Titles in the Dungeon Master Series

Title	Release	Original	Ports	Notes
Dungeon Master	1987	Atari ST	Amiga, Apple IIGS, MS-DOS (x86), SNES, TurboGrafx-CD, Sharp X68000, PC-9801, FM Towns
Dungeon Master: Chaos Strikes Back	1989	?	Amiga, Atari ST, PC, X68000, PC-9801, FM Towns
Dungeon Master: Theron's Quest	1992	TurboGrafx	N/A	modified version of Dungeon Master
Dungeon Master II: The Legend of Skullkeep	1993	?	Amiga, PC, PC-9801, Mac OS, Sega Mega-CD
Dungeon Master Nexus	1998	Sega Saturn	N/A

Dungeon Master was a realtime game in contrast to the traditional turn-based approach that was, in 1987, most common. Other factors in immersiveness were the use of sound effects to indicate when a creature was nearby, and (primitive) dynamic lighting. Abstract Dungeons and Dragons style experience points and levels were eschewed in favor of a system where the characters' skills were improved directly via using them. Dungeon Master was not the first game to introduce these features. Dungeons of Daggorath for the TRS-80 Color Computer first employed them in 1982. Dungeon Master was, however, responsible for popularizing these elements. Other features of Dungeon Master included allowing players to directly manipulate objects and the environment by clicking the mouse in the enlarged first-person view. It also introduced some novel control methods including the spell casting system, which involved learning sequences of runes which represented the form and function of a spell's effect. For example, a fireball spell was created by mixing the fire symbol with the wing symbol. This kind of attention to detail and focus on the user interface was typical of the game and helped create an often captivating sense of craft and ingenuity.

While many previous games such as Alternate Reality: The Dungeon, The Bard's Tale, Ultima and Wizardry offered Dungeons & Dragons-style role-playing, Dungeon Master established several new standards for role-playing video games and video games in general.

Another factor in its popularity may have been the imaginative mythology, with players often reporting a nurturing identity with their chosen characters. Nancy Holder, wife of producer Wayne Holder, wrote the storyline in the manual (from a base scenario suggested by Michael Newton and the FTL team). She is a successful novelist, and has written for television series including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch and Smallville.

Many reviewers considered Dungeon Master as the best example of its genre, despite the many clones that arrived to challenge it. First of these was Bloodwych (1989), featuring similar gameplay but adding a mode allowing two simultaneous players on one machine. Other notable clones included Captive and Eye of the Beholder.

Originally, Dungeon Master was started with the name Crystal Dragon. Doug Bell and Andy Jaros began development in their development studio PVC Dragon, before they joined in 1983 FTL Games. It was finished there and published in 1987 for the Atari ST first. An almost identical Amiga version was released the following year, which was the first video game to use 3D sound effects. The game was also ported to PC, Apple IIGS, TurboGrafx-CD, SNES, Sharp X68000, PC-9801 and FM Towns and translated from English into German, French, Japanese, Chinese and Korean.

While Dungeon Master itself was inspired by early Ultima games, it was also itself the source of inspiration for the later Ultima Underworld game. Game journalist Niko Nirvi wrote that no 3D role-playing title before Ultima Underworld (1992) could challenge Dungeon Master as a game.

To date Dungeon Master retains a small but faithful following online, with several fan ports and remakes available or in development.

Dungeon Master received the Special Award for Artistic Achievement from Computer Gaming World when it was initially released. It achieved the top place in the magazine's game rankings system, and was entered into its hall of fame in November 1989.

The following list of awards is comprehensive, but not complete. Notably, it does not include any of the awards that followed the game's release in Japan in 1990.

• Special Award for Artistic Achievement awarded in 1988 by Computer Gaming World
• Adventure Game of the Year, 1988 — UK Software Industry Awards
• Best Selling Atari ST Title, 1988 — UK Software Industry Awards
• Best Role Playing Game, 1988 — PowerPlay Magazine (German)
• Best Role Playing Game, 1988 — Tilt Magazine
• Best Sound Effects, 1988 — Tilt Magazine
• Game of the Year, 1988 — Computer Play Magazine
• Best Atari ST Game, 1988 — Computer Play Magazine
• Game of the Year, 1988 — 4th Generation Magazine (French)
• "Golden Sword" Award ,1988 — The Adventurer's Club of the UK
• Best Role Playing Game, 1988 — The Adventurer's Club of the UK
• "Beastie Award", 1988 — Dragon Magazine
• Best Atari ST Title, 1988 — Dragon Magazine
• Best Game, 1989 — Amiga World Magazine
• Best Role Playing Game, 1989 — Amiga World Magazine
• Best Amiga Game, 1989 — Game Player's Magazine
• Best Amiga Game, 1989 — Datormagazin (Swedish)
• "Beastie Award" Best Apple //GS Title, 1989 — Dragon Magazine
• Best Game, 1989 — Info Magazine
• Best of the Amiga, 1989 — Compute magazine
• Inducted as an original member in the Computer Gaming World Hall of Fame in 1989
• Designated as one of the 100 Best Games by PowerPlay Magazine (German, January 1990)
• 16th best game of all time in Amiga Power.

