DOS

King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella

With the release of King's Quest VII just a short while ago in which Princess Rosella has made her second appearance in this series, it seemed the perfect time to take a look back at King's Quest IV - the last King's Quest title in which we encountered the adventure-prone princess. I first played KQ IV many, many moons ago and it was a pleasure to return to it. Seeing Rosella again felt just like meeting an old friend after a long separation. The game was great fun simply because there is so much to do and so many places to visit and, to top it all off, there is a good serving of puzzles and problems to overcome.

The graphics have taken a big step forward from KQ3, signaling that Sierra is still working on better graphical solutions. KQ4 was also the first game in the series to incorporate mouse control, but it is used only for movement. The game is fun to play and is filled with details for you to enjoy. So do just that. Enjoy.

King’s Quest III: To Heir is Human introduces not only Prince Alexander but his twin sister Princess Rosella. It opens a whole new possibility for the King’s Quest series—a female protagonist. So there it is—King’s Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella, the first game in the series to let you play a female character! The sequel continues immediately where the previous game has left off. King Graham is throwing his adventurer’s cap into the air, and the suspense is on as to the inheritor. Of course, all things in the kingdom of Daventry suddenly take a bad turn.

This game is groundbreaking for many reasons. It was the first game to use Sierra's improved-technology SCI engine, to feature a female protagonist, and to offer sound card support. King's Quest IV is a must-play if you like the other King's Quest games, and worth trying out even if you've never played the others.

Ultimately, the best way to describe this is "King's Quest Plus." If you enjoyed King's Quest I and II, you're going to have that style, plus a legitimate character, plus an emotional story, plus expanded puzzles with multiple steps, plus significantly improved visuals and audio. If you were looking for something more involved than fairy tale item hunts, or along the lines of King's Quest III, you'll be disappointed. This game resorts to the same wander-around gameplay and cheap deaths as the first two. Some areas seem so intentionally confusing as to require you to find a walkthrough (or have paid for a Sierra hint book, natch) and I can't imagine trying to play without taking frequent advantage of the built-in save system. Worthy addition to the series, but the series itself remains flawed.