Gelfling Adventure

Last updated: January 18, 2026

Overview

Gelfling Adventure is an adventure game developed and published by Sierra On-Line in 1984 for the Apple II.¹ Designed and programmed by Al Lowe, the game is a simplified version of Hi-Res Adventure #6: The Dark Crystal, intended specifically for younger players.² Rather than requiring players to type text commands, Gelfling Adventure uses a menu-driven multiple choice interface that allows children to select actions from a list of options.³

The game shares the same graphics and storyline as The Dark Crystal but features simplified puzzles and a more accessible interface.² Al Lowe created the game using a custom interpreter he had developed, describing it as “multiple choice questions for little kids.”³ This interface approach was notably innovative for its time, predating and arguably influencing the point-and-click adventure genre that would later flourish.⁴

Gelfling Adventure is considered extremely rare today, with very few copies known to exist.⁵ The game represents an important early experiment in making adventure games accessible to younger audiences.

Game Info

Developer: Sierra On-Line¹ Designer: Al Lowe² Publisher: Sierra On-Line¹ Engine: Custom menu interpreter by Al Lowe³ Platforms: Apple II¹ Release Year: 1984² Series: Hi-Res Adventures (companion to #6)⁶ Protagonist: Jen the Gelfling⁶ Sierra Lineage: Core Sierra

Story Summary

Gelfling Adventure is based on Jim Henson’s 1982 fantasy film The Dark Crystal, sharing the same narrative as Sierra’s earlier Hi-Res Adventure #6.⁶ The story is set in Thra, a distant world illuminated by three suns that periodically align in an event known as “The Great Conjunction.”⁶

Players control Jen, believed to be the last survivor of the Gelflings, a gentle race of beings.⁶ Jen was raised by the wise Mystics after his clan was destroyed by the cruel Skeksis, who rule the land through the power of the corrupted Dark Crystal.⁶ An ancient prophecy foretells that a Gelfling will end the Skeksis’ reign by healing the Crystal before the next Great Conjunction.⁶

The player must guide Jen on his quest to find the missing shard of the Dark Crystal and restore it to wholeness, thereby breaking the Skeksis’ power and restoring balance to the world of Thra.⁶ Along the way, Jen encounters various characters from the film, including Aughra the wise seer and Kira, a female Gelfling who joins his quest.⁷

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

Gelfling Adventure’s most distinctive feature is its menu-driven interface, which replaced the text parser used in The Dark Crystal.² Instead of typing commands like “LOOK” or “TAKE SHARD,” players select their actions from a list of multiple choice options presented on screen.³ This made the game accessible to younger children who might struggle with spelling or the vocabulary required by traditional text adventures.³

Al Lowe developed this interface using a custom interpreter he had built, which he later refined for other children’s titles.³ The system was considered innovative for its era, with some historians noting it as “basically a rougher version of what Lucasfilm Games will create for Labyrinth and will later evolve into the SCUMM system.”⁴

Structure and Progression

The game follows a linear structure appropriate for its young target audience, guiding players through the major story beats of The Dark Crystal film.² Puzzles are simplified compared to the original Hi-Res Adventure version, with fewer options and more straightforward solutions.²

The game uses the same graphics as Hi-Res Adventure #6: The Dark Crystal, which were originally created by Jim Mahon.⁶ These illustrations depict scenes from Jen’s journey across Thra, from the Valley of the Mystics to the Skeksis’ castle.⁶

Puzzles and Mechanics

As a children’s adventure game, Gelfling Adventure features puzzles designed to be solvable by younger players without frustration.² The multiple choice format ensures that players always have a clear set of available actions, eliminating the “guess the verb” problem common to text adventures of the era.³

The simplified approach made adventure gaming accessible to a new audience while maintaining the atmospheric storytelling of The Dark Crystal.⁴

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

As a children’s title with limited distribution, Gelfling Adventure received less critical attention than its parent game, Hi-Res Adventure #6: The Dark Crystal.⁶ The Dark Crystal itself had been praised by Softline magazine as better than the film, with “delightful” graphics, and received a Certificate of Merit for “1984 Best Computer Adventure” at the 5th annual Arkie Awards.⁶

Modern Assessment

Today, Gelfling Adventure is recognized primarily for its historical significance as an early attempt to make adventure games accessible to children.⁴ The game’s menu-driven interface is considered an important precursor to later point-and-click adventure systems.⁴

Database Listings:

• Adventure Gamers: Listed in database¹
• MobyGames: Referenced as alternate version of The Dark Crystal⁷
• IFWizz: Listed as 1984 multiple choice text adventure⁴

The game is considered extremely rare in the collector market, with very few copies known to exist outside of Al Lowe’s personal collection.⁵

