Ultima VII: The Black Gate

Ultima VII: The Black Gate is a video game in the role-playing (rpg) genre developed by ORIGIN Systems, Inc. and published by ORIGIN Systems, Inc. originally released in 1992. It is currently playable on DOS.

Even today, Ultima VII is still considered one of the best role-playing games ever. The Ultima series began in 1981 and each game focused on the adventures of the Avatar, an Earth hero sent to protect the land of Sosaria, later known as Britannia.

The game begins when you, the Avatar, are summoned after receiving a taunting message from a being known as the Guardian. Upon arrival, the Avatar encounters the scene of a brutal murder. As you begin to investigate, it becomes clear that all is not as it should be in Britannia. Magic is dying, mages are afflicted by a strange madness and, despite your previous adventures, people have forgotten who you are. Many are now captivated by the virtuous and benevolent organization known as The Fellowship, which may not be what it seems.

Ultima VII presents you with a vast open world, one of the first games to do so. The people you encounter have lives of their own; they eat, sleep at night and go to work while you fight to save Britannia from the Guardian. You can even join them if you wish, spend a day making bread or clothes before going to the tavern along with the rest of the NPCs, and then continue your quest. All of these elements combine seamlessly to give the feeling that the world moves around you, rather than you just moving through a predetermined world. If you're a fan of RPGs and you've never played this game, you should: it's not to be missed.

The story continues with Ultima VII: Part Two - Serpent Isle and the companion to Serpent Isle, Ultima VII: Part Two - The Silver Seed, don't miss them!

A good alternative is Exult, an open source port of Ultima VII for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Ultima VII: The Black Gate is available at a reduced price on the following websites and is no longer abandonware.