Looking for an old RPG game

I'm desperately trying to find a very old RPG game I once saw my brother playing. Unfortunately, it was a long time ago so I can only remember a couple of things:
- Timeframe is '97-ish, but it seemed like an older game (or maybe it's just retro-style)
- It's played on windows
- You lead one character
- The graphics is bare minimum, pure 2d, a white map with gray borders of "rooms" or areas you are exploring, and character and everything (character, monsters, items) are represented as a bare 2d black&white sketch, and I think the character has a sword
- You control your character on numpad (hence you can move in 8 directions), everything is fogged until you come near enough (i think it was 1-tile radius), when you discover stuff (monsters, items)
- I think you had an interface for using&equipping items, but I'm not sure how it looked

I hope this is enough information to distinguish this game from the others, so maybe who was played/seen it could recognize it, or at least point me in the right direction.

Thanks in advance guys

Castle of the Winds?

Wow, man! Just, wow. That was fast…

Thanks so much!

Rather then start my own thread I thought I might post on this one since it received help so quickly.
I'm looking for an old D&D style RPG that I played when I was a lot younger. I remember it came on a 3inch floppy (between late 80's early 90's I would think ((maybe mid 90's)). What I remember:

Started with several (I'm thinking it was four) characters that you controlled. They all had classes/ different weapons and armor they could use (I specifically remembered one having a sling.)

The game started in a medieval style town (2d ish, 1st person view). One big thing I remember was either a Tavern or Gambling hall where you could gamble your money; I believe it was like a spinning wheel but I can't be sure, and I think there was a skull and crossbones on it.

I also believe you could go outside the city (forested maybe?) but more of it was in underground tunnels that you entered (at least one section) from inside someones house where you also find a note from that person (Maybe we were supposed to meet the person and they went missing?).

I have been searching for a very very long time, scouring lists of pc d&d style games and cannot find it. It's definitely not eye of the beholder but maybe a lot like it. Also it might be similar to a German computer game like eye of the beholder but that one costs money to download so I didn't. Anyway…. any help I can get is very much appreciated.

Hmm, there is probably a few games that may fit the description. The mention of a (small) wilderness section reminds me of Bards Tale II. That also had a tavern with gambling, but it was a blackjack like game, IIRC. But I don't remember it very well anymore and the letter and missing person plot doesn't ring a bell.

Sorry I don't have a lot of info to give on it, but it was definitely older/ worse graphics then bards tale or bards tale 2. You didn't actually see your characters, just portraits like in Eye of the Beholder. Realms of Arkania is the other one I couldn't remember the name to, I'm going to see if I can get a hold of a copy of that one to see if its the game i've been looking for or just very similar.
I know there are a lot of games like this considering I don't have a whole lot of specifics, so thanks everyone thats trying.

That really sounds like Realms of Arkania: Shadows over Riva. In fact, it fits perfectly - start in a city, the whole tavern thing, going into the forest during parts of it, caves/tunnels in the city and the missing person. It all fits. It's been quite some time since I played it, but I loved it back in the days.

Originally Posted by Isakiel
Sorry I don't have a lot of info to give on it, but it was definitely older/ worse graphics then bards tale or bards tale 2. You didn't actually see your characters, just portraits like in Eye of the Beholder. Realms of Arkania is the other one I couldn't remember the name to, I'm going to see if I can get a hold of a copy of that one to see if its the game i've been looking for or just very similar.
I know there are a lot of games like this considering I don't have a whole lot of specifics, so thanks everyone thats trying.

Bards Tale II was 1986 (you are probably thinking of the poor sequel by inXile):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bar…Destiny_Knight
However it didn't even have portraits so that rules it out.

How was world movement? Stepwise or continuous (Shadows over Riva was free 3D movment). How was combat? Turn Based? REal Time? Fist person? (Riva had isometric combat maps and TB combat).

Dang… Realms of Arkania is so close, but doesn't quite match. Sadly its too good looking haha, I liked some older games. Interactions and graphics are off too much, although I might play it some just for fun. My quest goes on I'm afraid.

Oh wow THAT Bards Tale II, yeah that is actually very very similar but the game I am thinking of was newer then that, but movement and layout seemed similar. Movement was stepwise like sections you could draw a map on grid paper pretty well. I'm not sure if you used arrows to move or if i'm just confusing it with eye of the beholder. Definitely first person view, and you could equip items a lot like EoB.

Hmm, maybe one of the Lands of Lore games?

At the very least I am getting a lot of games to look at and different points to bounce off of and try and find the game. Not to mention I'm also getting exposed to some really cool looking games I'll have to play, thanks guys.

Early Lands of Lore or Might and Magic games look very similar, I'll have to take a closer look at Lands of Lore

A Wizardry game ?

Wizardry 6

Wizardry 7

Definitely sounds like a might and magic game to me. Maybe M&M 6?

Ishar, maybe ? But that's just a shot into the blue.

The only spinning wheel I can remember is in a Tavern in Stormreach, in the MMORPG called "Dungeons & Dragons Online".

The Sling weapon sounds very much after an D&D game.

I remember from Realms Of Arcania : Startrail that a person was missing, too.
And you had to meet that person as well (but found out that this person was actually missing).

I don't remember any spinning wheel in an Tavern in Lands Of Lore I, by the way.