Simon the Sorcerer

What happens when all the adventure clichs about chosen heroes and powerful wizards are taken to task by ironic English humour? You get Simon the Sorcerer, one of the most entertaining point-and-click adventures the British studio Adventure Soft sent out into the world in the early nineties.

The main hero is a cheeky young man named Simon, who is pulled into a fantasy world and becomes an involuntary sorcerer on a quest against the evil Sordid. The game observes the tried-and-tested rules of the genre: you move about painted locations, talk to characters, collect and combine items and solve puzzles. What elevates Simon is his sarcastic humour, an abundance of references to fairy tales and other games, and an overall playful, parodic tone.

Visually the game benefited from colourful, hand-drawn graphics and characterful animation that suited the capabilities of both the Amiga and the PC well. With Simon, Adventure Soft carried on the tradition of classic adventures and offered a title that is often mentioned in the same breath as the genre's giants of its day.

The release on the Amiga CD32 and in CD form made it possible to add full voice acting, which greatly benefited the characters. Verbal humour, after all, only fully shines when spoken aloud, and thanks to this Simon's one-liners became unforgettable.

The game's success kicked off an entire series. It was followed by the direct sequel Simon the Sorcerer II and further instalments, placing Simon among the adventure brands that built a loyal fan base across generations of players.

Why play it: For a witty, characterful fantasy adventure full of British humour that will delight every lover of the classic point-and-click genre.