King's Quest Collection

The Good
This is the King's Quest series -- the forebear of the graphic adventure genre and one of the most beloved computer game series of all time. This package includes the first through seventh games, and features Windows XP compatibility, which makes it a great package for the nostalgic enthusiast. Not only is each game great from a unique standpoint, but the collection as a whole allows you to see the state of the art progress over time. And with a $20 price tag, it's certainly worthwhile.

The Bad
There's nothing bad to be said about the games themselves. The package itself is the only downside -- it's about as low budget and minimal as they come. The two discs come in paper sleeves. No paper manual is included, a huge inconvenience considering Vivendi didn't bother to remove the archaic anti-piracy features which require the original games' documentation.

What's more is that this package has already been done, and more thoroughly, before (once in '94 and again in '97, as well as the Roberta Williams Anthology). The only thing the Compilation brings to the table is Windows XP compatibility (during the transition to Vista!), which is shoddy at that: it uses DOSBox, an amateur 3rd party emulator.

Completists will be disappointed as well: this set doesn't include the original King's Quest, but rather the 1990 remake; nor does it include the last installment in the series, Mask of Eternity. Neither one of these are essential to the casual fan.

The Bottom Line
If you missed out on these magical and charming classics, or just haven't played these games for ages, this is a great place to start. If you're a longtime fan trying to complete your collection, take a pass. You can get DOSBox for free and enthusiasts would do better with the King's Quest Collection from '94 or '97, or the Roberta Williams Anthology.