Gateway to Apshai

In Gateway to Apshai, a young hero must survive the dungeon pits and seek the lost Temple of Apshai. The game features eight levels, each with passages to 99 areas, and begins by generating a dungeon from a player-selected number between 1 and 99.

Players start with basic Strength, Agility, Luck, and Health statistics, along with a dagger and leather armor. Exploration reveals previously hidden areas, while combat, the LOCATE spell for detecting traps, and the SEARCH spell for finding concealed doors are central to progress.

Dungeons contain weapons, arrows, healing items, precious objects, and magical scrolls, with many items usable only once. Enemies include snakes, swamp rats, bats, and other creatures that remain hidden until they enter the player's room. After six minutes and 30 seconds, the player is teleported to the next dungeon; some versions also allow the dungeon to be left manually.

Game Details

• Release: December 31, 1982
• Developer and publisher: Epyx
• Platforms: Atari 8-bit, Atari 800, ColecoVision, Commodore C64/128/MAX
• Genres: Action, Adventure, Role-Playing