Emmanuelle: A Game of Eroticism

Last updated: January 11, 2026

Overview

Emmanuelle: A Game of Eroticism is an adult adventure game developed by Coktel Vision and published by Tomahawk in 1989.¹ The game is loosely based on the iconic French erotic novel Emmanuelle, originally published in 1959 by Emmanuelle Arsan (the pen name of Marayat Rollet-Andriane).² As one of the earliest attempts to bring erotic content to computer gaming, the title represents a fascinating cultural artifact that demonstrates how developers attempted to explore adult themes within the severe technical limitations of late 1980s hardware.³

The game places players in the role of a lovestruck young man desperately pursuing the titular Emmanuelle across the exotic locales of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.⁴ Rather than playing as Emmanuelle herself, the protagonist must increase his “erotic potential” by following the mysterious “three laws of eroticism” to ultimately win her affections. The gameplay combines point-and-click adventure elements with multiple-choice dialogue sequences, casino minigames, and combat encounters against rivals and smugglers.⁵

As gaming historian Jimmy Maher noted, Emmanuelle represents one of Coktel Vision’s “indelibly (stereotypically?) French creations,” reflecting the company’s distinctive cultural and artistic sensibilities.⁶ While the game received mixed contemporary reviews and is generally considered poorly designed by modern standards, it has achieved a certain notoriety among retro gaming enthusiasts for its awkward charm, unintentionally humorous dialogue, and historical significance as an early erotic adventure title.³

Game Info

Developer: Coktel Vision, Inférence, MDO¹ Designer: Muriel Tramis, Alain Bessard Publisher: Tomahawk (DOS), Coktel Vision (Amiga/Atari ST)¹ Engine: Custom Platforms: MS-DOS, Amiga, Atari ST¹ Release Year: 1989 Series: Emmanuelle (loosely connected trilogy) Protagonist: Marc (unnamed protagonist) Sierra Lineage: Later Sierra Acquisition (Coktel Vision acquired 1993)

Story Summary

The game opens with the protagonist arriving in Rio de Janeiro, captivated by the city’s legendary atmosphere. As the game manual describes: “Rio, its beaches, its women, its carnival, its potent eroticism!”⁷ The player’s character has become obsessed with a woman named Emmanuelle and must track her down before she returns to Europe, hoping to board the same flight and win her love.⁴

To attract Emmanuelle’s attention, the protagonist must seek out a mentor named Mario, who will teach him the mysterious “three laws of eroticism.”⁷ The game’s core objective involves locating Mario somewhere in the vast Brazilian landscape—a task complicated by the fact that his location changes with each playthrough due to the game’s randomized elements.⁸ Once found, Mario instructs the player on how to increase their “erotic potential” meter to the required threshold.

The protagonist must collect three erotic statuettes scattered across various glamorous locations in South America.⁹ With these artifacts in hand, the player must fulfill the three laws of eroticism by engaging in romantic encounters with specific women throughout the game world.¹⁰ Along the way, the player faces challenges including casino gambling, physical confrontations with rival suitors and smugglers, and navigating complex social situations at beaches, hotels, and an opera house.⁵

The ultimate goal is to raise the erotic potential meter to at least 75 points, then locate Emmanuelle at the airport before her departure.¹⁰ As the game guide cryptically warns: “Be warned; what’s easily gained is easily lost.”¹ The ending reveals whether the protagonist’s efforts have been successful in capturing Emmanuelle’s heart, with the game providing “a truly dreadful animation sequence” upon completion.¹¹

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

Emmanuelle employs a simplified one-click-does-all control scheme that was characteristic of early Coktel Vision adventures.⁸ The player interacts with the game world by clicking on objects and characters, with context-sensitive actions determined automatically by the game engine. However, the DOS version notably lacks mouse support entirely, despite being designed as a point-and-click adventure—a significant oversight that forces players to navigate using keyboard controls.

