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If you played computer games in the ’80s and ’90s, chances are you played a Sierra game. King’s Quest, Leisure Suit Larry, Space Quest, Quest for Glory, Police Quest and many more titles were developed and published by gaming industry pioneers Ken and Roberta Williams, who founded On-Line Systems in 1979 and later renamed it to Sierra On-Line in 1982.
Sierra was purchased several times in the 2000s, which led to the exits of Ken and Roberta Williams. Today, the rights to most of their classic library belong to Activision Blizzard. The Williamses left game development altogether, retiring to spend much of their time boating and writing about their experiences.
In 2020, Ken Williams self-published Not All Fairy Tales Have Happy Endings: The rise and fall of Sierra On-Line, a memoir about his and Roberta’s time at Sierra. The book sparked renewed interest from both Williams and the gaming community about their work at Sierra, prompting Ken and Roberta to start development on a 3D reimagining of Colossal Cave Adventure, the highly influential 1976 text adventure originally written by William Crowther.
Colossal Cave – now an immersive puzzle adventure that tasks you with finding all the treasures in a labyrinthine cave – is set to be released in January on all major platforms including VR under the couple’s new company, Cygnus Entertainment. Ahead of the game’s release, here are five classic Sierra games we think are still worth playing today. All of these can be found on GOG.com.
The Colonel’s Bequest (1989)
One of Roberta Williams’ earlier games, The Colonel’s Bequest is a mystery adventure game starring intrepid aspiring journalist Laura Bow, who finds herself investigating a series of murders on a sugar plantation in the 1920s. The Agatha Christie-inspired game was highly innovative for its time, with events that would occur whether or not Laura was in the right place at the right time. Laura has to figure out who the killer is before time runs out. An optional, very difficult, treasure hunt adds to the suspense and replay value.
King’s Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow (1992)
Continuing the tale of the royal family of Daventry, King’s Quest VI starred Prince Alexander, who first appeared in King’s Quest III: To Heir Is Human. In this expansive adventure, Alexander travels to the Land of the Green Isles to find his lost love Princess Cassima, who has been imprisoned by an evil Vizier. Often considered the finest entry in the King’s Quest series, this game has multiple paths, a more complex story co-written by Sierra stalwart Jane Jensen (more on her below), and multifaceted puzzles.
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers (1993)
While not a Roberta Williams game, Gabriel Knight is one of the great point-and-click series in Sierra’s catalog. The title character (voiced by Tim Curry) owns a rare book store in New Orleans and finds himself embroiled in a series of murders with possible ties to voodoo and the occult. Written and designed by Jane Jensen – who now writes erotic romance novels that are quite good – this detective-style adventure is filled with atmosphere, interesting lore, and excellent writing – especially if you’re looking for something a little darker. Make sure you play the original, rather than the lackluster 20th Anniversary Edition.
Phantasmagoria (1995)
This FMV horror game was, at the time, the most ambitious undertaking Sierra had ever attempted. Phantasmagoria was Roberta Williams’ take on a Stephen King-style story of horror and madness. It involves an author who moves with her husband to a remote mansion in New England once owned by an infamous 19th century magician. Insanity ensues. While the game is very dated, there’s an unfortunate and uncomfortable instance of sexual assault late in the story, and the puzzles are relatively simple – it’s a technical marvel for its time and a bold experiment by the developer, with 25 actors performing in front of a blue screen. There’s also a sequel, A Puzzle of Flesh, with a less ornate look and moodier tone that is also recommended.
Shivers (1995)
A first-person horror puzzle game released in the later days of the original Sierra, this title has the player character solving intricate puzzles throughout a haunted, abandoned museum. While the game received mixed reviews for being too similar in structure to Myst and The 7th Guest, Shivers was visually stunning for its time and also had a more non-linear progression than most Sierra games at the time. With Colossal Cave Reimagined also being a first-person puzzle game with branching paths, Shivers might be a good game to tackle!
Cygnus Entertainment’s Colossal Cave launches on all major platforms on January 19. And if you’re looking for a fascinating, in-depth story about the rise and fall of Sierra On-Line, check out Ken Williams’ book.
