Akalabeth

Akalabeth: World of Doom (pronounced /əˈkæləbɛθ/), began as a hobbyist project, released in 1979 by Richard Garriott, and published by California Pacific Computer Company for the Apple II in 1980, is recognized as one of the earliest known examples of a computer role-playing game and as a predecessor of the Ultima series of games that started Richard Garriott's career. The game was made in the summer of 1979 by then-teenaged Garriott in the BASIC... more

Akalabeth: World of Doom (pronounced /əˈkæləbɛθ/), began as a hobbyist project, released in 1979 by Richard Garriott, and published by California Pacific Computer Company for the Apple II in 1980, is recognized as one of the earliest known examples of a computer role-playing game and as a predecessor of the Ultima series of games that started Richard Garriott's career. The game was made in the summer of 1979 by then-teenaged Garriott in the BASIC programming language for the Apple II while working at a ComputerLand retail store in Clear Lake City, Texas (though many sources say 1979, see "Release date" below). Garriott briefly distributed the game himself in Ziploc bags until California Pacific Computer Company bought the rights to it and published it. Akalabeth, based on Garriott's 28th game he produced in his high school years, became his first significant commercial game. In creating Akalabeth, Garriott was primarily inspired by Dungeons & Dragons and the works of J. R. R. Tolkien.... less