 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(March 2017) |
| AD&D Masterpiece Collection | |
|---|---|
 Box art with disks inside | |
| Developer(s) | SSI |
| Publisher(s) | SSI |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS |
| Release | 1996 |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
The AD&D Masterpiece Collection is a collection of role-playing games for MS-DOS, produced by Mindscape/SSI in 1996.
The Masterpiece Collection is a boxed set which included six official AD&D licensed SSI video games: Dark Sun: Shattered Lands (1993), Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager (1994), Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession (1994), Ravenloft: Stone Prophet (1995), Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse (1994), and Menzoberranzan (1994). [1] All of these games are stored on four CD-ROMs, which also include the game manuals in Adobe Acrobat format in their original layout, allowing them to be printed out. [1]
Andy Butcher reviewed the Masterpiece Collection for Arcane magazine, rating it a 6 out of 10 overall. [1] He concluded that "six complete PC roleplaying games in one rather impressive box is certainly good value for the money". [1] He noted that an Acrobat viewer is included to read and print the manuals, which allowed SSI to "save on the cost of including six relatively hefty booklets. Of course, if you haven't got access to a printer this isn't going to be very useful, but most of the games are fairly simple to get to grips with, provided you have at least a passing familiarity with the AD&D rules". [1] He only felt that Wake of the Ravager, Stone Prophet, and The Genie's Curse were actually any good, and that the rest "struggle to attain varying degrees of averageness". [1] Despite that, he did conclude that "even three decent (if not quite inspired) computer games for the price of one is still a great bargain - there's enough gameplay in this set to keep you going for several months at least". [1] PC Joker gave the collection a "very good" rating. [2]
Ravenloft is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. It is an alternate time-space existence known as a pocket dimension or demiplane, called the Demiplane of Dread, which consists of a collection of land pieces called "domains", brought together by a mysterious force known only as the Dark Powers. Each domain is tailored to and mystically ruled by a being called a Darklord who is forever trapped and surrounded by magical mists surrounding the domain. Strahd von Zarovich, a vampire in the original AD&DRavenloft I6 module 1983, became the first Darklord, both ruler and prisoner of his own personal domain of Barovia. The story of how Count von Zarovich became darklord of Barovia was detailed in the 1993 novel I, Strahd: The Memoirs of a Vampire. As originally established in the Ravenloft: Realm of Terror boxed set known as "the Black Box" released in 1990, the Ravenloft campaign setting was located in the Ethereal Plane. As a physical manifestation of that plane, lands, monsters and even people were created out of the mysterious mists, and the realm acted as a prison where one could enter or be transported, but means of escape were few. Other Ravenloft Domains and Darklords were eventually added in various AD&D 2nd edition products establishing a core continent attached around Barovia which could be traveled to by others if their respective lords allowed entering or leaving their borders; while some Domains remained isolated in the mists and were referred to as Islands.
Pool of Radiance is a role-playing video game developed and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc (SSI) in 1988. It was the first adaptation of TSR's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D) fantasy role-playing game for home computers, becoming the first episode in a four-part series of D&D computer adventure games. The other games in the "Gold Box" series used the game engine pioneered in Pool of Radiance, as did later D&D titles such as the Neverwinter Nights online game. Pool of Radiance takes place in the Forgotten Realms fantasy setting, with the action centered in and around the port city of Phlan.
The Monstrous Compendium is a series of accessories for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game released from 1989 to 1998. The title was then used for a series of 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons supplements released on D&D Beyond.
Curse of the Azure Bonds is a role-playing video game developed and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc (SSI) in 1989. It is the second in a four-part series of Forgotten Realms Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Gold Box adventure computer games, continuing the events after the first part, Pool of Radiance.
Gold Box is a series of role-playing video games produced by SSI from 1988 to 1992. The company acquired a license to produce games based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game from TSR, Inc. These games shared a common game engine that came to be known as the "Gold Box Engine" after the gold-colored boxes in which most games of the series were sold.
Dark Sun: Shattered Lands is a turn-based role-playing video game that takes place in the Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting of Dark Sun. It was developed and published by Strategic Simulations in 1993. It received positive reviews although released initially in an unfinished state. The game had a sequel, Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager, in 1994. An online MMORPG taking place in the same setting, Dark Sun Online: Crimson Sands, was released in 1996 and hosted on the T.E.N. Network.
Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest is a turn-based strategy game developed and published by New World Computing in 1995 for DOS. A spin-off of New World Computing's Might and Magic series of role-playing video games, the success of Heroes of Might and Magic led to a number of sequels.
Blood & Magic is a real-time strategy video game released by Interplay Productions in 1996 which uses the Dungeons & Dragons license.
Dark Sun: Wake of the Ravager is a role-playing video game developed and published by Strategic Simulations in 1994 for the MS-DOS operating system. It is the sequel to Dark Sun: Shattered Lands.
Entomorph: Plague of the Darkfall is a 1995 action-adventure role-playing video game by Strategic Simulations, Inc. It was re-released in 2013 on GOG.com.
Al-Qadim: The Genie's Curse is an action role-playing game for the personal computer set in the Al-Qadim campaign setting of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. The game was developed by Cyberlore Studios and published in 1994 by Strategic Simulations (SSI). The game combines role-playing game and adventure with a simplified interface; the player's character is a young corsair trying to clear his family's name, rescue his betrothed and determine who has been freeing genies from their masters.
World of Aden: Thunderscape is a swords & sorcery role-playing video game for MS-DOS compatible operating systems developed by Strategic Simulations and published by Mindscape in 1995. The game is based on the world described in the fantasy trilogy of the same name.
Dark Sun Online: Crimson Sands was an early massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that was developed and published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. in 1996 for Windows 95. Dark Sun Online was based on the licensed Dark Sun campaign setting for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing game. It was one of the first fully graphical MMORPGs.
Menzoberranzan is a 1994 role-playing video game created by Strategic Simulations (SSI) and DreamForge Intertainment. Menzoberranzan uses the same game engine as SSI's previous game, Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession (1994), and is set in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
Ravenloft: Strahd's Possession is a 1994 fantasy role-playing video game developed by DreamForge Intertainment for Strategic Simulations for DOS. Ravenloft: Stone Prophet is a sequel to this game.
Ravenloft: Stone Prophet is a fantasy role-playing video game developed by DreamForge Intertainment for MS-DOS and published by Strategic Simulations in 1995.
Pool of Radiance is a series of role-playing video games set in the Forgotten Realms campaign settings of Dungeons & Dragons; it was the first Dungeons & Dragons video game series to be based on the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons rules.
DeathKeep is a 1995 video game based on the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. It was released for the 3DO console, and later converted to the PC. The game is a sequel to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Slayer.
King of the Dead is a fantasy novel by Gene DeWeese, set in the world of Ravenloft, and is based on the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. It was published in March 1996 (ISBN 0-7869-0483-6).
The World of Aden is a 1995 role-playing game supplement published by West End Games for MasterBook.