The game features a first-person perspective throughout most locations.¹² Much of the gameplay involves using multiple-choice dialogue options to produce correct outcomes in conversations, making careful selection of responses crucial to progression.⁵ The interface provides no context boxes or descriptive text when hovering over objects, leading to what reviewers describe as “blind clicking with no context descriptions.”⁸

Structure and Progression

The game takes place across several locations in and around Rio de Janeiro, including:

• The Hotel: The player’s home base, where they can rest, find the barman for tips, and encounter various characters¹
• The Beach: A prime location for meeting women and increasing erotic potential⁴
• The Casino: Features gambling minigames that reviewers noted were among the only “titillating” sequences
• The Opera House: Site of random encounters with other characters⁸
• The Airport: The final location where Emmanuelle must be found¹⁰

Progression is non-linear and heavily dependent on random elements. The game allows for multiple paths to completion—it’s “entirely possible to beat the game by obtaining only one statue, and sleeping with only one woman.”¹⁰ However, writing a comprehensive strategy is difficult “as it’s an unusual game, with a lot of random elements that can ruin your playthrough on one attempt, but succeed on another.”¹⁰

Puzzles and Mechanics

The puzzle design in Emmanuelle deviates significantly from traditional adventure game conventions. As StrategyWiki notes, “The puzzles are not based on an internal ‘logic’, and there are no leads or clues”—instead, “the game relies mostly on pixel-hunting, luck and experimentation and trying to be at the right place on the right moment.”⁴

Key gameplay mechanics include:

• Erotic Potential Meter: A numerical gauge that must reach 75+ to complete the game¹
• Statuette Collection: Three erotic statues must be gathered from various locations¹⁰
• Combat System: Physical confrontations occur with rivals; a helicopter pickup provides “extra strength in fights” though it “serves no use at all” otherwise¹¹
• Casino Gambling: Minigames for earning money and items
• Dialogue Trees: Multiple-choice conversations where correct answers advance the plot⁵

The game notably lacks any save functionality, requiring completion in a single sitting.⁸ This design choice, combined with the random elements and obtuse puzzle solutions, contributed significantly to the game’s notorious difficulty and frustration factor.

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Emmanuelle received mixed to negative reviews upon release, with critics divided on its merits as both an adventure game and an erotic experience.

Carsten Borgmeier writing for German magazine ST-Computer in February 1989 “praised the game’s graphics, but criticized the lack of sounds and the ease of the puzzles.” The review noted the visual quality while lamenting the audio limitations common to the era.

PC Power Play was considerably harsher in their February 1989 assessment, stating “the game was boring and only titillating in the casino sequences” while criticizing the “poor graphics and lack of sound.” The publication later gave the game a dubious honor in their November 1990 issue, awarding Emmanuelle “The Dumbest Dialogues” prize in their “Awful 10” feature.

Contemporary DOS reviews noted significant technical issues, with one summarizing the audio situation as “Sound definitiv nicht vorhanden” (sound definitely not present).⁷

Modern Assessment

Modern retrospectives tend to view Emmanuelle as a curious historical artifact rather than a quality gaming experience. Abandonware DOS describes it as “less about eroticism and more about awkward curiosity… a slow, text-heavy experience filled with suggestion, innuendo, and an interface that demands patience. The pacing is glacial, the interactions strange, and the payoff… debatable.”³ The site notes that it’s “not titillating by modern standards, but it is unintentionally funny and undeniably odd.”³

Home of the Underdogs gave the game a particularly damning assessment, recommending it “only if you’re a masochist, or someone who simply must play every game with mature content.”¹³ They noted that “any erotic element in the game is reduced to abstract numbers and gauges and sexual innuendos in the (awfully translated dialogues).”¹³

GameFAQs walkthrough author jimfish offered a nuanced perspective: “Emmanuelle is a bad game. Ask anybody who’s played it. But, like Stockholm Syndrome, the more time you commit to trying to understand it, the more sympathetic you are towards it.”⁸

Aggregate Scores:

• MobyGames Critics: 55% (9 reviews)¹
• MobyGames Players: 2.0/5 (38 votes)¹
• Abandonware DOS: 3.95/5 (121 votes)³
• Lemon Amiga: 5.3/10¹¹
• OldGames.sk: 30%¹⁴
• GamesNostalgia: 60/100¹⁵
• Emuparadise: 4.44/5 (Amiga version)¹⁶

Development

Origins

Emmanuelle: A Game of Eroticism emerged from French developer Coktel Vision, a company that had been operating since 1985.⁶ The game was licensed from the autobiography of Marayat Rollet-Andriane, who wrote under the pseudonym Emmanuelle Arsan.¹ The original novel Emmanuelle was published in 1959, though it was initially released without crediting the author due to its explicit sexual content—the real author was later revealed to be Louis-Jacques Rollet-Andriane, though initially credited to his wife Marayat.⁷

The source material had achieved international notoriety through the 1974 film adaptation starring Sylvia Kristel, which reportedly was watched by 300 million people worldwide.⁷ GamesNostalgia notes that the game was “officially licensed from the book” rather than the film adaptation, though it inevitably drew on the cultural cachet of both.¹⁵

