King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder

by Sierra On-Line, Inc.

Product Details

• ASIN: B000BWWL0Y
• Media: CD-ROM
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #54,836 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

The greatest adventure in the history of Daventry is about to begin...as you embark with King Graham on the most thrilling and perilous adventure of his career -- the quest for the missing royal Family of Daventry. Experience the magical world of King's Quest V, and discover why more people have played King's Quest than any other computer game series in history.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Incredible Adventure; Too Many Glitches, July 14, 2010

By 

Zachary Koenig "K-Dawg" (Forest Lake, MN) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder (CD-ROM)

This fifth installment of the King's Quest Series marked the franchise shift from floppy disks (although you can still purchase KQ5 in that format) to CD-ROM. While this switch promulgated a new frontier for graphics, video, sound, and gameplay, it was not without its faux pas.

The plot of KQ5 is much in line with its four predecessors, that being rooted in the fantasy tale of the Royal Family of Daventry. When out on a stroll one day, King Graham comes back just in time to see his castle whooshed away by the evil wizard Mordack. Armed only (initially) with an old wand and a travelling partner (Cedric the Owl), Graham sets out to rescue his family and reclaim his home.

When not bugging up or screwing you over (I'll get to that in a minute), this is an incredibly fun adventure game that will have you puzzling through a multitude of scenarios using the traditional knapsack-method of adventuring (pick up an object, use it later). Plus, unlike the Myst series, King's Quest is much more low-key and silly, basing its puzzle scenarios on old fairy tales, animals, or funny puns, as well as allowing you (the player) to interact with many people/things in your environment. It is difficult to master (especially in the labyrinth-like desert and the final "end boss" task), but ultimately quite fulfilling in the quest.

Here is the big problem, though: There are too many scenarios in which the player can miss something at the beginning of the game (and something quite inconspicuous at that), then play for hours, only to discover that they have to start almost anew again. For example, there is a gameplay element in KQ5 involving Graham saving a rat from a cat. Unless the scenario plays out perfectly at the perfect time, there is absolutely no way to finish the game. While I had that knowledge coming into the gaming experience (pretty much just playing for nostalgia's sake), I can't imagine how frustrating it would be for the first-time player.

Also, the infamous "heap space" error may make the ending of the game rather torturous for you instead of thrilling. At the apex of the final puzzle/battle, your computer may give you an error regarding "not enough heap space" (I still don't know what that is!!). It may happen, it may not...it's just a frustrating crapshoot.

Thus, while with all my heart I wanted to give this classic game an overall five-star review, I just could not. In terms of overall "fun", it is easily a 5, but add in the no-win scenarios and glitches and the frustration begins to build up. However, if you (like I was) are nostalgic for the "good old days" of PC gaming, by all means come back to this gem. I was able to get things up and running easily on my Windows Vista operating system.