Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire is the fifth installment in the Quest for Glory series. This game was much awaited for fans of the series as the fourth game was released five years ago. Quest for Glory 5 lives up to the tradition of the previous titles in this series and it perfectly blends in adventure and RPG styles of gameplay. Luckily for us, Sierra has made their Christmas deadline and has pulled out all stops to bring us a game of exceptional quality.

Gameplay:
Quest for Glory 5 is a well-working mix of adventure and RPG. As most Quest for Glory fans will know, at the beginning you are given the choice between a fighter, thief, wizard and paladin. If you played any of the previous games, you have a choice to import an old character. I have heard there are problems in importing characters from Quest for Glory 3 and 4, but I'm sure this problem will be rectified soon. I'm sure only die-hard fans will have kept their characters from five years ago. Unfortunately, a multiplayer option was not put in the final version. According to Sierra's Quest for Glory website there will be a multiplayer patch released approximately 6-8 weeks after release. It will be interesting to see how they manage to implement multiplayer support into an adventure game.

In true RPG style, you gain points according to experience. There are also ways to increase your various point allocations. For example, you can run in the treadmill to increase strength and vitality or you can practise your throwing to increase your throwing skills points. At most times, there are multiple puzzles to solve and adventures to complete adding to the variation of gameplay. Puzzles are solved in a very logical manner and clues are available from reading books or listening to the townsfolk. Quest for Glory 5 continues the tradition of the Quest for Glory series in fine form. You will find strange characters, dialogue containing many humorous and slapstick jokes, and bizarre locations. Also, if you played other Quest for Glory games, you will encounter familiar faces and situations. However, you need not have played the others to feel at home with this one. Unlike games like Grim Fandango, your own character does not speak, so you do not gain as big a personal attachment. There is a noticable difference between character classes. My "assistant", who played as a Wizard, has helped me deduce that puzzles are solved in different ways for different characters.

Interaction with items and other characters is virtually flawless, except for the few nags I have with the inventory system. Your inventory belt only allows for a certain amount of items to be stored, so you will have to constantly manage it for different situations. For example, when you are headed into a fight, you will have to place items such as mana and potions into your belt. In the grand scheme of things, this is a small flaw and hardly detracts from the gaming experience and most of the game can be played with just a mouse.

Graphics:
Prior to release, I was disappointed to read that 3DFX support was to be no longer included. However, I was most impressed at the use of 16-bit software mode for player characters and backdrops. The point-of-view is that of classic Sierra adventure games and in no way hinders gameplay. Landscapes and backdrops are excellent and add to the feel of being in another world and time. There are no options to change resolutions, but you can change the detail level, although I did not notice much difference between settings. For slower systems, you can run it in a windowed mode, compared to the default full screen mode. Once again I found the performance difference was negligible.

There are many touches to the graphics side of the game to make one impressed. The equipment you wear corresponds with your character model. The large window in your inventory menu shows numerous animations for your different spells and items. In large views, your character may seem too far away and fighting may become troublesome. Large scenes or areas need not be loaded in segments as the scenes pan across your screen.

Sound:
I was most impressed with the sound throughout the game. The speech is well acted and is of a high quality. The accent of non-player characters suit their roles perfectly and they all sound remarkably different. Unlike many games, there are no boring or repetitive sounds which can annoy. The music is not too ambient to make it unnoticed, but of a state that helps the atmosphere and feel of the game. It also changes to suit the situation, such as a fighting, peaceful, or exciting scene. A fair amount of ambient sounds are apparent such as water lapping or the weaponsmith at work. Most inventory items make a different sound which shows the effort which has gone into development.

Storyline:
You play as a hero who travels to Silmaria, a cosy, bright sea-side town. Here, you learn of the assassination of the king and the chance to become king yourself. To do this, you have to compete in the Rites of Rulership which are an amount of assignments given to you by the king's advisor. In this time, you learn of a magical dragon which is soon to be freed once more and wreak havoc on the towns again. This is all accomplished with the chance of doing many entertaining sub-quests.

Fun Factor:
Most games of this genre sometimes do not appeal to certain people. To satisfy these people there is the element of fighting in a Diablo-type style. Since I enjoy games of this type, I found it extremely enjoyable and have already played this game for uncountable hours. The combination of good graphics, sound, gameplay and setting give Quest for Glory a gripping atmosphere. The game is very absorbing and keeps you pushing to find a solution, even when none is in sight.

Overall Impression:
This game has failed to make me feel disappointed in any way, except slightly for the fact that it requires 400 megabytes of hard disk space. All elements of this game have been incorporated to make this one of my year's favourite games. In a few words, this game is truly brilliant and anyone who thinks not, has had their brain fried by Quake or is on an illegal substance.