Computer Gaming World praised the attention to detail in the dungeons' graphics, allowing players to "practically feel the damp chill of the dungeons portrayed", as well as those of the monsters, including the multiple facial expressions on the ogres. The magazine said the control system works "extremely well" and "one's adrenaline really flows because the game is in real-time." The reviewer also praised the extensive use of sound effects, uncommon to RPGs. He complained that the manual does not describe monsters or their attributes, of a "frustrating" shortage of food and water replenishments and that the lack of a map makes the game "extremely difficult". He called the game "fantastic" and said "It is a welcome addition to any fantasy player's library. Those who want a good fantasy/role-playing game will love this one."Computer and Video Games called the story a "cliché" but praised the graphics, sound and controls. The reviewer said Dungeon Master is an example of a title which "changes the way we think about games" and a "must for all roleplayers".

Advanced Computing Entertainment said the graphics are "largely repetitive" but "wonderfully drawn" and wrote the "Sound is sparse but the effects are great." The reviewer called it a "thrilling game with plenty in it to keep you searching, fighting and pondering for a long time." He summarised the game as a "huge, immensely playable and very atmospheric mixture of role-playing and adventure. If you've been looking for a real-time role-playing game that manages to keep you interested for long periods of time, then your prayers have been answered."The Games Machine wrote: "the innovative character selection system and icon display are both neatly implemented and quick to use", praised the "superb" atmosphere - enhanced by the spare but apt sound effects - and called the game universe "believable because of its details". The magazine praised the color and clarity of the monster graphics and the shading of the surroundings. It called the story and setting a "wholly engrossing scenario [which] creates a complete world which can be manipulated at will: its depth fully reflects the two years it took to program it. The presentation - an interesting and evocative novella neither too involved to prove turbid not too short to be unhelpful - is superb." The reviewer summarised: "Dungeon Master is a role-player's dream, but capable of providing a good deal of enjoyment for any ST owner."

Kati Hamza of Zzap!64 said of the Amiga version: "The first-person perspective ensures an incredibly realistic atmosphere - you just can't help really getting into the feeling of walking through damp echoing caverns looking for ghosts." The reviewer also said: "The puzzles are incredibly devious, the spell system is really flexible and the need to practise magic and spells gives the whole thing that extra-special depth." The reviewer asserted: "This has to be the most amazing game of all-time, anywhere, ever". In the same issue Gordon Houghton said: "This is just about the most incredible game I've ever seen. When you pick it up you find you lose whole days of your life." He said: "The best time to play it is late at night in a room by yourself - it's guaranteed to scare the life out of you. It's like Gauntlet in 3D, but about a hundred times better. If you enjoy arcade adventures, RPGs or combat games, but it: it's the perfect combination of all three." Reviewer Maff Evans professed to be little enthused by RPGs generally but said "I know a brilliant game when I see one and this is a brilliant game." He praised the scares delivered by ambushing monsters and said "you'd have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to be affected by the atmosphere". The magazine complained that saving games is "a bit laboured" but praised the "extremely detailed and accessible" controls, "interactive, detailed and extremely atmospheric" scenery and said the clarity of the graphics made the game an unusually accessible RPG. It summarized: "you'll be playing for months" and said Dungeon Master was "The best game we've ever seen".

Also reviewing the Amiga version, Graham Kinsey of Amazing Computing wrote that Dungeon Master "completely blows away any other RPG on the Amiga market today, and may do for some time". Dave Eriksson of Amiga Computing praised the "brilliant" graphics, sound effects and replay-value and said "Dungeon Master is the most stunning role-playing game I have seen on the Amiga".Antic's Amiga Plus felt the game "captures the essence of Dungeons & Dragons role-playing games". The reviewer praised the "dazzling" graphics, called the user-friendly controls "a real joy" and said the game was the "best graphics adventure for the Amiga to date."Your Amiga called the sound "extremely well done" and said the "most striking feature of the game is the attention to detail". The reviewer said called the game "amazing" and recommended: "If you never buy another game, by [sic] this one."

Andy Smith of Advanced Computing Entertainment several months after its release called Dungeon Master "one of the all time classics" and said "What makes Dungeon Master really special (apart from the marvellous 3D graphics and eerie sound effects) are the puzzles". The game was reviewed in 1988 in Dragon #136 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 4½ out of 5 stars. The Lessers reviewed the PC/MS-DOS version in 1993 in Dragon #195, giving this version 5 stars. In 1997, ten years after release, Dungeon Master got again a 5 from 5 stars score in a review.

The packaging cover art was designed and illustrated by David R. Darrow, for which Andy Jaros posed as the leftmost character pulling on the torch. The woman in the scene was Darrow's wife Andrea, and the muscular man in the background is unknown, but hired by Darrow from a local fitness club.

A soundtrack album, titled Dungeon Master: The Album, was released later. This album featured music composed by Darrell Harvey, Rex Baca, and Kip Martin. The original ST version and its faithful Amiga and PC ports contain no music.

The album features music composed for the FM Towns game, as well as FM Towns version of Chaos Strikes Back, and some original tracks that were inspired by the games.

• According to "The Definitive CDTV Retrospective: Part II" by Peter Olafson, Dungeon Master was ported to the Amiga CDTV but this version was never completed because FTL could not obtain reliable information from Commodore about saving games to memory cards.
• Dungeon Master was also ported to Macintosh but never released.
• There exists a prototype for the Atari Lynx under the name Dungeon Slayers.

• Phantom Slayer
• 3D Monster Maze