Wizard and the Princess
Encyclopedia
Wizard and the Princess, also known as Adventure in Serenia, is a 1980 computer game by On-Line Systems for the Apple II
and Apple II Plus
. It is the second title released in On-Line Systems' "Hi-Res Adventure" series after Mystery House
. It is a prelude to the King's Quest series in both story and concept.
When released for the IBM PC
as Adventure in Serenia, the plot was described as if it were a sequel to Wizard and the Princess (although the game itself was no different): some time long into the future after Harlin had been defeated by the Wanderer, he challenges an adventurer to repeat the actions of his previous defeat. He turns back the sands of time leaving the adventurer in the village of Serenia. He mocks the hero telling him that he may have been defeated once, but he couldn't be defeated a second time. The princess gives the hero some words of advice and a computer to help him defeat Harlin, and tells him he has become the wanderer (grandfather paradox
).
and Ken Williams
company On-Line Systems in plastic bags with the 5¼" floppy disk
and instruction sheet. The instruction sheet had the title listed as The Wizard and the Princess.
The story was based on the many fairy tale
s Roberta used to read as a child. The game improved upon Mystery House by adding color graphics. It was the first adventure game to have color graphics and sold over 60,000 copies. The Apple II could only display six different colors simultaneously, but clever use of dithering made it possible to give the illusion of more colors on the screen.
Wizard and the Princess was also released for the Atari 400/800, Commodore 64
and the IBM PC. Roberta Williams disliked the IBM PC version titled Adventure in Serenia because she felt the colors looked "atrocious".
According to Sierra's Interaction magazine, this game can be considered a prequel to the King's Quest series
. King's Quest V marked a return to the Kingdom of Serenia. The events are mentioned and expanded upon in The King's Quest Companion
, 2nd Edition. It mentioned that the wanderer, a barbarian, had turned down the offer of marriage after saving the princess. He journeyed into the desert and died. All that remained of him is his skeleton and a single leather shoe (A reference to KQ5). Princess Priscilla later married an individual named Kenneth the Huge and became the queen of Serenia, after her father's (King George IV) death.
It was further referenced as part of the King's Quest series through a trivia question in the King's Questions game that came with certain versions of the King's Quest Collection.
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
and Apple II Plus
Apple II Plus
The Apple II Plus was the second model of the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer, Inc. It was sold new from June 1979 to December 1982.-Features:...
. It is the second title released in On-Line Systems' "Hi-Res Adventure" series after Mystery House
Mystery House
Mystery House is an adventure computer game released in 1980 by Roberta and Ken Williams for the Apple II. The game is remembered as one of the first adventure games to feature computer graphics and the first game produced by On-Line Systems, the company which would evolve into Sierra On-Line...
. It is a prelude to the King's Quest series in both story and concept.
Plot
The game takes place in the land of Serenia where King George's daughter Princess Priscilla has been kidnapped by an evil wizard named Harlin. Harlin has held her inside his castle far in the mountains. The King has offered half of his kingdom to anyone brave enough to travel to the Wizard's castle, defeat him and return his daughter. The player assumes the role of a happy wanderer who answers this challenge.When released for the IBM PC
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
as Adventure in Serenia, the plot was described as if it were a sequel to Wizard and the Princess (although the game itself was no different): some time long into the future after Harlin had been defeated by the Wanderer, he challenges an adventurer to repeat the actions of his previous defeat. He turns back the sands of time leaving the adventurer in the village of Serenia. He mocks the hero telling him that he may have been defeated once, but he couldn't be defeated a second time. The princess gives the hero some words of advice and a computer to help him defeat Harlin, and tells him he has become the wanderer (grandfather paradox
Grandfather paradox
The grandfather paradox is a proposed paradox of time travel first described by the science fiction writer René Barjavel in his 1943 book Le Voyageur Imprudent . The paradox is this: suppose a man traveled back in time and killed his biological grandfather before the latter met the traveler's...
).
History
As with the previous game Mystery House, Wizard and the Princess was distributed by RobertaRoberta Williams
Roberta Williams is an American video game designer. She is most famous for her pioneering work in graphical adventure games, particularly the King's Quest series.-Career:...
and Ken Williams
Ken Williams (gaming)
Ken Williams is an American game programmer and co-founded On-Line Systems, which later became Sierra On-Line, together with his wife Roberta Williams. Roberta and Ken married at the age of 19 and have two children...
company On-Line Systems in plastic bags with the 5¼" floppy disk
Floppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
and instruction sheet. The instruction sheet had the title listed as The Wizard and the Princess.
The story was based on the many fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
s Roberta used to read as a child. The game improved upon Mystery House by adding color graphics. It was the first adventure game to have color graphics and sold over 60,000 copies. The Apple II could only display six different colors simultaneously, but clever use of dithering made it possible to give the illusion of more colors on the screen.
Wizard and the Princess was also released for the Atari 400/800, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and the IBM PC. Roberta Williams disliked the IBM PC version titled Adventure in Serenia because she felt the colors looked "atrocious".
According to Sierra's Interaction magazine, this game can be considered a prequel to the King's Quest series
King's Quest series
King's Quest is an adventure game series created by the American software company Sierra Entertainment. It is widely considered a classic series from the golden era of adventure games. Following the success of its first installment, the series was primarily responsible for building the reputation...
. King's Quest V marked a return to the Kingdom of Serenia. The events are mentioned and expanded upon in The King's Quest Companion
The King's Quest Companion
The King's Quest Companion is a book by Peter Spear that serves as both hint book/walkthrough and contained complete novelization of each of the games in the King's Quest series by the original Sierra On-Line company. The first three editions were published by Silicon Valley Books, and fourth...
, 2nd Edition. It mentioned that the wanderer, a barbarian, had turned down the offer of marriage after saving the princess. He journeyed into the desert and died. All that remained of him is his skeleton and a single leather shoe (A reference to KQ5). Princess Priscilla later married an individual named Kenneth the Huge and became the queen of Serenia, after her father's (King George IV) death.
It was further referenced as part of the King's Quest series through a trivia question in the King's Questions game that came with certain versions of the King's Quest Collection.
External links
- Wizard and the Princess at Moby Games