I'd like to make a reccomendation for
Runesword 1 and
Runesword 2. Runesword 1 is freeware, Runesword 2 you'd have to buy (although they do have a limited demo available).
Both games are run basically the same way - you create a set of characters, load a tome to adventure in, and have at it. There is no one type of adventure you can have, as every tome is different. Some are puzzle games, some are rather linear adventures, some have lots of fighting, some have very little. In most cases, if there is something you don't like, the included Creator utility allows you to change it rather readily (if you have problems, you can ask on the
Runesword section of these Boards).
The main differences between the two:
Graphics:
Runesword 1's item graphics are limited to 32x32 256 color bitmaps, while Runesword 2's item graphics can be 32x32, 64x32, 32x64, 64x64, 32x96, or 64x96 256 color bitmaps. Also, RS2 provides support for some video formats (although this is seldom used).
Interface:
The skill and spell interfaces differ between RS 1 and 2. RS1's skill interface is faster to use, but limits the number of on-demand skills that can be used considerably; RS2's is slightly slower to use, but allows for use of any number of on-demand skills.
Behind the scenes:
RS2 has a few more commands in the script than does RS1, which adds some more flexibility.
Community:
RS1 is not as popular anymore, so there aren't as many player-created tomes available. However, the RS2 community will help out with RS1 projects. We've been slowed down a lot due to the recent lack of uploading on these forums, however.