Task: Play the Temple of Apshai Games on an Atari 8-Bit Computer
Needed: Emulator or Floppy Disks
Time: 1-2 hours
Introduction
I played Dungeons and Dragons as a kid and was thrilled to discover roguelike and roguelike-inspired games on the Atari. The first one I played was Gateway to Apshai which was developed by Epyx and released in 1983. This game was actually a prequel to the Temple of Apshai Trilogy which included Temple of Apshai, The Upper Reaches of Apshai, and The Curse of Ra. All of these games were part of Epyx’s Dunjonquest series of fantasy role-playing games (RPG). It is worth noting that the original Temple of Apshai was released in 1979 making it one of the first computer-based RPGs with graphical gameplay.
The gameplay relatively straightforward. You play an adventurer who explores dungeons in search of treasure. You must kill monsters along the way and can benefit from new weapons and armor you come across. These are must play games if you enjoy D&D, RPGs, or roguelike games.
Instructions
You can find original floppy disks and boxed version of the Apshai games on eBay. Prices vary from $25 to $100. Note that some of the early versions of Temple are cassette-based. I did not see any Gateway to Apshai cartridges on eBay at the time of this posting.
The ATR files for these games are available from AtariMania for booting over SIO2PC or for making new floppy disks using the Atarimax Prosystem. Here is the ATR for the Temple of Apshai Trilogy. Here is the ATR file for Gateway. Here is the binary for Gateway to Apshai.
Comments
If you haven’t played these games you are in for a treat! I have very fond memories of play the Apshai games. I am fortunate to own the Gateway of Apshai cartridge (shown above) and a boxed set of Temple of Apshai Trilogy (above and below).
Here is an Atari Age thread with information about the maps for these games.
