King's Bounty

In King's Bounty, you play as a knight, paladin, barbarian, or sorceress searching for the King's Sceptre of Order while commanding an army of creatures. Your allegiance determines your starting forces, but every campaign centers on conquering castles, recruiting troops, and defeating increasingly powerful opponents.

The game features four maps, visible enemies, and a time limit that varies with difficulty. Conquering occupied castles grants level-ups and promotions, unlocking access to cavalry and eventually knights. Other creatures can be recruited throughout the maps, although your level affects available quantities and unpaid army salaries can cause troops to desert or turn against you.

Each map contains two artifacts that reveal the location of the sceptre. Finding it and returning it to the king ends the game, even if you reach it early. Defeat sends you back to the king's castle with little beyond your money, while losses weaken the enemy force left behind. King's Bounty was developed and published by New World Computing and released in 1989 for Amiga, Apple II, Commodore Amiga, Commodore C64/128/MAX, DOS, Mac, MS-DOS, and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis.