Age of Adventure

Age of Adventure - the 1986 RPG compilation for Commodore 64 from
Electronic Arts.

Two Stuart Smith adventures in one folio box. Guide parties through
Ali Baba’s Arabia and Heracles’ Greece in top‑down, turn‑based quests
where stats, loot, and tactics decide each skirmish.

Core loop
- recruit heroes and equip them for the journey
- explore tile maps, use context commands, and trigger encounters
- win turn‑based fights and complete quests to raise score and fame

Systems and items
- multi‑character control - swap leaders or divide tasks across heroes
- couch co‑op - pass the joystick so friends run their chosen heroes
- commands - talk, take, give, use, search, and special actions
- continuity - both games share a light rules engine and feel

Level design and feel
Sparse but readable tile worlds with pop‑up text and short SID cues.
Ali Baba spreads cities and deserts around Baghdad; Heracles hops
mythic Greece. Clear feedback over flashy art keeps things brisk.

Why it is notable
- Electronic Arts bundle of “Ali Baba” and “The Return of Heracles”
- early CRPGs that led to Adventure Construction Set
- supports party hand‑off for informal multi‑player sessions

Tips
- add extra heroes early to survive tougher early encounters
- use talk/give before fighting; some obstacles have non‑combat outs
- keep a paper note of quest hints from pop‑ups and towns

At a glance
Year - 1986
Developer - Stuart Smith
Design and programming - Stuart Smith
Music - Dave Warhol
Publisher - Electronic Arts
Genre - Role‑playing compilation
Players - 1+ alternating
Controls - Joystick in port 2 + keys