. Comments: You play a man from New York who decides to go to California
during the height of the gold rush. Middle portion of the
game revolves around your transport to California via three
methods (two by sea and one by land).
Manhunter: New YorkWritten 1988 by Dave Murry, Barry Murry and DeeDee Murry.Runs on: Manhunter 2: San FranciscoWritten 1989 by Dave Murry, Barry Murry, DeeDee Murry and Barbara Ward.Runs on:
Codename: IcemanType: Moving character graphics Written 1989 by Jim Walls.Runs on: Comments: You have to take the role of a secret agent. This game had a
pretty good submarine simulation that was a bulk of the middle
of the game.
Conquests of Camelot: King Arthur, The Search for the GrailType: Moving character graphics/Music Written 1989 by Christy Marx.Runs on: Comments: A love affair between the famous knight Lancelot and King
Arthurs wife, Gwenhyver, has set off a series of disastrous
events that has put Britain into despair. And now, three of
the Round Table's most renowned knights have vanished. As
Arthur, you must go on a long journey, taking you all the way
to Arabia, to save the knights and find the Holy Grail.
Eco Quest 1: The Search for CetusRuns on: Notes: Mix between educational software and adventure. Eco Quest 2: Lost Secret of the RainforestWritten 1991.Runs on: Notes: Mix between educational software and adventure. There is both a DOS and a Windows version of this. Conquests of Long Bow: The Adventures of Robin HoodWritten 1992 by Christy Marx.Runs on: Freddy Pharkas, Frontier PharmacistWritten 1993 by Al Lowe and Josh Mandel.Runs on: Notes: Apart from the game, the package contains a manual called "Modern Day Book of Health and Hygiene" and a registration form. Torin's PassageWritten 1995 by Al Lowe.Runs on: Urban RunnerType: Video clips Written 1995.Runs on: Notes: Mostly live action video. Comments: Horrid game.
PhantasmagoriaWritten 1995 by Roberta Williams.Runs on: Comments: You play a young female writer who has bought an old house, which (surprise) turns out to be haunted. Drama (and endless grainy video shots) ensues as your not-too-likeable boyfriend turns into a madman and tries to kill you.
This game received a lot of attention prior to its release due
to the fact that it contained an unprecedented amount of video
sequences and came on a whopping 7 cd's. Supposedly it was
four years in the making, but the effort was wasted. The story
totally lacks originality, the acting gives a whole new
meaning to the word "dreadful", and there's just nothing to do
but to follow the very linear storyline. Apparently Roberta
Williams was trying to get away from her cutesy King's Quest
image, so the game has some quite gory sequences, which can be
turned on and off. I seem to recall that Sierra put a
self-induced age limit (15) on the game.
Phantasmagoria II: A Puzzle of FleshWritten 1996.Runs on: Phantasmagoria StagefrightWritten 1997 or 1998?.Notes: From the cover, it seems to contain both the Phantasmagoria games. RamaWritten 1996.Runs on: Rama (limited edition)Runs on: Notes: This version was packaged with a copy of Arthur C. Clarke's novel "Rama II". LighthouseWritten 1996.Runs on: ShiversWritten 1996.Runs on: Shivers II: Harvest of SoulsWritten 1997.Runs on: Notes: Runs under SVGA in 256 colors. Comes on 2 CDs. Comments: You take the role of a wannabe rock star who has planned an
encounter with your band in a small desert town. However, when
you turn up in the town, everybody has vanished. Gathering
clues from a number of your own rock videos, you slowly
discover that an old Indian curse has made the town's
inhabitants disappear. The game is very much in the vein of
The 7th Guest, which means that you have to roam the city to
gather information and solve logical puzzles along the way.
The game is a definite improvement over both its predecessor
and T7G, as the storyline is fairly non-linear, the interface
is a delight to use, and the story and characters work quite
well.
Betrayal in AntaraWritten 1997 by Peter Sarrett.Runs on: Notes: Comes on two CDs. Mixed-up Fairy TalesRuns on:
Castle of Dr. BrainWritten 1991.Runs on: Notes: This is a borderline case of adventure. It takes place in a castle, but it's merely a question of solving logical, mathematical puzzles. Contents: 8 disks plus 1 demo disk (1991 Coming Attractions), 256 Color Read Me Flyer, Castle of Dr. Brain Game Manual, Castle of Dr. Brain Hint Booklet, Fantastic Book of Logic Puzzles by Muriel Mandell, illustrated by Elise Chanowitz, Sterling Verlag, New York 1986: 128 pages pocket book (just bonus, has nothing to do with game), Sierra product catalog Island of Dr. BrainRuns on:
Turbo ScienceNotes: Kind of Educative. The Roberta Williams AnthologyNotes: It containes Mystery House, The Wizard and the Princess, Mission: Asteroid, Time Zone, and Dark Crystal as Apple II images (Dark Crystal was added at the last minute and isn't listed among the other games). It also contained Kings Quest 1 (both the old and the new version), King's Quest 2-7, Laura Bow 1 and 2, Mixed Up Mother Goose (both versions) and the first chapter of Phantasmagoria (not the whole game).
It also contains background information about Roberta Williams
and King's Quest, a few videos (including a sneak preview of
King's Quest VIII), and box covers and the KQ VIII art as jpg
files.
Pepper's Adventures in TimeType: Point-n-ClickRuns on: Comments: Pepper travels back in time to save history. A kid's adventure
with historical figures like Benjamin Franklin.
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