FREE Classic Game -- The Elder Scrolls 1: Arena

[SoulBlazer]

Do you like free games as much as I do?

I noticed this today when I went to Bethesda's website, the makers of the games in the Elder Scroll series.

To celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the company, the classic game Elder Scrolls: Arena has been made FREE for download from their website. You can also download DOSBox, a very good emulator that will run the game on a modern computer. Also the company has provided step by step directions with the instructions for playing (not that hard, really). If you've played and enjoyed Morrowind, you owe it to yourself to check out this game!

http://www.elderscrolls.com/download...oads_games.htm

This series has seen some of the mosr popular RPG games to come out for the computer. It all started with Arena back in 1994, a very ahead of it's day game with full 3D dungeons and a world map, good music, fun gameplay, and a good story with a main quest and side quests you could.

Other games in the series with Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall and Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. The forth in the series, Oblivion, is currently under development. There were also two spin off games.

If you've played Morrwind and read the books in the game, then you know how the story for both past games is referenced, especily Arena. In the Tribunal expansion you can meet the Queen who helped your charcter in the original game. 25 years have passed since the events of the first game and the third game. Morrowind is also one of the eight imperial proviences you can vist in Arena.

The main plot has to do with the Emperor of the Tamerial Empire being betrayed and imprisioned by his battle mage. You are locked away in a dungeon after trying to warn people along with his former aperentice. In a dream she contacts you and aranges for your escape. You have to go to each provience and find the missing pieces of the Staff of Chaos, the only artifact that can defeat the battle mage and save the Empire.

I tried the game in DOSBox and once the speed was cranked up (to about 27000 cycles) it ran quite smoothly. The graphics have not aged all that well but the 3D look is still imprssive and the great game play is still there. Only if you get the game get the newer version of DOSBox -- the one there is a older version.

This should tide you Elder Scroll fans over for a while.

Just be glad they picked this game and not Daggerfall......I liked the game, but if there was a list of 'most buggy games on release', this one would be at the top (shudder). It's games like that that don't make me miss DOS. :P

[Untamed]

Great post.

I love Arena, and I love Morrowind. I havn't been able to try Daggerfall yet though. *sigh*

I absolutly cannot wait for Oblivion, my computer will be upgraded JUST for that.

[-hellvin-]

Hell yes! I haven't played this in years. I'll have to bust out my huge ass PC rpg book, the game's in there. I love Daggerfall and Morrowind even more, this will be a fun play.

[unbroken]

i love morrowind, but its just so damn huge and its hard for me to take the time to get into it, but im definetly gonna check this game out, thanks for the info!

[Arcturius]

I havn't been able to try Daggerfall yet though. *sigh*

Didn't that one use to be up on the Underdogs?

[YoshiM]

Excellent game. I original bought it at a SoftTeach training/sales show in Illinois back in like 1996 for $5 (which at the end of the show it was given away for free....oh well). This game, like all major Elder Scrolls games, are BIG. This game pretty much covers the whole world I think. Only differences between Daggerfall and Arena is that there is no horse and your skills don't get better the more you use them (amongst other things).

Note to fellow rogue types: beware of monsters that can inhabit the houses you break into.

[Jorpho]

Good info, but the news is at least a year old at this point.

[Mr.FoodMonster]

I used to have a strong addiction to Daggerfall, so I should probably check this out.

[slip81]

Awesome I love RPGs and I love free games, and Elder Scrolls is a series I've been wanting to try out.