Troll’s Tale

Last updated: January 9, 2026

Overview

Troll’s Tale is a children’s adventure game developed by Al Lowe and published by Sierra On-Line in 1983¹². Originally created as one of Al Lowe’s earliest programming projects, the game was “the third game I ever programmed” according to Lowe himself³. Despite its “incredibly simplistic” appearance by modern standards, Lowe recalls working “a lot of hours on it”³. The game was designed specifically for children, particularly those in 2nd and 3rd grades⁴, and came packaged with a paper map and stickers⁴.

Sierra acquired Troll’s Tale from Sunnysoft along with Dragon’s Keep and Bop-A-Bet⁵. The game became notable not only as an early children’s adventure title but also as “the inspiration for The Black Cauldron game”³, with Disney specifically requesting to use its simplified interface design for their movie tie-in³. Troll’s Tale was eventually released as freeware⁶, making it accessible to new generations of players.

Game Info

Developer: Al Lowe¹ Designer: Al Lowe, Michael MacChesney⁷ Publisher: Sierra On-Line¹ Platforms: Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Coleco Adam, ColecoVision, Commodore 64, DOS, IBM PC, PCjr⁸ Release Year: 1983 Series: null Sierra Lineage: Core Sierra

Story Summary

The game’s premise centers around an evil troll who has stolen all the treasures belonging to Mark, the Dwarf King⁹¹⁰. The player’s quest is to locate and recover these hidden treasures, which are described variously as 15 or 16 treasures throughout different sources⁹¹¹¹². The troll has scattered these valuable items across the fantasy landscape, and only the player can help restore them to their rightful owner¹³.

The adventure culminates when the player confronts the troll directly. In a playful twist typical of children’s games, the solution involves pulling the troll’s tail, as King Mark (disguised as a guard) declares: “Pull the Troll’s Tail and we end the Troll’s Tale!“¹⁴.

Gameplay

Interface and Controls

Troll’s Tale features a deliberately simplified interface designed for young players. Instead of requiring complex text input, the game uses a “simplified Spacebar & Enter key-only interface”³ where players choose from three preset options rather than typing commands¹⁵. The game employs “minimal typing, spacebar selection, enter to perform actions”¹², making it accessible to children who might struggle with traditional text adventure parsing.

The parser system is described as “a simple VERB-NOUN type” that “does an adequate job, although the game’s vocabulary is quite limited”¹⁶. This streamlined approach was intentionally designed to reduce barriers for younger players while maintaining the adventure game experience.

Structure and Progression

The game can be completed relatively quickly, taking “less than an hour to complete” according to some players¹⁷, with an average session length of “about a half-hour”¹². This brief duration was appropriate for the target age group of children aged “8 and up”¹². The game world consists of various locations where the stolen treasures have been hidden, requiring players to explore and solve simple puzzles to recover each item.

Puzzles and Mechanics

Troll’s Tale incorporates “puzzle elements”¹⁸ appropriate for its young audience. The gameplay focuses on exploration and item collection rather than complex logical challenges. Players navigate through a fantasy setting, searching for the hidden treasures and interacting with various characters and locations using the simplified command system.

Reception

Contemporary Reviews

Publication	Score	Notes
Abandonware DOS	3.64/5.00	User ratings on retro gaming site19
DOSGames.com	2.5/5	Critical assessment9
Emuparadise	4.86/5	High user rating13
MobyGames	67%	Community aggregate score7
MyAbandonware	4.33/5	Reviewer HOTUD assessment16
OldGames	40%	Lower critical score8
itch.io	4.5/5	Modern platform rating20

Modern Assessment

Modern retrospectives generally acknowledge Troll’s Tale as “a charming, early kid’s game from Al Lowe, creator of Leisure Suit Larry series”¹⁶. Reviewers note that while “Troll’s Tale is designed for children in mind, it can be played by adults as well”⁷, though they emphasize its primary appeal to younger audiences. Contemporary assessments recognize it as “a well made adventure, but it is easy and can take less than an hour to complete”¹⁷.

Development

Origins

Al Lowe developed Troll’s Tale during his early period at Sierra, when he “learned assembly language at Ken’s insistence and wrote a children’s adventure game in it”¹⁵. The game was created in 1983, before Lowe would go on to create the Leisure Suit Larry series⁵. Originally, the game was developed by Sunnysoft before being acquired by Sierra On-Line along with other titles⁵.

Production

The original development team included Al Lowe for programming and text, with Mike MacChesney contributing text and graphics³. For the IBM PCjr version, the credits expanded to include Michael MacChesney as writer, Peter Oliphant for conversion, Doug MacNeill for graphic art, and additional text contributions from Al Lowe, Margaret Lowe, Michael MacChesney, and Rae Lynn MacChesney¹². Peter Oliphant was responsible for converting the game to multiple platforms⁵.

A modern recreation was created entirely by Tyler Wright, who handled “art, music, coding, design” for a 2023 version using the Bitsy engine²⁰.

Technical Achievements

Troll’s Tale utilized “The Graphics Magician” as its graphics tool¹², representing an improvement over earlier Sierra Hi-Res Adventures⁵. The game featured a 320×200 resolution with a “4-color CGA palette”¹² and “minimal PC speaker sounds”¹². The total file size was compact at just “82 kB”¹², and it was distributed on a “single-sided disk”¹².

The game used a “Pre-AGI” engine⁷, which was the same engine used for Dragon’s Keep⁵. On the PC port, there was a notable visual quirk where “the logo appears pink and scanlined”²¹.

Legacy

Troll’s Tale holds historical significance as both an early example of Sierra’s children’s adventure games and as the direct inspiration for a major Disney collaboration. As Al Lowe explained, Disney “asked me to do a movie spinoff using its simplified Spacebar & Enter key-only interface”³ for The Black Cauldron game. This demonstrates how the game’s accessible design influenced later adventure game development.

The game also represents an important step in Al Lowe’s career progression from early educational titles to his later acclaimed Leisure Suit Larry series¹⁶. As part of Sierra’s efforts to create “age-appropriate adventure games for younger players”⁵, Troll’s Tale helped establish the company’s presence in the children’s gaming market.

Downloads

Purchase / Digital Stores

• GOG Dreamlist - Community wishlist
• Available as freeware from Al Lowe’s official website³

Download / Preservation

• MyAbandonware - Historical preservation with browser play option²²
• DOS Games Archive - Complete download package¹⁰

Series Continuity

• Previous: None (standalone title)
• Next: None (standalone title)

References

Footnotes

1. Sierra Gamers – - Basic game information and publisher details ↩ ↩² ↩³

2. Wikipedia – - Historical overview and release information ↩

3. Al Lowe’s Official Website – - Developer’s personal reflections and game history ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

4. Pixelated Arcade – - Target audience and packaging details ↩ ↩²

5. Game Pressure – - Development history and technical details ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

6. Play DOS Games – - Distribution and availability information ↩

7. MobyGames – - Comprehensive development credits ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

8. Old Games SK – - Platform release information ↩ ↩²

9. DOS Games – - Game description and quest objectives ↩ ↩² ↩³

10. DOS Games Archive – - Plot summary and character details ↩ ↩²

11. Wikipedia – - Treasure count details ↩

12. PC Gaming Wiki – - Technical specifications including treasure count ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

13. [Emuparadise](https://www.emuparadise.me/ScummVM_Games/Troll’s_Tale_(Floppy_DOS) – /96030) - Game premise overview ↩ ↩²

14. Gaming After 40 Blog – - Detailed playthrough with story conclusion ↩

15. The Digital Antiquarian – - Interface design details ↩ ↩²

16. MyAbandonware – - Parser system review by HOTUD ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

17. GameFAQs – - Game completion time assessment by Tom Hayes ↩ ↩²

18. LaunchBox Games Database – - Gameplay elements description ↩

19. Abandonware DOS – - User rating aggregate ↩

20. itch.io – - Modern recreation rating ↩ ↩²

21. AVID Wiki – - PC port visual characteristics ↩

22. MyAbandonware – - Browser playability and preservation access ↩