Lure of the Temptress

Revolution Software

Company type	Private
Industry	Video game development
Founded	1990
Founder	Charles Cecil, Tony Warriner, David Sykes, Noirin Carmody
Headquarters	Hull , United Kingdom
Products	Lure of the Temptress, Beneath a Steel Sky, Broken Sword series
Website	www.revolution.co.uk

Lure of the Temptress is a point-and-click adventure game launched by Virgin Interactive Entertainment in June 1992 for the Atari ST, MS-DOS, and Amiga platforms. This title marked the inaugural project developed by Revolution Software utilizing their proprietary Virtual Theatre engine. Players assume the role of Diermot, a young villager on a mission to overthrow a malevolent sorceress. The game received positive acclaim and was later offered as freeware on April 1, 2003.

Gameplay

In Lure of the Temptress, players experience a 2D adventure through a third-person viewpoint. The game employs a point-and-click system featuring drop-down command menus, allowing players to navigate Diermot through various locations and interact with objects by selecting different actions.

Diermot’s navigation and interactions are controlled using either a mouse or a gamepad. Players gather items which can be combined with elements in the environment or with characters to solve puzzles and move the story forward. Conversations are managed through dialogue trees that provide clues and advance the plot. Additionally, the game incorporates straightforward combat sequences requiring basic action skills.

Plot

Diermot, a humble peasant working as a beater for the king’s hunting party, becomes entangled in conflict when the king’s army confronts the Skorl, a hostile faction led by the sorceress Selena. Following the king’s demise and Diermot’s capture, he manages to escape imprisonment with assistance from Ratpouch, another local villager.

Seeking answers about Goewin, an herbalist detained by the Skorl, Diermot teams up with Ratpouch to infiltrate Taidgh the magician’s residence. There, they craft a potion that transforms Diermot’s appearance into Selena’s likeness, allowing him to rescue Goewin. Afterwards, Diermot delivers an enigmatic book to Toby, who rewards him with a statuette and reveals that awakening a dragon might be key to defeating Selena. Goewin then prepares an herbal concoction necessary for this endeavor.

Upon awakening the dragon, Diermot discovers that Turnvale was once governed by a demon fueled by human greed. This demon had been banished by Gethryn but has now returned through Selena’s dark magic. The dragon entrusts Diermot with the Eye of Gethryn, an enchanted gem capable of vanquishing the demon. With help from Wayne, a Skorl defector, Diermot infiltrates Selena’s fortress and uses the Eye to overcome her, freeing Turnvale from her tyranny.

Development and release

In 1990, Charles Cecil and Tony Warriner—former teammates at Artic Computing—joined forces with David Sykes and Noirin Carmody to establish Revolution Software in Hull, initially supported by a £10,000 loan from Cecil’s mother. Cecil aimed to develop a game that stood apart from popular Sierra titles by merging serious narrative elements with lighter tones, positioning it stylistically between Lucasarts and Sierra adventures. Their first release was Lure of the Temptress, published through Virgin Interactive Entertainment.

This game introduced the groundbreaking Virtual Theatre engine, which allowed non-player characters to move autonomously and simulate daily routines—a pioneering feature at that time. The engine was later employed in Beneath a Steel Sky and the initial two Broken Sword installments. Development expenses were estimated between £20,000 and £30,000.

On April 1, 2003, Revolution Software made Lure of the Temptress available as freeware, providing downloadable data files on their website. The game's engine was also adapted for use within ScummVM. A digital re-release followed on GOG.com on December 18, 2008.

Reception

Lure of the Temptress was met with positive acclaim for its groundbreaking control system and visual presentation, often being likened to titles from Sierra and LucasFilm. In 1993, Dragon awarded it 4 out of 5 stars. Computer Gaming World commended the game’s advanced NPC behavior and its design that prevented unwinnable situations, though it remarked on the relatively brief gameplay duration, describing it as "a strong debut" that indicated promising potential for the developer. Amiga Power placed it at #47 in their 1993 All-Time Top 100 list and #66 in the 1994 edition. By 2011, Wirtualna Polska ranked it as the 30th greatest Amiga game, calling it "truly revolutionary" within its genre. On the commercial front, it reached number one on the British Gallup charts in July 1992 and stayed within the Top 20 for much of that year.

Amiga Format emphasized its ability to compete with Sierra and LucasFilm productions, praising its expansive scope, wit, and superior graphical quality. The One appreciated its intuitive controls and overall refinement but noted a more serious tone compared to the character-focused narratives typical of LucasFilm games. Amiga Power admired its dark and atmospheric visuals, ranking it among the finest graphic adventures alongside titles like Monkey Island 1 and Beneath a Steel Sky, although they cited its shorter length as a minor flaw. Mega Zone praised the smooth gameplay, high-quality graphics and audio, along with a well-crafted manual, dubbing it "one of the most remarkable Amiga adventures ever created." Stuart Campbell of Amiga Power referred to Core Design’s competing title Curse of Enchantia as a humorous reinterpretation of Lure of the Temptress.

Looking back, Adventure Classic Gaming described the distinct gameplay engine as both enjoyable and at times somewhat frustrating. While certain graphical elements did not stand the test of time, many background scenes remained visually striking. The review concluded that despite some clichés and occasional slow pacing, the overall experience remained entertaining.