Hero Quest Review

I know I said I wouldn't be reviewing games that are covered in dust but this one I do have to bring back to the surface. The game is Hero Quest.

This game is old. Hero Quest was released in Canada and the US in 1990. This is a 24 year old game and when I first started playing it I found the yellowed character sheets that my parents and uncle had used when they had played the game, who knows how long ago.

It's a fantasy game and players play as four heroes, with different strengths, weaknesses, and magical abilities. A player must also be the evil Warlock Zargon, who controls the monsters on the map. In the original game, the campaign booklet has ten different map layouts,  with multiple treasures, different quests, and stronger enemies as the hero's progress through the stages.


The Barbarian is all strength with a little mind, he is there to slay monsters. He's a strong character and a low mind (defense against spells) only shows its slight weakness in the later levels when Zargon's minions start to receive stronger spells. The Dwarf is also a strong fighting character but he has the ability to disable traps with his 1 point sharper mind. The Elf (which we called Elrond) is a good support character. He has a mid-level strength and three earth spells. The Wizard is weak in strength and has limitations as to what weapons he can use. As my friends and I played through the game we always found ourselves protecting the wizard, he is a burden because of his low attack strength but his spells will get your team out of some tight places and he has a few treasures that can be acquired that will make him a much stronger character. Hint: Don't be afraid to use the wizard's spells, you get them refreshed every map.

I found that the best number of players is three. One plays the Wizard and the Barbarian, another plays the Dwarf and the Elf, and the last plays Zargon. This evens out the fun characters with the support characters.

As Zargon you are the one who places the furniture, doorways, and monsters on the map. This information is only known to you until the heroes "see it" in their field of view and then it is placed on the board. You only play the monsters after they have been seen (and when I played as Zargon, since I'm the only one who sees the  fully uncovered map I would throw in extra monsters and traps ... just to make things interesting)

It's a lot of fun, tons of pieces and monsters keep it interesting and the fact that you play on the same dungeon map never gets boring. I started playing at about the age of 10 or 11 so it's great for younger kids and their friends. Mom or Dad should probably play as Zargon but it really is all ages friendly. If you play through the and want more levels, cards, monsters, and characters you can find them online. People have made alternate scenarios with extra printable cards. You're game booklet should also come with a grid of the map and you can even design your own layout and quest.

Always search of traps, hidden doors, and as always treasure.

Stay greedy my friends,

M.