Crystals of Arborea

Crystals of Arborea is a medieval fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Silmarils, and released in 1990 for the Amiga, Atari ST and MS-DOS.

The four elemental crystals, of earth, fire, water and air respectively, are all that now guard against the ultimate subjugation of the kingdom by the forces of chaos.

Clues as to the locations of the crystals can be obtained from certain neutral non-player characters, but only if the player is able to answer their riddles or solve puzzles.

Some critics praised the graphics and user-interface, remarking, for instance, that the "characters and other creatures are well-drawn and accompanied by some superb, realistic looking, background artwork.

Amiga Action acknowledged the developer's attempt to blend strategy and role-playing genres, and noted the influence of Dungeon Master on the game.

However, the combat system received mixed reactions, with several commentators comparing battles to repetitive games of chess or draughts.