Times of Lore
DOS version
An Ultima-inspired RPG that performs adequately.
The Good
I liked this game mostly for bizarre technical reasons. It's programmed very well, for one thing; the tile-based game world moves quickly, and the graphical fades/transitions are visually appealing (if a bit slow on a 4.77MHz machine).
The music by the always-talented C64 legend Martin Galway was of approximately the same quality on all sound devices supported, from the Adlib to the 3-voice Tandy chip, which was a neat trick to pull off for the lesser-quality sound devices. And support for the Adlib in 1988 was rare; Times of Lore is one of the first twenty games to support the Adlib.
The Bad
The music sections are mostly at the beginning of the game in the intro, and while very good, are too short (they repeat too quickly).
Times of Lore was also a bit too difficult for my tastes; many times I had to restart at the beginning of a section, only to get smitten once again.
The Bottom Line
Times of Lore is a great game to play if you enjoy Chris Roberts' work and are looking for an Ultima-style game from Origin that isn't Ultima itself.
by Trixter (8952) on January 20, 2000