Review of one of the earlier dungeon crawls: Gateway to Apshai for the Commodore 64

This game is one of the best RPG games I've ever played, and along with Sword of Fargoal (another great dungeon crawling game), it claimed many hours of my life, and heavily influenced my passion towards RPG games. This is one of the great ancestors of dungeon crawling games such as Diablo. Whenever you venture into one of the modern video game dungeons, remember - it all started here.

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Intro

You have a destiny to fulfill. Will you survive the perilous journey through the gateway to the fabled Temple of Apshai?

This game is one of the best RPG games I've ever played, and along with Sword of Fargoal (another great dungeon crawling game), it claimed many hours of my life, and heavily influenced my passion towards RPG games. This is one of the great ancestors of dungeon crawling games such as Diablo. Whenever you venture into one of the modern video game dungeons, remember - it all started here.

Before writing any review, I would play the game for at least an hour or two to remind myself of its features. At 9:00 PM I inserted the cartridge into my Commodore 64. Ahhh the sight of the good ol' dungeon. The atmosphere... the sound effects... the weapons... the treasures... a few minutes into playing the game and I was totally immersed. Only at 4:00 AM, 7 hours later, I remembered that I had a review to write. Once again, the addictiveness of this game claimed a good portion of my night's sleep. Must... destroy... cartridge...

Story

You are not really the heroic type. But this is soon going to change. You have been summoned to the chambers of Merlis, an old priest. The land is dying, cursed with evil monsters and plagues. According to the prophecy, the curse will be lifted once the Temple of Apshai is reclaimed by the son of Apshai's greatest...

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Review of one of the earlier dungeon crawls: Gateway to Apshai for the Commodore 64