Development

Origins

Gelfling Adventure originated from Sierra’s desire to make their adventure game catalog accessible to younger players.² Following the success of Hi-Res Adventure #6: The Dark Crystal (1983), which was designed by Roberta Williams, Sierra tasked Al Lowe with creating a simplified version for children.²

Al Lowe had joined Sierra in 1982 as employee number 20, and would go on to work at the company for 16 years designing, writing, programming, and coding music for games.³ Gelfling Adventure was one of his early projects at the company, predating his more famous work on the Leisure Suit Larry series.³

Production

Al Lowe developed Gelfling Adventure using a custom interpreter he had built specifically for menu-driven children’s games.³ This interpreter would later be refined for other Sierra children’s titles.³ In an interview, Lowe explained: “It uses the same graphics as The Dark Crystal, we didn’t have to redraw their pictures, but I made the game using that interpreter, that I was telling you about, that I built, so that it was multiple choice questions for little kids.”³

Development Credits:²³

• Designer/Programmer: Al Lowe
• Original Game Design: Roberta Williams (The Dark Crystal)
• Original Graphics: Jim Mahon (The Dark Crystal)

Technical Specifications

Apple II Version:¹⁴

• Platform: Apple II
• Interface: Menu-driven multiple choice
• Graphics: Shared with Hi-Res Adventure #6

Version History

Version	Date	Platform	Notes
1.0	1984	Apple II	Initial release2

Easter Eggs and Trivia

• Gelfling Adventure is considered one of the rarest Sierra titles, with very few copies known to exist⁵
• The menu interface predates the point-and-click adventure genre by several years⁴
• Al Lowe’s interpreter for this game was refined and used in subsequent Sierra children’s titles³
• The game shares all graphics with Hi-Res Adventure #6: The Dark Crystal³
• Al Lowe would later become famous for creating the Leisure Suit Larry series³

Legacy

Historical Significance

Gelfling Adventure represents an important early experiment in making adventure games accessible to younger audiences.⁴ The menu-driven interface Al Lowe developed was ahead of its time, anticipating the evolution away from text parsers that would define the adventure game genre’s future.⁴

The game’s interface has been compared favorably to later innovations, with historians noting similarities to the system Lucasfilm Games would develop for Labyrinth (1986) and later refine into the SCUMM engine.⁴

Collector’s Market

Gelfling Adventure is considered extremely rare in the collector market.⁵ One seller noted that “the only other copy I’ve ever seen was the one Al Lowe himself sold a few years back.”⁵ Complete copies with original packaging command premium prices when they occasionally surface.⁵

Critical Perspective

While overshadowed by its parent game and Al Lowe’s later work, Gelfling Adventure deserves recognition for its innovative approach to children’s gaming. The game demonstrated that adventure game narratives could be made accessible to younger players without completely abandoning the genre’s storytelling strengths.

Downloads

Digital Availability

• No official digital re-release on GOG, Steam, or other storefronts
• Not available for modern purchase

Preservation / Emulation

• Internet Archive - Gelfling Adventure - Playable via Apple IIe emulator⁸
• Adventure Gamers Database¹
• MobyGames - The Dark Crystal - References Gelfling Adventure⁷
• Sierra Gamers - Gelfling Adventure⁹

Collector’s Market

• Extremely rare; original copies occasionally appear on eBay⁵

Series Continuity

Gelfling Adventure is a companion title to Hi-Res Adventure #6: The Dark Crystal, sharing graphics and story but featuring simplified gameplay for younger audiences.² The game was based on Jim Henson’s 1982 fantasy film, which Sierra had previously adapted as Hi-Res Adventure #6.¹⁰ Jim Henson himself had collaborated with Ken Williams on the original Dark Crystal game project.¹¹

• Related: 1983 - Hi-Res Adventure 6 - The Dark Crystal

References

Footnotes

1. Adventure Gamers - Gelfling Adventure - database listing, platform information ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

2. Wikipedia - The Dark Crystal (video game) - release year, designer, simplified version for younger players ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³

3. Al Lowe interviews and articles - developer quotes, interpreter development, Sierra career history ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶

4. IFWizz - Gelfling Adventure - 1984 release, multiple choice interface, historical significance ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹

5. eBay - Gelfling Adventure listing - rarity information, collector market ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

6. Sierra Wiki - The Dark Crystal - story details, original game information, awards ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹²

7. MobyGames - Hi-Res Adventure #6: The Dark Crystal - credits, related games, platform information ↩ ↩² ↩³

8. Internet Archive - Gelfling Adventure - preserved Apple II disk image, playable via emulator ↩

9. Sierra Gamers - Gelfling Adventure - Sierra catalog listing ↩

10. Dark Crystal Fandom Wiki - film tie-in information ↩

11. Muppet Wiki - The Dark Crystal (computer game) - Jim Henson connection ↩