The fan-made Quest for Glory 4 1/2 didn't exactly turn out for the best , but perhaps a game merely inspired by the classic adventure/RPG series will fare better. The gorgeous Heroine's Quest is such a thing, and after four years of development it has just been released for free. For free! You can download this massive roleplaying/adventure hybrid from this link - stick around for a fantastic trailer that will convince you to do just that.

Heroine's Quest goes above and beyond most free adventure games/RPGs by offering "over 100 hand-painted backgrounds", voice acting, a neat auto-mapping function, along with optional sidequests and multiple ways to approach many quests. As with Quest for Glory, you can either use brute strength, magic or cunning to solve problems, or if you fancy being a Jack of all trades you can develop a hybrid character with skills from each class. The story's based on Norse mythology, and involves words like 'Midguard', 'Ragnarok' and 'Ginnungagap'. You play as the Heroine, implored by the jarl of Jarnvidr to "stand against the forces of frost and put an end to the lasting winter." Well, you have to give devs Crystal Shard props for being seasonally appropriate. Also: more games featuring jarls please, developers.

If you're wondering why the Quest for Glory series is so highly regarded, have a read of Richard Cobbett's Reinstall feature on Quest for Glory IV .

Thanks to IndieGames .