King’s Quest II: Romancing the Throne

Last updated: January 9, 2026

Overview

King’s Quest II: Romancing the Throne is the second installment in the King’s Quest series, released in May 1985 for IBM PC and PCjr¹². Designed by Roberta Williams, it uses the AGI (Adventure Game Interpreter) engine developed for the original King’s Quest¹³. The subtitle parodies the 1984 Robert Zemeckis film Romancing the Stone⁴⁵. Computer Gaming World praised it as having “the best graphics on a home computer”⁶, while Compute! magazine described it as “like playing an animated cartoon”⁷.

Game Info

Developer: Sierra On-Line¹ Designer: Roberta Williams¹ Publisher: Sierra On-Line¹ Engine: AGI (Adventure Game Interpreter)³ Platforms: IBM PC, PCjr, Tandy 1000, Apple II, Apple IIgs, Amiga, Atari ST, Macintosh¹ Release Year: 1985¹ Series: King’s Quest Protagonist: King Graham Sierra Lineage: Core Sierra

Story Summary

One year after recovering the three stolen treasures and becoming King of Daventry, Graham seeks a wife⁸. Looking into the magic mirror, he sees a beautiful woman named Valanice imprisoned atop a quartz tower in the distant land of Kolyma by the witch Hagatha¹⁹¹⁰. Graham travels to Kolyma to rescue her, where he must find three golden keys to unlock three magical doors leading to the enchanted island where Valanice is held⁸¹⁰.

The land of Kolyma draws from folklore, mythology, and classic literature⁴. Graham encounters King Neptune in an underwater kingdom, Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother, and Count Dracula in a haunted castle¹⁴. A genie’s lamp grants three predetermined wishes: a bridle, a sword, and a magic carpet⁴. After overcoming these challenges, Graham rescues Valanice and they marry⁹.

Gameplay

King’s Quest II shares the same engine and visual style as its predecessor⁴. Like Daventry in the first game, Kolyma is a cyclical world where traveling north or south wraps around¹. However, unlike King’s Quest I where tasks could be completed in any order, this sequel requires finding each key in sequence, creating more linear progression⁴¹⁰.

Interface and Controls

Players move Graham using keyboard arrow keys and perform actions by typing verb-noun commands such as “open door” or “take lamp”¹¹⁰. One innovation introduced in King’s Quest II is adjustable walking speed—typing “slow,” “normal,” or “fast” changes Graham’s movement speed¹¹. The DOS conversion added a “fastest” option¹¹.

Structure and Progression

The game features goal-sensitive events where the world changes as the story progresses¹⁰. The antique shop remains closed until a specific action is performed, and characters appear only when the story is ready¹⁰. This evolution from King’s Quest I’s open-ended treasure hunt established “the more linear, story-driven model still widely used in adventure games today”¹⁰.

Puzzles and Mechanics

• Puzzles typically involve trading items or using them to bypass obstacles¹
• Knowledge of fairy tales helps solve certain puzzles¹
• Complex solutions earn more points than brute force approaches¹
• Maximum score: 185 points¹²
• Some points are mutually exclusive—for example, killing the snake earns 2 points, but using the bridle on the snake earns 2 points plus allows obtaining a sugar cube worth 1 additional point¹²

The Bridge Trap

The game’s most notorious design element is a rickety bridge leading to the magical doors. The bridge can only be crossed approximately seven times—just enough to complete the game optimally⁴¹³. There is no warning that the bridge will collapse⁴¹⁰. Hardcore Gaming 101 called this “the most remarkably cruel aspect of King’s Quest II,” noting “it never clues you in, but you can only cross this bridge a very, very limited amount of times”⁴. Adventure Gamers described it as “a cruel setup that more or less ensures that new players will have to start over near the beginning at some point”¹⁰. The bridge trap was later referenced in Sierra’s Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist⁴.

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

King’s Quest II received enthusiastic reviews upon release. Aktueller Software Markt (ASM) awarded the Atari ST version 98% (39/40)¹. Consumer Software News proclaimed, “If you liked King’s Quest you’ll love the sequel”⁷. Computer Entertainment declared “Roberta Williams has simply outdone herself”⁷. QuestBusters Journal praised “the most lushly painted and highly detailed scenery seen since…well King’s Quest I”⁷.

Contemporary Scores:

• Tilt (Apple II): 100%¹
• Techtite (Apple II): 100%¹
• ASM (Atari ST): 98%¹
• CU Amiga: 84%¹
• ST Magazine: 80%¹
• Computer + Video Games: 6/10¹⁴
• Critics Average: 77%¹

Modern Assessment

Modern retrospectives acknowledge the game’s historical importance while noting dated mechanics. Adventure Gamers rated it 3/5 (“Decent”), praising its nostalgic appeal but criticizing the bridge trap¹⁰. Hardcore Gaming 101 assessed it as “more of the same” that “does little to improve the formula, but doesn’t really screw it up much either”⁴. The Adventure Gamer blog scored it 53 points on the PISSED rating scale⁶.

Modern Scores:

• MobyGames: 7.1/10 MobyScore, 77% critics (13 ratings), 3.5/5 players (105 ratings)¹
• GOG: 4.1/5 (41 reviews, KQ 1+2+3 bundle)¹⁵
• Steam: 86% Very Positive (306 reviews, KQ Collection)¹⁶
• IMDB: 7.1/10 (142 votes)¹⁷
• Adventure Gamers: 3/5¹⁰
• HowLongToBeat: 61% user rating, ~3 hours average completion, 37 minutes fastest¹⁸
• Choicest Games: 4/10 (“simply too damn difficult”)¹⁹

Development

Origins

Development of King’s Quest II served as a training ground for Sierra employees new to the AGI technology³. Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe, who would later create the Space Quest series, joined the team along with Al Lowe, future creator of Leisure Suit Larry³¹⁹. As DOS Days documented: “These people included Scott Murphy, Mark Crowe and Al Lowe, who would later become famous adventure game creators themselves”³.

Roberta Williams explained that ideas cut from the original game found their home in the sequel: “I couldn’t fit some ideas into King’s Quest I, so I was happy to get a chance to include King Neptune, Dracula, everyone from Little Red Riding Hood, and that infamous rickety old bridge you could only cross so many times”²⁰.

Production

Development Credits:¹³

• Design/Writing: Roberta Williams
• Story: Annette Childs (manual backstory), Roberta Williams¹⁷
• Programming: Ken Williams, Sol Ackerman, Chris Iden, Jeff Stephenson, Scott Murphy¹³
• Animation: Mark Crowe¹
• Scenery: Doug MacNeill¹
• Music: Al Lowe¹³

The manual contains a prologue written by Annette Childs about King Edward’s spirit advising Graham to find a wife¹⁷. Al Lowe also wrote the official hint book²¹.

Technical Specifications

• CPU: 8088 or 8086 compatible³⁷
• RAM: 256KB (DOS version); 128KB (booter version)³¹¹
• DOS: Version 2.11 or later³
• Graphics: Hercules, CGA, EGA, VGA, Tandy supported³
• Resolution: 320×200 pixels in up to 16 colors (EGA mode)³
• Audio: PC speaker or Tandy 3-voice sound³
• Installed Size: 588 KB³

The booter version plays music at a slower tempo and louder volume compared to the DOS conversion¹¹.

Technical Innovations

• First opening cutscene: First King’s Quest title to feature an opening cutscene following the credits sequence²²
• Goal-sensitive events: The game world dynamically changes as players advance—new characters appear, areas open and close based on story progression¹⁰²²
• Linear story structure: Introduced the “more linear, story-driven model still widely used in adventure games today”¹⁰

Music and Audio

Al Lowe composed fourteen musical selections for the soundtrack, incorporating Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet” theme¹³¹⁹²². DOS Days noted that “KQ2 has over twice the number of songs as KQ1” while reusing some tracks including the Title, Danger, and Dead themes³. The opening screen features “Greensleeves” on the PC speaker¹⁰. The music outside Dracula’s castle samples Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”¹⁷²³.

Version History

Version	Date	Platform	Notes
1.0W	1985	DOS (Booter)	PC Booter version3
1.0H	1985	DOS (Booter)	PC Booter, Hercules support3
2.1	April 10, 1987	DOS	Key disk protection, EGA support3
2.2	May 7, 1987	DOS	Key disk protection3
2.2	December 1, 1987	DOS	AGIMIDI support added3
Mac	1987	Macintosh	Mac port with 4givmeken backdoor24

AGI Interpreter Versions:³

Game Version	Interpreter	Notes
1.0W	AGI v1	PC Booter
1.0H	AGI v1	PC Booter
2.1	AGI2 v2.411	DOS disk version
2.2 (April)	AGI2 v2.426	DOS disk version
2.2 (December)	AGI2 v2.917	AGIMIDI support

Copy Protection: Early versions used self-booting “PC Booter” disks. Later versions employed SuperLok 3.2 “key disk” protection using track 0 checksum errors or non-standard sector sizes³. The Mac version includes a backdoor: when prompted for the master disk, holding Command and typing “4givmeken” (asking forgiveness from Ken Williams) bypasses the check²⁴.

Legacy

King’s Quest II continued Sierra’s dominance in the adventure game market. The game served as a training ground for future Sierra legends—Scott Murphy and Mark Crowe (Space Quest) and Al Lowe (Leisure Suit Larry) all worked on the project³¹⁹.

Remakes

Cancelled Sierra VGA Remake: Sierra planned to remake King’s Quest II in VGA following the 1990 King’s Quest I remake. However, due to disappointing sales of that remake and the “colorization controversy,” the official King’s Quest II remake was cancelled²¹.

AGD Interactive VGA Remake (2002): AGD Interactive (formerly Tierra Entertainment) released “King’s Quest II: Romancing the Stones,” an unofficial VGA remake that accumulated over 451,400 downloads²⁵. Features include point-and-click interface, full voice acting with Josh Mandel reprising King Graham, Adventure Game Studio engine, substantially rewritten plot with new characters, and the infamous bridge no longer collapsing⁴²⁵²⁶. Hardcore Gaming 101 declared the remake “far exceeds any of the work Sierra themselves put into any of their VGA remakes”⁴. The soundtrack features nearly two hours of original music by Tom Lewandowski²⁷.

2015 Reboot: The third chapter of the 2015 King’s Quest reboot, titled “Once Upon a Climb” (April 2016), reimagines the rescue of Valanice²⁸.

The King’s Quest Companion

The King’s Quest Companion by Peter Spear presents King’s Quest II through the fictional narrator Derek Karlavaegen, a chronicler from Daventry who communicates with our world through the “Eye Between the Worlds”—a strange metal head with a glass eye and keyboard-like teeth found in a secret laboratory¹². The Companion documents the complete 185-point breakdown by area¹². Roberta Williams endorsed the book, calling it “an interesting blend of fiction and helpful information” that is “invaluable” for anyone wanting to understand the story behind King’s Quest²⁹.

Easter Eggs and Unused Content

Easter Eggs:

• Batmobile: The 1960s Batmobile occasionally drives out of Hagatha’s cave, accompanied by a version of the Batman theme. The narrator quips: “He must have gotten lost. I do not think he belongs in this story.”^117233031
• Space Quest Demo: Looking in a hole in the cliff area plays a promotional demo for Space Quest, whose designers (Murphy and Crowe) worked on this game¹⁸
• Hidden Sign: A sign advertising Space Quest I and King’s Quest III appears in later versions⁸
• Personal Death Message: When the player dies, a personal message from Roberta and Ken Williams displays¹⁰

Trivia:

• Kolyma’s Name: The land of Kolyma is named after a river in northeastern Siberia, notorious for Soviet gulag prison camps—though this dark connection was likely unintentional¹
• Thriller Sample: The music outside Dracula’s castle samples Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”¹⁷²³
• Mac Backdoor: When prompted for the master disk on Mac, holding Command and typing “4givmeken” (asking forgiveness from Ken Williams) bypasses copy protection²⁴

Unused Content (The Cutting Room Floor):²⁴

• An alternate, larger genie graphic—the final game uses a smaller genie attached to Graham’s sprite
• Three different gold key designs, suggesting each door may have originally required a distinct key
• A “Dead Fish” item (Object ID 84) with the description: “The lovely fish is dead. The golden scales are already dulling”
• Unused text including a rejected risqué description of Valanice
• Debug commands activated by pressing ALT+D or typing “FAST TALK”
• Unused sounds: happy melody, digging, tide/waves, striking effects, and an early slower Batman theme

Collections

This game has been included in¹:

• Triple Value Pack (1987)
• King’s Quest: Collector’s Edition (1994)
• The Roberta Williams Anthology (1996)
• King’s Quest: Collection Series (1997)
• King’s Quest Collection (2006)
• King’s Quest 1+2+3 (2010, digital)

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

• GOG – King’s Quest 1+2+3¹⁵
• Steam – King’s Quest Collection¹⁶

Download / Preservation

• Internet Archive – King’s Quest II³²
• DOS Zone – Browser Play³³

Manuals & Extras

• Sierra Help Pages – King’s Quest II – technical support, patches³⁴
• Sierra Chest – King’s Quest II – walkthrough, maps²¹
• MobyGames – King’s Quest II – covers, screenshots, credits¹
• PCGamingWiki – King’s Quest II – technical fixes³⁵
• AGD Interactive – King’s Quest II VGA – free fan remake²⁵
• The Cutting Room Floor – KQ2 – unused content²⁴

Series Continuity

• Previous: King’s Quest: Quest for the Crown (1984)
• Next: King’s Quest III: To Heir Is Human (1986)

References

Footnotes

1. MobyGames – King’s Quest II – – credits, platforms, reviews, trivia ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵ ↩²⁶ ↩²⁷ ↩²⁸ ↩²⁹ ↩³⁰ ↩³¹ ↩³² ↩³³

2. AGI Wiki – King’s Quest II – – release date, version info ↩

3. DOS Days – King’s Quest II – – technical specs, version history, development ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵

4. Hardcore Gaming 101 – King’s Quest II – – retrospective, bridge critique, AGDI assessment ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³

5. IGN – A Year of Adventure #2 – – retrospective ↩

6. The Adventure Gamer – KQ2 PISSED Rating – – review breakdown ↩ ↩²

7. Elisoftware – King’s Quest II – – contemporary review quotes, system requirements ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

8. GameFAQs – King’s Quest II Walkthrough – – plot, easter eggs ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

9. King’s Quest Omnipedia – Valanice – – character details ↩ ↩²

10. Adventure Gamers – King’s Quest II – – review (3/5), bridge analysis, interface ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵

11. Nerdly Pleasures – KQ2 Booters – – walking speeds, RAM, booter details ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

12. King’s Quest Companion 4th Edition (1997) – – max score 185, point breakdown ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

13. Eristic – King’s Quest II Easter Eggs – – bridge crossing limit ↩

14. Atari Mania – King’s Quest II – – C+VG review score ↩

15. GOG – King’s Quest 1+2+3 – – purchase, 4.1/5 user reviews ↩ ↩²

16. Steam – King’s Quest Collection – – purchase, 86% Very Positive reviews ↩ ↩²

17. IMDB – King’s Quest II – – rating, credits, Thriller trivia ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

18. HowLongToBeat – King’s Quest II – – completion time, user rating ↩

19. Choicest Games – King’s Quest II Review – – 4/10 review ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

20. KQ Fandom – KQ1 Development – – Roberta Williams quote ↩

21. Sierra Chest – King’s Quest II – – cancelled remake, hint book ↩ ↩² ↩³

22. King’s Quest Fandom – KQ2 Development – – music track count, Tchaikovsky theme ↩ ↩² ↩³

23. Giant Bomb – King’s Quest II – – Batmobile, Thriller easter eggs ↩ ↩² ↩³

24. The Cutting Room Floor – KQ2 – – unused content, debug commands, Mac backdoor ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

25. AGD Interactive – King’s Quest II – – remake downloads, features ↩ ↩² ↩³

26. AGD Interactive – KQ2 Development – – voice cast ↩

27. MIDI Music Adventures – KQ2 Soundtrack – – Tom Lewandowski composer, 70+ tracks, “When I Saw You” love theme, recording equipment ↩

28. Steam – King’s Quest Chapter 3 – – 2015 reboot chapter ↩

29. King’s Quest Omnipedia – The King’s Quest Companion – – Roberta Williams endorsement, book history ↩

30. Bio Break – KQ2 Batmobile – – Batmobile documentation ↩

31. King’s Quest Omnipedia – Batmobile – – in-game narrator quote ↩

32. Internet Archive – King’s Quest II – – preservation ↩

33. DOS Zone – King’s Quest II – – browser playable ↩

34. Sierra Help Pages – King’s Quest II – – technical support ↩

35. PCGamingWiki – King’s Quest II – – technical fixes ↩