Lure of the Temptress was Revolution Software’s debut — a medieval fantasy adventure that introduced the Virtual Theatre engine and showcased a genuinely remarkable AI system for 1992. Revolution released it as freeware in 2003, making this landmark adventure available to all.
About Lure of the Temptress
Developed by Revolution Software and released in 1992, Lure of the Temptress is set in the medieval kingdom of Turnvale, which has been conquered by the sorceress Selena and her warrior horde, the Skorl. You play Diermot, a peasant who must free the kingdom and defeat Selena with help from unlikely allies.
The game was the first to use Revolution’s Virtual Theatre engine — the same system that would power Beneath a Steel Sky — which gives every NPC their own schedule and behavioral routines.
Gameplay
Lure of the Temptress uses an icon-based interface and features a companion system where you can direct Diermot’s allies to perform actions. The Virtual Theatre NPCs move through the town independently, and talking to them at different times yields different information — a revolutionary system in 1992. Puzzles are multi-step and often require coordinating multiple characters.
Why It’s Worth Playing
Lure of the Temptress shows a developer with enormous ambition and talent in their debut work. The NPC AI system remains impressive by the standards of any era. The game is not quite as polished as Beneath a Steel Sky, but seeing where Revolution’s ideas began makes it essential context for any fan of classic adventure games.
How to Download Lure of the Temptress
New to DOSBox? Our complete DOSBox setup guide walks you through everything you need. Looking for more classics? Browse our top free DOS games list.
How to Run with DOSBox
- Also available free via ScummVM
- For DOSBox: extract, mount, run
LURE.EXE - ScummVM is recommended for stability
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