Dragon Crystal System: Sega Master System US release: 1991 If you're in your 20's, there's a good chance that you remember the old PC game called Rogue. You controlled a little ascii @ sign around a dungeon, collecting weapons and slaying monsters. Dragon Crystal is just like rogue, but with a graphical overlay. Don't expect much of a story, or NPC interaction. It's pretty horrible on the eyes - the graphics will make your eyes water from the blandness. However, there's a certain amount of charm to it, and the music is surprisingly enjoyable. Download Dragon Crystal

Dragon Warrior III System: NES US release: 1991 Released in June of 1991 in the US, Dragon Warrior III sent the Dragon Warrior fans into a frenzy. Buildings were knocked down, grandmothers were disrobed in the street, and small children were hurled down the chimneys of businesses in an attempt to obtain copies of this game. It's quite an adventure, though not worth hurling yourself down a chimney to get. Lots of minigames and some tough-as-nails dungeons make this the longest Dragon Warrior yet. Download Dragon Warrior III

Wizardry: The Knight of Diamonds System: NES US release: 1991 Another Wizardry title. This one continues with the successful formula of the first one. It's difficult, long, and cumbersome to get into if you're not used to it. This is another one that I never finished - I rented it a couple of times, but eventually the sameness of it drove me to distraction. Download Wizardry: The Knight of Diamonds

The Bard's Tale System: NES US release: 1991 Argh, brave stalwart adventurer! There be danger here. The Bard's Tale is one of the absolute classics of early computer RPGs; it's translated fairly well here to the NES. Descend into the dungeons, explore the town, and gently massage and tweak your party into a bloodthirsty killing machine. Download The Bard's Tale

Mother (Earthbound Zero) System: NES US release: 1991 If you've never played Earthbound, the SNES Nintendo game, then you're missing out. This version, released only in Japan, is quite a nice change of pace from the usual swords and sorcery stuff. You get ATMS, beer, and various food items to use during the game. With any luck, we'll see another earthbound game - but don't hold your breath that it will be released outside of Japan. Download the translated version of Mother below Download Mother

Phantasy Star III System: Sega Genesis US release: 1991 An interesting juxtaposition of superiority surfaces with this title. Originally Phantasy Star crushed Dragon Warrior, with a superior interface, characters, story, and development. With this title the tables were turned - even considering the generation gap. A few devout fans like Phantasy Star III, and many "hard-core" gamers insist that it's a wonderful game. Personally, I found it nearly intolerable - after the absolute glory of the first 2 titles, this one seemed a slap in the collective face of fans everywhere. Slow as molasses, ugly as sin, it seemed like everything about the game was designed to make you not want to play it. Conversely, the Dragon Warrior series was hitting its stride, ironing out the rough edges and providing an engrossing experience (with the exception of the ridiculously high encounter rate.) I'd love to tell you that Phantasy Star III gets better as you get into it, but I never could - I found it ugly, repetitive, and just plain no fun to play. Sorry, Sega. Take heart, though - they completely redeemed themselves with the incredible Phantasy Star IV. Download Phantasy Star III

Dragon Warrior IV System: NES US release: 1992 Oh, my goodness. This is the pinnacle of 8-bit RPGs, with only the mighty Phantasy Star possibly standing taller. One of the largest NES games ever, Dragon Warrior IV was a massive adventure that had some awesome ideas; the chapter system, which to this day remains one of my favorite devices. You take on the role of multiple adventurers in a series of chapters, starting from level 1 and building them up individually until they all come together in the end. Download Dragon Warrior IV

Legend of the Ghost Lion System: NES US release: 1992 Legend of the Ghost Lion came and went from the RPG scene with barely a whisper. It was aimed at a younger audience, but it had some charms of its own: Your parents were killed by a mythical, un-neighborly Ghost Lion. When you come of age you're given a spear and a knife (gee, thanks elders.) and go out to avenge their deaths. You can summon spirits to aid you in battle. Give this one a try. . Download Legend of the Ghost Lion

Arcana System: SNES US release: 1992 Arcana never received much attention. It was one of the first "card RPGs" released, and does so in a satisfying way - you aren't some goofy spiky haired protaganist leaping around yelling out attack names and throwing cards like razor blades; rather, you're the son of dead card-master parents, out to put a stop to the evil king who occupied the throne through less than savory avenues. It's interesting to collect the cards, though the sameness of the dungeons may drive you to distraction. Download Arcana

Might and Magic II System: SNES US release: 1992 The Might and Magic series was a big hit on the PC. It translates pretty well to the SNES, but suffers from the same symptoms as Swords and Serpents - a slow interface that seems to take an eternity to get anything done. Even though I enjoy a wide variety of RPGs, I found this one too daunting to really get into. There's a charm to it, but you will have to wade through a convoluted interface to get to the meat of the game. Download Might and Magic II