Greetings from another Californian! Got my first PC (IBM PS2-30) in 1983, and it wasn’t long after that I discovered Sierra On Line…as best I recall, it was in Office Depot, which is where I shopped for software for many years. Still have those early disks and later the CDs…All the King’s Quests, a few Space Quests, Incredible Brain, 7th Guest, Shivers I and II, Lighthouse; so many wonderful adventures and so many terrible puns. Ken’s writeup has it spot-on…we were lucky to have a very special time together while the computer industry grew and communications morphed into a whole new (can I say it?) paradigm. Who could have imagined that back in the 1980’s?
I also have a special reason for remembering KQ fondly; my mom passed away in ’76 and my dad remarried; and a few years later he moved to Sequim, Washington. I got my first job and first apartment, and talked with Dad every weekend. One day he picked up KQ4-Perils of Rosella at Costco, and called me to ask how to solve the puzzles…I didn’t even own it! But I went out and bought it and spent an entire weekend glued to the computer (believe me, it was unusual for non-programmers back then). I picked up a couple of deli sandwiches, chips, fruit, and soda; and that was my fare all weekend while I wrote down all the puzzles, maps, clues, and solutions…by hand, and then typed into my word processor. There was no guide to be had, but I created one so that finally I could answer Dad’s questions. We spent a lot of hours sharing the fun of playing games on the computer.
That was many years ago; and I still enjoy playing computer games – it’s my favorite pasttime. But although the hardware and software keep advancing, and the graphics and the music continue to evolve, there is nothing for me to equal the spirit of fun that Sierra evoked back then. I will always remember you fondly.