The Quest for Glory series was born as Sierra Online's foray into computer role playing games in the early days of graphical adventure gaming. Chartered with the design of the original games, the Coles created a game system compatible with Sierra's existing SCI-based game engine. Thus was born the hybrid adventure, role-playing and action game of Hero's Quest.

Lori's intial design plan actually called for a choice of four different species rather than character classes - a Gnome (thief), Centaur (Archer), Elf (Magic User), and an Ogre (fighter). Unfortunately, the realities of the system and the amount of animation required them to narrow the scope to simply 3 character classes. However, even as the first episode was being designed, the Coles did have an overall plan for the series. According to Lori:

We also conceived of the series as well as the first game. We wanted to create the series that was more like a book trilogy than separate games, and took a Hero from his first days as a beginning fighter to his crown of rulership by right of Goodness. So we also mapped out the series as a four game quadrology.

After the release of the first game in 1989, the series title was changed from Hero's Quest to Quest for Glory due to the name being too similar to a trademarked board game called Hero Quest by Milton Bradley.

Each episode in the series had its own distinctive setting and unique flavor as it explored the rich and varied regions of the mythical land of Gloriana. The overall storyline of the series occurs over the course of a year, and each game represents a different season, both chronologically and in the growth of the Hero. Further, each game is based on one of the four traditional elements of Earth, Fire, Air and Water.

Originally designed as a quadrology, the Coles added another chapter in the form of Quest for Glory 3: Wages of War. They felt that the Hero was not mature or developed enough for the dark, gothic setting of Shadows of Darkness and a transition was needed. Other factors, such as a slowdown in QFG sales and the suggestion of a friend to explore the background of Rakeesh and Uhura, finally led them to insert this third chapter. Based on an African setting complete with pyramids, savannas, and lush jungles, the game enabled the Hero to learn the meaning of honor and friendship, before being thrown alone in an alien and darkened land.

Following are the games that make up the series:

Quest for Glory 1: So You Want to Be a Hero? Based on a medieval, Germanic setting of Spielburg, with a focus on the traditional fantasy elements, this game was a light-hearted adventure of a wannabe Hero set in the springtime. Earth was the central element.

Quest for Glory 2: Trial By Fire first formally introduced the concepts of Elementals and required the Hero to face each element (except Pizza of course!). Set in the fiery, desert land of Shapeir during the summer, this game explored the Middle-eastern Arabic culture. Fire was the shaping element in this episode as is evident by the name.
Quest for Glory 3: Wages of War, a previously unplanned addition, explored the cultures of the Liontaur and the Simbani people, living in the African land of Tarna. One could say that Monsoon was the season of the game.
Quest for Glory 4: Shadows of Darkness explored the theme of one man in a hostile and strange setting, deriving its atmosphere from the gothic, mysterious, Transylvanian locale of Mordavia. This game first tied the seemingly dis-separate threads of the past games into a coherent series plot for the first time. Fall season was in earnest in this episode and the overriding element is Air.
Quest for Glory 5: Dragon Fire represents the culmination of the Hero's adventures in Gloriana and brings the heroic saga to a glorious end. Set in the Winter resort of Silmaria, a group of Greek-like isles in the mediterranean seas of Gloriana, this episode allows the Hero, now at the peak of his chosen profession, to enter the Rites of Rulership and become King. Water is the ruling element.

The first four games in the series have also been released in the form of a combined Anthology and a recently released Collection. The latter also comes with a Soundtrack CD of music from Dragon Fire and a playable demo.