DESCRIPTION

In the realm of Sosaria, a land divided by a thousand years of agony brought about by the malevolent sorcerer Mondain, a lone hero capable of turning back the tides of darkness has finally emerged. That hero is you. Your mission, a slight variation on the standard kill-the-evil-wizard theme, is to assemble a time machine, go back in time before the evil wizard developed unstoppable power and, then, of course, eliminate him.

As the main plot of the adventure advances, you must complete other minor quests for the various lords of the four game continents. These mini-quests generally involve killing specific monsters or finding individual legendary landmarks and the rewards often directly affect your ability to complete the overall objective. The technology of the world advances rapidly as the game progresses and necessitates space exploration in the latter segments.

Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness takes place in an EGA graphics environment with the full 16 colors used to illustrate the over world map, cities and towns. Underground, however, the perspective switches to a monochrome, first person wire frame view. Rudimentary sound effects indicate a variety of actions such as attacks and taking damage.

Prepare to confront dozens of enemies in your journeys ranging from necromancers to giants to sea monsters. An ever-evolving selection of weapons and armor aids you in your effort to hold back and ultimately stop the rampaging monster hordes stalking the land. Once you succeed in assembling the time machine and figure out the secret of proper space flight, your ultimate goal is nearly at hand.

Will you succeed in the face of immortality? Begin the journey in Ultima's First Age of Darkness and find out. ~ Drew Hunt, All Game Guide