Odyssey: The Compleat Apventure

Odyssey: The Compleat Apventure
The title screen, showing the intentionally misspelled title.
Developer(s)	Synergistic Software
Publisher(s)	Synergistic Software
Programmer(s)	Robert Clardy
Platform(s)	Apple ][
Release	NA: 1980
Genre(s)	RPG

Odyssey: The Compleat Apventure was a videogame written by Robert Clardy and released by Synergistic Software in 1980. It was created for the Apple II platform and is considered one of the first microcomputer-based role-playing video games. The title was intentionally misspelled; Apventure is a reference to the Apple computer while "Compleat" is simply an Archaic spelling of the word "complete" meant to match the feel and setting of the game.

A forerunner of Akalabeth and Ultima, Odyssey was a multi-part adventure game that placed the player in the role of the leader of an army who sets out to vanquish an evil wizard. Elements of Dungeons & Dragons can be found within the game, which combines elements of two earlier games written by Clardy: Dungeon Campaign and Wilderness Campaign.

The game features several major sections. Except for the endgame section, the game play is presented in a top-down map format with limited animation and sound effects.

The game starts on an uncharted island in the Sargalo Sea, where the player and a small group of men have to search the island for castles, ruins and temples, wherein they can find randomly placed treasure and valuable magical items. Along the way, the game generates random encounters with monsters, warriors, rogues, and wizards. Some wizards and warlocks encountered might be kindly disposed towards the player and provide magical items, while others may attack on sight. Similarly, some groups of rogues and warriors encountered might choose to join the player's group rather than fight.

Combat is conducted using a random number generator - the party with the higher number during a round inflicts damage on the enemy, with damage gauged by the number of men/creatures killed. When a group reaches zero members, the team is defeated. The player's "roll" is determined by the number of men, their strength and experience, and the type and quantity of weapons and armor carried.

For the player, maintaining a large army is necessary in order to continue to carry gold, treasure, and necessities such as weapons. The fewer men in a party, the fewer items that can be carried. Men can be added to the team by having groups of warriors and rogues agree to join; a more expensive way of adding men is to purchase contracts that periodically become available for sale. Three randomly scattered towns allow the player to purchase food (which must be replenished) and goods such as lockpicks that allow access to some structures. The type and quantity of goods available for purchase are randomly generated. The player also encounters the occasional caravan from which goods can be purchased - or, the player may choose to attack the caravan; if the caravan is defeated, the team receives the spoils which consists of a number of random items that may or may not be useful.