| The Dark Crystal | |
| Developer: | Sierra On-Line |
| Publisher: | SierraVenture |
| Designer: | Roberta Williams |
| Artist: | Jim Mahon |
| Series: | Hi-Res Adventure |
| Engine: | ADL |
| Released: | 1983[1] |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Modes: | Single-player |
| Platforms: | Apple II, Atari 8-bit |
Hi-Res Adventure #6: The Dark Crystal is a graphic adventure game based on Jim Henson's 1982 fantasy film, The Dark Crystal. The game was designed by Roberta Williams and was the first Hi-Res Adventure directly released under the SierraVenture label in 1983.[1] Versions were published for the Apple II and Atari 8-bit computers. An alternate version of the game intended for younger players called Gelfling Adventure was released in 1984.[2] [3]
It took Roberta Williams a little over a month to develop the design for the game, which was then turned over to programmers and artists.[4]
Softline considered the game to be better than the film, stating The Dark Crystal "thin story that failed to serve the movie well is comparatively top-drawer material in the game" and called the graphics "delightful".[5] The game received a Certificate of Merit in the category of "1984 Best Computer Adventure" at the 5th annual Arkie Awards.[6]
InfoWorld's Essential Guide to Atari Computers recommended the game as among the best adventure games for the Atari 8-bit.[7] In a 1983 review of the Atari 8-bit version for Hi-Res magazine, Mark S. Murley found the game too clearly linear and disliked having to swap between three disks. He wrote: