8 min read

Quest for Glory III: Wages of War

Last updated: January 9, 2026

Overview

Quest for Glory III: Wages of War is a 1992 hybrid adventure/role-playing game developed and published by Sierra On-Line for MS-DOS12. Designed by Corey Cole and Lori Ann Cole, it is the third entry in the Quest for Glory series and the sequel to Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire1. The game was the first in the series to use VGA graphics and a point-and-click interface, abandoning the text parser of previous entries13. Set in Fricana, a land inspired by central African ecosystems, the game explores themes of tribal conflict and features Liontaurs, half-human half-lion creatures1. According to Corey Cole, the game was developed with a budget of $750,0001. Lori Cole was responsible for “90% of the design work” while also supervising the VGA remake of Quest for Glory I1.

Story Summary

Rakeesh the Paladin brings the Hero (now Prince of Shapeir) along with Uhura and her son Simba to his homeland, the town of Tarna in Fricana, a jungle and savannah country inspired by central African ecosystems13. Fricana is home to Liontaurs, half-human half-lion creatures1. The Liontaur city of Tarna is on the brink of war; the Simbani, the tribe of Uhura, are ready to do battle with the Leopardmen1.

Both tribes have taken a sacred relic from the other and refused to return it before the other does13. The Hero must prevent the war and then thwart a demon who may be loosed upon the world1. The Hero earns membership in the warring tribes and leads his newfound allies into battle against the demon wizard1.

As soon as the battle is won, the Hero suddenly disappears into darkness13. This cliffhanger ending sets up the events of Quest for Glory: Shadows of Darkness. Quest for Glory II had hinted that villain Ad Avis would return in this installment, but the Coles felt a darker game wouldn’t reach new audiences, so that plotline was saved for the fourth game1.

Gameplay

Like previous installments, the game offers three standard character classes: Warrior, Magic User, and Thief13. The Fighter class is favored in Wages of War with access to the Trials of Simbani quests, while Magic Users are treated with hostility and Thieves have limited class-specific content14.

Interface and Controls

  • First game in series to use VGA graphics and point-and-click interface13
  • Replaced text parser from previous games with mouse-driven controls3
  • Character import from Quest for Glory II with stats and inventory3

Structure and Progression

  • Features an “overworld” screen where cities and landmarks are represented in miniature, departing from interconnected screens of previous games13
  • Travel across the overworld is subject to random encounters with enemies1
  • Time passes rapidly while traveling between landmarks1
  • Stealthy Thief characters are less prone to random encounters1

Puzzles and Mechanics

  • Characters who proved honorable in QFG II can be imported as Paladins13
  • Any saved character can be changed to a different class, including Paladin, before starting1
  • Magic Users can create a magical staff that allows spellcasting without mana cost3
  • Only game in series without houses to steal from or a Thieves’ Guild3
  • Due to a programming oversight, it is impossible to achieve a perfect score1

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Computer Gaming World gave the game a positive review in January 19931. Dragon magazine awarded the game 4 out of 5 stars in April 19931. White Wolf Magazine reviewed the game positively in early 19931. In August 1994, PC Gamer US included Quest for Glory III in their “Top 40 Best Games of All Time” list1.

Modern Assessment

Michael Baker for RPGamer gave the game 3 out of 5 stars, feeling it “could have been much more involved and exciting than it actually was” and criticizing the combat system and VGA graphics utilization compared to the EGA graphics of the previous entry14. Richard Cobbett of PC Gamer considers the title “a bit of a filler of a game”15.

Adventure Gamers rated the game 3/5 (Decent), calling it “certainly not a bad game, but there are few notable positive aspects, making Wages of War the weakest game in the series”6. The Quest for Glory 1-5 collection on GOG has a 4.9/5 rating7, while on Steam it has Very Positive reviews (95% positive from 374 reviews)8. HowLongToBeat reports the main story takes approximately 8 hours to complete9.

