Out of the five "Quest for Glory" games, I'd put "Trial by Fire" right in the middle of the pack. It's very good indeed, but not a par with the superior first and fourth games. The action takes place in the land of Shapier, a compelling Arabian-nights type setting.
Let me get the game's few weak points out of the way. My main problem with "Trial by Fire" is that it's a little too linear. Certain key events take place at set times, and players will often be left waiting around for them to happen. The other Quest for Glory games had looser structures, that left players greater freedom to proceed at their own paces.
The other major problem is that the game is a little ugly. As of right now, it's the only "Quest for Glory" that's rendered only in EGA graphics, instead of the more sophisticated VGA style (a fan-made VGA version is nearly complete, however.) As a result, the color palette is a little limited, and some of the "detail" in the screens resembles ugly cross-hatching (or maybe hounds-tooth-patterned coats!) Even by 1990 standards, it wasn't exactly pretty.
However, the game more than compensates for these deficiencies in other areas. Script-wise, it's very strong. The mythology of Shapier is very well-developed, and many of the characters are extremely memorable. And some of the puzzles - like helping Julanar, the plant-woman - have an unusually high level of human interest, which is a major plus.
Another high point is that the game contains a lot of fun pop culture references. The Marx Brothers all have cameo appearances, as do a variety of characters from "Casablanca." (It's a shame that they didn't draw Ferrari to look like Sydney Greenstreet, though!) If I'm not mistaken, the main villain could be patterned after the Master from "Doctor Who" - but, then again, I try to find Doctor Who references everywhere!
On another positive note, the game has a very strong and exciting climax, followed by a very satisfying "wrap-up" sequence when the hero is praised and rewarded for his good deeds. The effective ending goes a long way toward making this game a mini-classic that's unusually sophisticated, both for its own time and even (most especially?) by the standards of modern computer games.
Let me get the game's few weak points out of the way. My main problem with "Trial by Fire" is that it's a little too linear. Certain key events take place at set times, and players will often be left waiting around for them to happen. The other Quest for Glory games had looser structures, that left players greater freedom to proceed at their own paces.
The other major problem is that the game is a little ugly. As of right now, it's the only "Quest for Glory" that's rendered only in EGA graphics, instead of the more sophisticated VGA style (a fan-made VGA version is nearly complete, however.) As a result, the color palette is a little limited, and some of the "detail" in the screens resembles ugly cross-hatching (or maybe hounds-tooth-patterned coats!) Even by 1990 standards, it wasn't exactly pretty.
However, the game more than compensates for these deficiencies in other areas. Script-wise, it's very strong. The mythology of Shapier is very well-developed, and many of the characters are extremely memorable. And some of the puzzles - like helping Julanar, the plant-woman - have an unusually high level of human interest, which is a major plus.
Another high point is that the game contains a lot of fun pop culture references. The Marx Brothers all have cameo appearances, as do a variety of characters from "Casablanca." (It's a shame that they didn't draw Ferrari to look like Sydney Greenstreet, though!) If I'm not mistaken, the main villain could be patterned after the Master from "Doctor Who" - but, then again, I try to find Doctor Who references everywhere!
On another positive note, the game has a very strong and exciting climax, followed by a very satisfying "wrap-up" sequence when the hero is praised and rewarded for his good deeds. The effective ending goes a long way toward making this game a mini-classic that's unusually sophisticated, both for its own time and even (most especially?) by the standards of modern computer games.