Production

The game was designed by Muriel Tramis, who would later become known as “the French Roberta Williams” for her work on the Gobliiins series, Fascination, and Lost in Time.⁷ Tramis has been remarkably candid about the development process, freely admitting “that the company really had no clue what they were doing back in the day, and were simply making up the rules as they went along.”⁸

The project involved collaboration between multiple studios—MobyGames credits development work to Coktel Vision, MDO, and Inférence.¹ The game represents one of Tramis’s early efforts at adventure gaming with mildly erotic themes, predating her work on similar titles.⁷

Development Credits:¹¹⁷

• Designer: Muriel Tramis
• Designer: Alain Bessard
• Designer: Kaki Chapouillié
• Composer: François Peirano

Technical Achievements

Despite its gameplay shortcomings, Emmanuelle featured notable visual presentation for its era. The Amiga version utilized the full 32-color palette, unlike many cross-platform games of the period that compromised visual quality for easier porting.¹⁵ The color palette focused primarily on “blue, sand, and dark red tones” to evoke the Brazilian beach setting.¹⁵

GamesNostalgia observed that despite other flaws, “the game’s graphics are beautiful and rich in atmosphere.”¹⁵ The game was considered “slightly erotic, but not pornographic” with no hardcore scenes present.¹⁷

Technical Specifications

DOS Version:¹⁸

• Video Modes: CGA, EGA, Monochrome graphics
• Resolution: 640x400 (title screen)¹⁹
• Minimum CPU: Intel 80286
• Minimum RAM: 512 KB
• Minimum OS: DOS 6.22
• Input: Keyboard only (no mouse support)
• Audio: PC Speaker beeps only (no music)
• Media: 3.5” DD (720kB) or 5.25” floppy disk²⁰
• File Size: ~294 KB¹⁷

Amiga Version:¹⁵

• Colors: 32 colors (full palette)
• Audio: Sound and music present
• Input: Mouse supported
• File Size: ~1 MB¹²

Atari ST Version:

• Colors: 16 colors
• Audio: Limited sound
• File Size: ~401 KB¹²

Technical Issues

The DOS version suffers from several significant technical problems that make it particularly challenging to play:

• No Mouse Support: Despite being designed as a point-and-click adventure, the DOS version provides no mouse functionality whatsoever
• Speed Issues: The game “runs extremely fast requiring timing tricks to select dialogue options” on modern systems⁷
• No Sound: The DOS version features “no music… only beeps at most”⁷
• No Save Function: Players cannot save progress and must complete the game in one sitting⁸

Additionally, reviewers have identified potential bugs in the game logic. One notable issue involves the character Nancy, who “may not reveal Mario’s location even after payment”—this appears to be a programming bug affecting all known releases.²¹

Easter Eggs and Trivia

The game contains several memorable moments that have become part of its cult reputation:

• Keyhole Scene: Marc might catch Emmanuelle disrobing by looking through a keyhole, but “more often sees only an old gentleman washing his feet”
• Dumbest Dialogues Award: PC Power Play’s November 1990 issue awarded Emmanuelle “The Dumbest Dialogues” in their “Awful 10” feature, cementing its reputation for poor writing¹
• Useless Helicopter: The helicopter pickup “serves no use at all (other than giving you extra strength in fights)“¹¹

Version History

Version	Date	Platform	Notes
1.0	1989	Amiga	Initial release with full 32 colors15
1.0	1989	Atari ST	16 color version
1.0	1989	DOS	EGA/CGA version, no mouse support3
1.2	Unknown	Amiga	Updated version available on preservation sites15

Cut Content

While no specific cut content has been documented, the game’s designer Muriel Tramis has discussed unreleased related projects. Efforts to create a 30th anniversary remake of her earlier game Méwilo failed, and “plans to remake Emmanuelle also stalled.”⁸ Industry figure Alan Roberts once described an unreleased Emmanuelle-related project—a “climbing game…tak[ing] place on the Eiffel Tower…where one has to rescue Emmanuelle, the rewards being that, if you are skillful enough to save her, she is going to thank you, bestow her kindness on you.”⁸ Roberts noted “the hardest part in designing the game is that the tower doesn’t fit well in the TV screen. We’re working on a scrolling system.”⁸

Legacy

Sales and Commercial Impact

No specific sales figures have been documented for Emmanuelle, though the game’s availability across three major platforms (DOS, Amiga, Atari ST) and release in multiple regions including France, Germany, and Spain suggests reasonable commercial distribution for its era.¹² The game was published under the Tomahawk label for most territories, with Coktel Vision handling some regional releases directly.¹

Collections

Emmanuelle has not appeared in any known official compilation releases. The game’s adult content likely precluded its inclusion in Coktel Vision retrospectives, and it was notably absent from Sierra’s catalog after their 1993 acquisition of Coktel Vision.⁶

Fan Projects

No significant fan remakes or modifications have been documented for Emmanuelle. The game exists primarily in its original form on abandonware and preservation sites.

