You sheathe your sword as you leave behind the Dragon Guardian you've just slain. Cautiously, you enter the deserted castle, but see no signs of the fierce beasts the townspeople warned you about. All is silent and still. More boldly, you begin to explore--but just as you enter the antechamber of the Throne Room you are beset on all sides by ghoulish demon hordes! Should you do battle, or turn and run? You are vastly outnumbered, but if you run you might never retrieve the Mystic Scepter of the Ages and restore the land to its former greatness....

Does the above scenario seem familiar? If so, then at one time or another you've no doubt immersed yourself in the compelling alternate reality of Role-Playing. Role-Playing games, commonly known as "RPG," transport you into a fantasy world of knights, warriors, pheasants and Kings. You are free to explore the environment, but you must prepare yourself to battle demons, dragons and all manner of wild beasts as you wander. These games set goals in stages, so the player's "stats," such as "hit points," "experience points" and "warrior status" depend upon success in early tasks and battles. The more you fight, the more your battle talent grows. Typically, you begin as a novice and build toward the level of "hero"--the only level at which you can defeat your foe in the game's climatic battle.

As with adventure games, RPG's offer conversations with other characters, exploration of locations and sub-quests for clues necessary to solve the many puzzles within the game. The player even has an "inventory" in which to keep items collected while exploring. Because of all these similarities, RPG's were once a part of the adventure genre, but they were eventually separated from the category due to their ever-present action elements-namely, fighting. Whether turn-based or real-time, battles must be fought. And while slashing and hacking are elements of the action genre, these games incorporate too much adventure to fall into that category. Thus, RPG was born.

One of the first gaming companies to embrace the new genre was Sierra On-Line, whose early nineties "Quest For Glory" series skyrocketed to legendry status almost overnight. Not to be left behind, other game producers jumped on the bandwagon with titles like: "The Worlds of Ultima," "Wizards and Warriors" and ultimately "Final Fantasy." This blend of battle and adventure soon became the highlight of discussion in gaming circles the world over and has, without fail, ruled the gaming realm ever since. If you love playing adventure games but need to add a little thrill in your marvelous adventure games then start playing Role Playing Games but make sure that you pick up your sword and don your armor before you step into this gaming scene.