The Wizard and the Princess

Wizard and the Princess
Atari 8-bit cover art
Developer(s)	On-Line Systems
Publisher(s)	On-Line Systems
Designer(s)	Roberta Williams
Programmer(s)	Ken Williams
Series	Hi-Res Adventures King's Quest
Platform(s)	Apple II (original) Atari 8-bit, C64, IBM PC, IBM PCjr, FM-7, PC-88, PC-98
Release	1980 1982 (Atari, PC) 1984 (C64)
Genre(s)	Adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player

Wizard and the Princess (1980), also known as Adventure in Serenia (1982), is an adventure game by On-Line Systems for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, and Commodore 64. It was the second title released in On-Line Systems' Hi-Res Adventures series after Mystery House.

Wizard and the Princess is a prelude to the King's Quest series in both story and concept (though chronologically set several years before King's Quest V). It was also the first adventure game released with full color graphics.

The game (according to the backcover (box/folder/manual) of the Atari 8-bit family and Apple II original and rerelease versions) takes place in the land of Serenia where King George's daughter Princess Priscilla has been kidnapped by an evil wizard named Harlin. Harlin has held her inside his castle far in the mountains. The King has offered half of his kingdom to anyone brave enough to travel to the Wizard's castle, defeat him and return his daughter. The player assumes the role of a happy wanderer who answers this challenge.

The re-releases (Apple II, Atari 8-bit, and C64) contained additional plot added to the manual explaining how the wanderer made it to Serenia in the first place; some time long into the future after Harlin had been defeated by the Wanderer, he challenged the player to again repeat the actions leading to his defeat. He boasted of using his magic to change the world creating obstacles for anyone who would challenge him (he moved the desert around the village of Daventry, the northern sea splitting Serenia in two, and Great Mountains in the North on his half of the continent). He turned back the sands of time leaving the adventurer in the desert just outside the village of Serenia. He mocks the hero telling him that he may have been defeated once, but he couldn't be defeated a second time. The princess gives the hero some words of advice and a computer to help him defeat Harlin, and tells him he has become the wanderer (grandfather paradox & bootstrap paradox). The manual story as reprinted was also included with the Roberta Williams Collection (a compilation of games from Roberta Williams) and the King's Quest Collection Series (one of the compilations of King's Quest games).