Related Publications

• Game Manual: Included with original release, contains essential story exposition not explained in-game including the explanation of the “three laws of eroticism” and Mario’s role²¹

Critical Perspective

Emmanuelle occupies an unusual position in adventure gaming history as one of the first serious attempts to create an erotic computer game by a legitimate publisher. While the execution was deeply flawed—hampered by primitive technology, obtuse game design, and poor localization—the game represents an important stepping stone in the development of adult-oriented interactive entertainment.³

The game is best understood as “a cultural artifact, showing how developers tried to explore adult themes within severe technical limits.”³ Designer Muriel Tramis would go on to far greater success with the Gobliiins series and other Coktel Vision adventures, demonstrating that the studio learned from their early experiments.⁷ Emmanuelle was the first in what became “a loose trilogy of unconnected erotic games by Muriel Tramis,” followed by Geisha (1990) and Fascination (1991).⁸

Modern players typically approach the game “more out of historical interest than enjoyment—and that’s probably how it should be approached.”³ As one retrospective noted: “There are some video games which you will never forget. Emmanuelle: A Game of Eroticism is one of them.”¹

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores:

• Not currently available for digital purchase

Download / Preservation

• Internet Archive – DOS Version
• MyAbandonware
• Abandonware DOS

Not Available On:

• Steam (not listed)²²
• GOG.com (not listed)

Series Continuity

Emmanuelle represents the first entry in what gaming historians have identified as “a loose trilogy of unconnected erotic games by Muriel Tramis.”⁸ While these games share a designer and adult themes, they feature completely separate storylines, characters, and settings. The trilogy demonstrates Coktel Vision’s ongoing experimentation with adult content throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, with each subsequent entry showing improved game design sensibilities.

Coktel Vision itself would continue as an independent studio until 1993, when they were acquired by Sierra On-Line, becoming part of the Sierra family that also included other European acquisitions.⁶

• Next: 1990 - Geisha

References

Footnotes

1. MobyGames – Emmanuelle: A Game of Eroticism – developer credits, publisher info, aggregate scores, awards, technical specs ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵

2. Wikipedia – Emmanuelle (video game) – source material info, contemporary reviews, technical details ↩

3. Abandonware DOS – Emmanuelle – retrospective analysis, user ratings, cultural artifact assessment ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹

4. StrategyWiki – Emmanuelle – gameplay overview, puzzle design criticism, plot summary ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

5. RomStation – Emmanuelle – gameplay mechanics, dialogue system description ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

6. The Digital Antiquarian – Coktel Vision – French developer context, Sierra acquisition history ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

7. The Adventure Gamer Blog – Emmanuelle Introduction – source material history, Tramis biography, manual quotes, DOS technical issues ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

8. GameFAQs – Emmanuelle Walkthrough Introduction – development context, designer quotes, trilogy info, cut content ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³

9. Walkthrough King – Emmanuelle – gameplay objectives, statuette collection ↩

10. GameFAQs – Emmanuelle Walkthrough – completion requirements, gameplay flexibility ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

11. Lemon Amiga – Emmanuelle Docs – gameplay guide, ending description, user rating ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

12. MyAbandonware – Emmanuelle – file sizes, platform versions, technical specs ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

13. Home of the Underdogs via DanTeam – critical assessment, recommendation ↩ ↩²

14. OldGames.sk – Emmanuelle – user rating, basic metadata ↩

15. GamesNostalgia – Emmanuelle – color palette details, licensing info, graphics assessment ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

16. Emuparadise – Emmanuelle Amiga – Amiga version user rating ↩

17. RetroGames.cz – Emmanuelle – additional designer credit, file sizes, content rating ↩ ↩² ↩³

18. PCGamingWiki – Emmanuelle – system requirements, video modes ↩

19. MobyGames – Emmanuelle Screenshots – title screen resolution ↩

20. Internet Archive – Emmanuelle DOS – media format, publisher ↩

21. GameFAQs – Laws of Eroticism Guide – manual quotes, bug documentation ↩ ↩²

22. Steam Store Search – availability check (not found) ↩