I originally bought this game for a (then new) 8086 machine. It is based on the Roger Zelazny novel of the same name. It had a good storyline - it was basically a text based adventure with changing three colored graphics for each scene. It was fairly faithful to the original novel in that the characters acted in accordance with their personalities from the book.
The game play was not real time - that is, you did not have to deal with monsters coming out of nowhere to shoot you.
But it was still fairly exhilarating (for those days) as you could quickly get your character into difficult or impossible situations. Again, this is a game you play for the nostalgic feel, not because it had the most amazing graphics engine!
There was an element of magic in this game (and in the original novel) that was partially based on the sixties counter-culture that produced this series. The game starts out with the protagonist, Carl Corey, waking up in a hospital bed. He originally entered the hospital due to injuries received in an auto accident, but has recovered fully now and is being over-medicated to keep him there against his will. Carl Corey overpowers the hospital guard and manages to escape. He finds out from
a hospital administrator that he was being kept in the hospital at the expense of his sister, Evelyn Flaumel.
Carl Corey goes to the house of his sister, Evelyn Flaumel. She calls him Corwin and calls herself Flora. While he is kept waiting there, he discovers a deck of unusual tarot card that have the face cards, or major arcana, replaced with the images of the members of his own family: his brothers Random, Julian, Gérard, Eric, himself, Benedict, Caine, Bleys, and Brand. Then he sees his four sisters: Flora, Deirdre, Llewella, and Fiona.
At this point in the game, Carl/Corwin is helped by his brother, Random. The game gives Random a colorful, crazy character, much like a joker. Corwin learns that Random has magical powers that allow him to change his surroundings to suit his needs. He discovers this as Corwin and Random travel The Road.
While by today's standards this game may seem dated (it is in the old, three-color style and is interactive fiction), it is faithful to the book and has a nice nostalgic feel.
