Made in 1979, Akalabeth: World of Doom is the oldest PC game I own. It was made by Richard Garriott (a.k.a., Lord British), and it was the precursor to Ultima.
Even though the copy I own runs on DOS, this wasn’t actually ported to DOS until 1998. It originally ran on the Apple II, and it looks better on Apple II – since it runs with colour graphics. Meanwhile, the DOS version is stuck in black and white.
Isn’t that bizarre? In 1998, DOS was capable of running 3D graphics with hardware acceleration. And yet, the DOS port of Akalabeth didn’t even have colour.
Despite the looks, Akalabeth is extremely playable today. Mostly, this is because almost everything still present in RPGs is present in this early, early precursor. If you’ve played Final Fantasy, Elder Scrolls, or really anything with RPG characteristics, Akalabeth will feel familiar to you.
Another thing I find fascinating, though, is how once you enter a dungeon, there’s a lot that happens. You can explore rooms, collect loot, battle monsters. It’s impressive for such an old game!
Akalabeth is now FREE on GOG.com. I recommend picking it up:
