With the first game in the "King's Quest" series having established the premise of adventure gaming, Roberta Williams and Co. quickly released a sequel the following year (1985) to capitalize on their newly developed market. Though perhaps lacking a bit of the originality and overall fun of the first effort (a lot of the challenges in this one are a bit of a chore instead of exciting), it is still a decent effort in the continuation of one of the most important series in PC gaming history.
In this chapter, the newly-minted King Graham has quickly become bored with the royal lifestyle and pines for a wife. No sooner has the thought crossed his mind than the magical mirror (which played such a large role in the first game) whisks Graham away to the island of Kolyma, where he must rescue the "damsel in distress" while fending off a host of challenges including witches, vampires, and even mystical dwarfs! Once again, most of the puzzles in the game are loosely based on literature/fairy tales (Little Red Riding Hood, Dracula, and The Little Mermaid immediately spring to mind) and thus can be interesting for the entire family to enjoy, not just the gamer of the bunch.
However, unlike the first game, which is most definitely enhanced by the AGD Interactive 4.0 version, I can't make the same endorsement of this edition. For "Romancing The Throne", AGD not only updated the graphics and user interface, but also fleshed out certain story lines that seemed to go lacking in the original version. Though this would seem like an improvement, about all it amounts to is a heap of boring scenes filled with countless dialogue boxes that really serve to bog the game down. Thus, I would recommend the "VGA" version of this game, as it will allow you to use the point-and-click interface while at the same time keeping the plot of the original.
Overall, although KQ2 was a bit of a step down from its lofty predecessor, it isn't terrible by any means, and served to keep the franchise moving in the direction of greatness. Play with confidence knowing that the continued saga of Daventry and its Royal Family keeps on growing!
In this chapter, the newly-minted King Graham has quickly become bored with the royal lifestyle and pines for a wife. No sooner has the thought crossed his mind than the magical mirror (which played such a large role in the first game) whisks Graham away to the island of Kolyma, where he must rescue the "damsel in distress" while fending off a host of challenges including witches, vampires, and even mystical dwarfs! Once again, most of the puzzles in the game are loosely based on literature/fairy tales (Little Red Riding Hood, Dracula, and The Little Mermaid immediately spring to mind) and thus can be interesting for the entire family to enjoy, not just the gamer of the bunch.
However, unlike the first game, which is most definitely enhanced by the AGD Interactive 4.0 version, I can't make the same endorsement of this edition. For "Romancing The Throne", AGD not only updated the graphics and user interface, but also fleshed out certain story lines that seemed to go lacking in the original version. Though this would seem like an improvement, about all it amounts to is a heap of boring scenes filled with countless dialogue boxes that really serve to bog the game down. Thus, I would recommend the "VGA" version of this game, as it will allow you to use the point-and-click interface while at the same time keeping the plot of the original.
Overall, although KQ2 was a bit of a step down from its lofty predecessor, it isn't terrible by any means, and served to keep the franchise moving in the direction of greatness. Play with confidence knowing that the continued saga of Daventry and its Royal Family keeps on growing!
