Welcome To The Realm Of "Dragon Warrior"
--From the NES Dragon Warrior instruction manual.

Dragon Warrior is, without question, one of the cornerstone console RPGs. It offers two main storyline goals, both of them timeless classics. Rescue the girl and then defeat the great evil. In this case the girl is princess Gwaelin and the great evil is the Dragonlord. The game offers everything you'd expect in a classic RPG: Great story, powerful items and spells, hidden passages and hideous monsters. The artwork and sound are incredible when ones considers the date of the game's release and the limitations of the NES. The game is loaded with a huge number of enemies, although many of them share the same basic image recolored according to their relative power. However, the differences in facing them is more than just a matter of higher strength or more hit points. Some enemies can use several spells including healing themselves or putting the hero to sleep. A werewolf isn't just a recolored wolf that can do more damage. It's a completely different enemy that just happens to look similar. As you go through the game you will get a number of consumable items. Herb is used to heal you. The Dragon Scale will raise your defense. There are Magic Keys to open locked doors. Torches, obviously, give you light down in dungeons. Wyvern Wings will take you back to Tantegel Castle. Fairy Water keeps enemies away. There are even cursed items that you can sell but shouldn't use. In addition there are a number of weapons and different kinds of armor you can find or buy. Erdrick's sword and Erdrick's armor are the best weapon and armor in Dragon Warrior and have to be found. The silver shield is the best shield and it can be purchased. Like most RPGs getting better equipment is one of the driving forces in the game because it allows you to face greater enemies and move the story forward. There are many steps of weapon and armor between the least and the greatest. In addition there a number of spells that the hero can use. The spells are learned automatically as you level up. Heal is the first spell you learn and it allows you, amazingly enough, to heal your self. Hurt damages your enemies. Sleep will put your enemies to sleep. Radiant acts as a super powerful torch. Stopspell will block enemy spells. Outside will take you out of a cave or dungeon. Return will take you back to Tantegel Castle. Repel will keep weaker enemies away. Healmore is like heal, but it heals more. Hurtmore... OK, you get the idea... As you progress through the game you will run into tougher and tougher enemies. One of the things that separates the different levels of enemies is bridges. Whenever you come to a bridge the enemies on the far side from Tantegel Castle are going to be harder than those on the closer side of the bridge. Always keep this in mind when crossing a bridge. A number of features are automated to make the game easier to play. Leveling up is handled as soon as you have enough experience. You may gain extra strength, agility, hit points, magic points or even a new spell. Equipping new items is also taken care of for you. You don't have to worry about whether you are wearing the best armor you have or not, you always are. If you find better you will put it on. Another feature that will help keep you alive is the low hit points warning system. If your health gets too low the menu turns red to let you know that you need to do something about it. This can especially useful when you have to kill a large number of weaker enemies and may forget to look at your hit points. At any point in the game you can stop walking and a status bar will pop up with a summation of your level, hit points, magic points, gold and experience. If you want a more detailed view you can open "Status" from the menu. All things considered Dragon Warrior is a true classic. If you haven't played it you've truly missed something. If you have you know it's worth playing again!

In the world of Dragon Warrior, you are Loto's descendant, and must follow in his footsteps. Princess Lora must be rescued, and the DracoLord must die. Your journey will take you across the various lands of Alefgard. Visit towns and gather information. Explore the dark dungeons and claim their treasures. The road to the DracoLord is paved with enemies, but you are the Dragon Warrior.
--From the Gameboy Color Dragon Warrior 1 & 2 instruction manual.

Before you lies a world of mystery and imagination. You will encounter enemies and riddles which will test your strength and knowledge. Your journey has just begun...
--From the NES Dragon Warrior 2 instruction manual.

Dragon Warrior 2 is an excellent example of an early RPG. One of the classics that started it all. As we all know, the makers of this game, Enix, went on to team up with Squaresoft, and has since then, started one of the largest gaming sagas ever, Final Fantasy. This was one of the stepping stones for almost all current RPG's. This game's graphics were the epitome of functional. They weren't that good, but they didn't suck either -- functional. The sounds were decent, the music was catchy and the sound effects were cool. The controls were easy to learn, yet there were plenty of actions your characters could choose from. The story was interesting, which is essential for any RPG. The gameplay was awesome. This is a game that I still like to play in 2009 and it was made back in 1990. With non-linear gameplay, there are several possibilities for your party, so this game is fun every time you play. This addition and the other games of the Dragon Warrior series are a must play for any RPG fan.

RECRUIT YOUR ALLIES
The King and his counselor say traveling alone will be too dangerous. You need to organize an expedition party. At Luisa's Place, the eatery located in the northwest corner of the castle town of Aliahan, you can recruit up to three allies to help you in your quest. Walk up to the counter in the back, face Luisa (the woman behind the counter) and press the A Button. The Command Window will come up. Select TALK and press the A Button to talk to her. When asked what you want, select ADD MEMBER. She will record the current conditions in the Imperial Scrolls of Honor and show the list of available characters. A customer in the eatery recommends you recruit a Soldier, a Pilgrim, and a Wizard. Initially three ready-made characters are available, but you can register characters of your own creation. To do so, go upstairs to the Adventurer's Hall of Registration. You can register up to 11 characters. You will probably enjoy your quest even more with your favorite allies.
--From the NES Dragon Warrior 3 instruction manual.

Dragon Warrior 3 was the first of the series to let you start the quest with a party of people. The graphics were stepped up just a little from its predecessors. Also these two additions made this chapter in the series very interesting. With a good size party came the ability to carry more items. Dragon Warrior 3 is yet another great addition to our RPG collection.

You are the young hero of Aliahan. Assemble a team of trusted companions for a spectacular quest to save the world from the terrors of the Demon Lord Baramos.
Let the adventure begin!
--From the Gameboy Color Dragon Warrior 3 instruction manual.

Essentially a precursor to Dragon Warrior 1&2, Dragon Warrior 3 is a revamped version of DW3(NES) for the GBC. Although the story line was the same as the NES version, there were some differences.

These differences included enhanced graphics, and more detailed castles, towns and overworld for Game Boy Color. You can now investigate the contents of wells. They have added the save anywhere feature, and now Day, Night, Dawn and Dusk matter - different characters and monsters appear at different times. Four characters can be in your party at once. There are 9 character classes and 165 distinct monsters.

Chapter 5: The Chosen Ones.
*In Chapter 5, you, our Hero, arrive to lead the characters from earlier chapters. As a team of experienced and highly trained adventures, you will challenge the enemy. He is a fierce demon who has secretly tracked the characters through Chapters 1-4. Now he will make a dramatic appearance.
--From the NES Dragon Warrior 4 instruction manual.

Dragon Warrior 4 was probably the best game of the series. It was longer than its predecessors, and the graphics were a little better, too. In Dragon Warrior 4 you get to play as several different characters and then get to play all of them at the end. I liked this method pretty well. You get to develop a relationship with each of the characters as you go along, and then get to team them up against your common enemy.