What is Wizardry?

Wizardry was one of the most ground breaking computer role-playing games ever made. Wizardry was created by Andrew Greenberg and Robert Woodhead, of Sir-Tech. Roe R. Adams III also worked on Wizardry IV, and David W. Bradley also worked on Wizardry V. David also made 6 and 7, while Wizardry 8 was released in late 2001. These are the Wizardry scenarios:

• Dungeons of Despair (1980)

1. Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord (1981)
2. Knight of Diamonds (1982)
3. Legacy of Llylgamyn (1983)
4. The Return of Werdna (1986)
5. Heart of the Maelstrom (1988)
6. Bane of the Cosmic Forge (1990)
7. Crusaders of the Dark Savant (1992) [Remade as Wizardry Gold in 1996]
8. Wizardry 8 (2001)

• David W. Bradley has released Wizards and Warriors (2000)

• Another Wizardry Takeoff was The Wizardry Adventure: Nemesis (1996). This is a 5 CD game that looks to me a Myst-wannabe.
• Wizardry: The League of the Crimson Crescent is a young adult adventure novel released in 1995. It is loosely based on the world of Wizardry.
• In Japan, there are Wizardry animated movies, soundtrack albums, and playing cards.

There are several different versions of each scenario. This is mostly because of the different computer formats (Apple II, IBM, and even Nintendo) that Wizardry was made for. There are also Japanese versions with some name changes:

Wizardry is considered the big granddaddy of computer fantasy role-playing games. It was the first popular game to combine the elements of fantasy games like Dungeons and Dragons with what was then an infantile computer game market. The games have developed in complexity over time but still remain popular. Sir-Tech has released the first seven scenarios on one CD, distributed by Interplay (called the Ultimate Wizardry Archives), capitalizing on the nostalgia of the first players of these games.

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