  • Dragon Magazine: 4/5 stars (1993)1
  • PC Gamer US: Top 40 Best Games (1994)1
  • Adventure Gamers: 3/5 (Decent)6
  • RPGamer: 3/5 stars4
  • GOG: 4.9/5 (collection, 195 ratings)7
  • Steam: Very Positive (95% positive, 374 reviews, collection)8
  • HowLongToBeat: 8 hours main story9

Development

Production

The game was created using Sierra’s SCI1.1 interpreter, marking the first VGA game in the series13. Development budget was $750,0001. Lori Cole handled 90% of the design work while simultaneously supervising the VGA remake of Quest for Glory I1. The game contains cameos by Sanford and Son as merchants in Tarna, and Laurel and Hardy as French Foreign Legion soldiers3.

Technical Achievements

  • First Quest for Glory game with VGA graphics13
  • First in series to use point-and-click interface13
  • Introduced overworld map system for travel1
  • Platform release: August 1992 MS-DOS1

Legacy

Quest for Glory III holds a significant place in the series’ technical evolution as the transitional game that moved the franchise from text parser to point-and-click interface, and from EGA to VGA graphics13. These innovations established the visual and interface standards for the remainder of the series. The game’s overworld map system for travel between locations also represented a departure from the interconnected screens of previous entries, influencing the design of subsequent installments1.

The game is notable for being the only entry in the series without a Thieves’ Guild or houses to rob, making it the least favorable for Thief characters3. This design choice reflected the African-inspired setting where such Western guild structures would be anachronistic. The game was originally intended to be “Shadows of Darkness” with the villain Ad Avis, but the Coles changed direction to a lighter African-themed adventure to appeal to new audiences1. The dramatic cliffhanger ending, with the Hero disappearing into darkness, directly sets up the events of Quest for Glory: Shadows of Darkness13.

While often considered a transitional entry by modern critics—with solid mechanics but a less engaging plot compared to predecessors—Quest for Glory III served as an important bridge between the EGA era and the fully-realized VGA games that followed156. The Quest for Glory series as a whole pioneered the hybrid adventure-RPG genre, blending puzzle-solving narratives with character progression systems, and QFG III’s technical innovations helped establish this formula for future titles3.

Collections

This game has been included in the following collections:

  • Quest for Glory Anthology (1996)10
  • Quest for Glory Collection Series (1997)10
  • Quest for Glory 1-5 (GOG, Steam)78

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

Download / Preservation

Manuals & Extras

Series Continuity

References

Footnotes

  1. Wikipedia – Quest for Glory III: Wages of War – – history, plot, gameplay, development, reception ↩ ↩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 ↩34 ↩35 ↩36 ↩37 ↩38 ↩39 ↩40 ↩41 ↩42 ↩43 ↩44 ↩45 ↩46 ↩47 ↩48 ↩49 ↩50 ↩51 ↩52 ↩53 ↩54 ↩55 ↩56

  2. Archive.org – Quest for Glory III Demo – – preservation ↩ ↩2

  3. Sierra Fandom Wiki – Quest for Glory III – – detailed game information ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11 ↩12 ↩13 ↩14 ↩15 ↩16 ↩17 ↩18 ↩19 ↩20 ↩21 ↩22

  4. RPGamer – Quest for Glory III Review – – retrospective review ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  5. PC Gamer – Saturday Crapshoot: Quest For Glory 4 1/2 – – series retrospective ↩ ↩2

  6. Adventure Gamers – Quest for Glory III – – modern review ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  7. GOG – Quest for Glory 1-5 – – purchase, user reviews ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  8. Steam – Quest for Glory 1-5 – – purchase, user reviews ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  9. HowLongToBeat – Quest for Glory III – – completion times ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  10. GameFAQs – Quest for Glory III – – user reviews, guides ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  11. My Abandonware – Quest for Glory III – – platforms, availability ↩

  12. PCGamingWiki – Quest for Glory III – – technical specs ↩

  13. Quest for Glory Fandom Wiki – – series information ↩

  14. Hardcore Gaming 101 – Quest for Glory – – series retrospective ↩

  15. Digital Antiquarian – Quest for Glory III and IV – – historical analysis ↩

  16. StrategyWiki – Quest for Glory III – – walkthrough, game guide ↩

Graph View

Backlinks