Savage Empire (thing)

Description:
The Savage Empire was the first game in the Worlds of Ultima series - games that involved characters from the Ultima games but did not take place on Britannia.

Created using the same engine that powered Ultima VI, Savage Empire was set in the valley of Eodon, a lush, tropical area populated with dinosaurs and other extinct species - a land totally different from Ultima's Britannia. It involved the Avatar's quest to free the valley of the threat of the Myrmidex - giant ant-creatures created from tainted magic. In doing so, the Avatar had to complete a wide variety of tasks, including:

Making flintlock rifles and gunpowder bombs and using them to hunt dinosaurs
Putting a bell on a T-Rex
Killing another T-Rex by dropping a large boulder on its head
Passing a native intiation ritual by drinking a homemade brew
Building the biggest drum in the world
Riding on the back of a giant turtle
Saving a child from a rampaging silverback gorilla
Delving into dungeons and killing giant spiders

My Opinion: This game has one of the highest fun factors I've ever seen. The wide variety of the quests, coupled with the unique and interesting world depicted make for a very enjoyable experience. Plus, the fact that the game is actually much easier to play and win than a "real" Ultima makes it more accessible, in my opinion.

Related nodes:
The Encyclopaedia of Computer and Video Games