Orphaned Computers & Game Systems

(Archive)
Vol. I, Issue 1    June 1994



Temple of Apshai: A Classic Graphical Adventure

by Adam Trionfo

Temple of Apshai Trilogy (Box Cover)

I was first introduced to role-playing games when I was eleven. I was in the sixth grade, and everyone passed the time by reading and playing Dungeons & Dragons. I was soon caught up in the game myself, and played whenever I could find the time.

I had been saving my money for over a year so that I could buy a VIC-20. My parents, however, decided to help me. Together, we purchased a Commodore 64. It didn't take me long to learn that this computer had better graphics then my Atari 2600, which I had sold for twenty dollars -- money that went toward the C64. I wasn't playing adventure games. We didn't own any games, in fact, so I played games that friends had (or I rented them, which was of course before that was illegal!). Most of the time, however, I just played games that I had typed in.

Temple of Apshai Trilogy (Title Screen)

Back then, however, I longed for a game called The Temple of Apshai. Unfortunately, I was unable to play this game for several years, after which time I purchased it as part of a trilogy.

Here are a few maps to get you going. I made them myself, and are as complete as I could construct them. If you notice something that makes them incomplete, let me know.

Temple of Apshai Trilogy (Character Creation)

Yes, the map for Level 4 should be included here, but after spending several hours entering it into my computer, I somehow (through my infinite wisdom) managed to misplace, lose or erase it. I felt that the article was still quite complete, though, because this gives budding adventurers something to search through and map on their own.

Temple of Apshai Trilogy (Gameplay)

In retrospect, The Temple of Apshai seems quite limited and somewhat monotonous, but in its time, it pushed computer graphics into places they had never been on a home computer. Also, the spirit of this game shows clearly through the very extensive manual. There are few role-playing adventures that have the spirit of The Temple of Apshai. This game did for graphical adventures what Zork I had done for text adventures.

Temple of Apshai Article with Three Maps
Article with Three Maps (1 Page)
Temple of Apshai Level I Map
Level I
Temple of Apshai Level II Map
Level II
Temple of Apshai Level III Map
Level III

 
The Temple of Apshai box and screenshots are from:
http://www.lemon64.com/