Dungeon Keeper is a strategy video game developed by Bullfrog Productions and released by Electronic Arts in June 1997 for MS-DOS and Windows 95.

[5] Along with the heart, the player begins with a small number of imps, the generic work force for dungeon activities: they dig tunnels into the surrounding soil, capture enemy rooms and Portals, mine gold and gems, and set traps.

[11] Once the Imps are working, the player must then set up a basic infrastructure: Lairs for monsters, a Hatchery (where chickens, which serve as food, are grown), and a Treasury.

[14] Other ways to obtain creatures include imprisoning and torturing them, 'scavenging' (persuaded to defect to the player) from enemy keepers, and performing certain sacrifices at the Temple.

As the player progresses through these regions, each representing a level, the areas previously conquered will appear ransacked, twisted, and evil.

[1] The goals for each level are straightforward: they generally fall along the lines of eliminating the heroic force or destroying all other Dungeon Keepers.

[1] Dungeon Keeper was developed by Bullfrog Productions under Peter Molyneux, who wrote the game design, testbed, and the computer players and assistant.

Healey came up with the idea of slapping creatures to make them work faster, and Barnes considered it a "great game decision".

[8] A December 1995 PC Zone preview reported a feature that would have let the computer take control of the player's dungeon after logging out of an internet multiplayer game.

Dungeon Keeper was shown at the European Computer Trade Show in September 1996,[8] and was scheduled for release in December.

[8] Dungeon Keeper was released by Electronic Arts for Windows 95 and MS-DOS in North America on 26 June 1997,[32][33][34] and in Europe and Australia on 3 July.

[8] Molyneux disliked the user interface, saying the team overdid the control panel, and commented that it was a reminder that the player was playing a video game.

This was a key reason the user interface of his next video game, Black & White, did not feature panels, buttons, or icons.

[50] Molyneux also disliked the lack of opponent personality, and some features being hidden too well, including (according to him) a cheat code that made the mistress creature naked.

[51] Dungeon Keeper was Molyneux's final project with Bullfrog before he left in July 1997 to form Lionhead Studios,[52] and after completion, he stated that he wanted to make "the coolest game ever".

[8] Molyneux decided to leave Bullfrog in July 1996 due to frustration over corporate meetings and other management responsibilities that ensued after it was sold to Electronic Arts in 1995.

He intended to leave as soon as Dungeon Keeper was complete,[53] and his departure was one reason he wanted to make the game good.

[25] Molyneux, Mark Webley, Tim Rance, and Steve Jackson made the decision to found Lionhead when Dungeon Keeper was nearing completion.

This mod increases compatibility with later versions of Windows, fixes bugs, and adds features such as TCP/IP multiplayer support and higher screen resolution options.

Chris Lombardi of Computer Gaming World praised the multiplayer mode, saying that it "promises to be extraordinarily rich and subtle".

His conclusion was that Dungeon Keeper is "The most unique game in years; stylish, multifaceted, and as deep as the pits of hell".

[75] Rob Smith of GamePro argued that the multiplayer gameplay wasn't really a radical departure from other real-time strategy games, but the "bad guy" role and particular sense of humour make it stand-out.

[80] PC Gamer UK's James Flynn praised Bullfrog's attention to detail, calling it "amazing", and reiterated others' views by describing Dungeon Keeper as "A stunning achievement".

[76] Robert Mayer of Computer Games Strategy Plus complimented the humour, sound, and the 3D view, and liked the elements working together, but criticised the artificial intelligence.

[34] Next Generation's reviewer lauded the sense of humour, describing it as typical of Bullfrog, the "dark and edgy" soundtrack, further saying it mixes mediaeval themes with guitar sounds, and the gameplay's addictiveness.

[89] It received a "Gold" award from the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD) in August 1998,[90] for sales of at least 100,000 units across Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Molyneux considered it a "missed opportunity" in comparison to his earlier games such as Theme Park, which sold millions of units.

[92] Many reviews of video games that have similar elements mention Dungeon Keeper as both an influence for the designers and a standard for comparison.

These include: Dungeon Keeper was referenced in Theme Hospital's introduction scene twice: a doctor is briefly seen playing a console version, and the Horned Reaper makes a cameo appearance as a patient.

[105] The Horned Reaper unit was so popular that the producers of Dungeon Keeper 2 made it a character with an important role in the game's story.