Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar - Download Page

Yes, Virginia, it's legal! :-)

Origin, in a moment of madness/generosity/call it what you will, have decided in their immeasurable wisdom to extend the Ultima Dragons the privilege of offering the classic "Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar" for download.

Being of sound min^H^H^H^Hsome vintage regarding the UDIC, and party to the fracas resulting from other "professional" gaming sites openly flouting the law by offering it without Origin's blessing, I'm offering it legally here for my Antipodean and Oceanic bretheren, should they be unable to get it satisfactorily from elsewhere (such as Fortran's Hidalgo Trading Company, Britannian Branch or the magazine Cover CDs they recently appeared on)

Q. Ummm... how come some of the Dragons have it and gaming sites like the Games Domain don't?

To tell you the truth, the precise reasoning escapes me. As far as I know, no Dragon specifically asked for it to be released this way, Origin just did as a friendly gesture. In my opinion it's a good thing - gives the younger players an opportunity to play a *real* classic RPG :-)
Oh, and no, I don't know why Origin aren't offering it themselves (if they are, I can't find it amongst all the Shockwave Flash :-^)

Does this mean it is now freeware?
NO!NO!NO! - Origin still remains the copyright owner. Just because you've downloaded it doesn't make it yours. You may not redistribute the game on your own site, or make copies for friends - this still constitutes piracy, and someone will LART you in a big way - Ask Kickass Games! :-^

Is this the version that recently appeared on the PC Games and Computer Gaming World cover CDs?

Yes - I've checked the contents thoroughly, and the docs have the PC Games name stamped on them - even though I got this copy from CGW (someone pinched my copy of PC Games! :-( ). I've just .zipped it for convenience.

I'm still not convinced it's above board and legal - I want more proof!

Well, I don't blame you for being a little skeptical - took me a few days to rationalize it - but I did follow up with some e-mail asking Mike McCoy of Origin for clarification, which you can see for yourself by following this link

OK, I believe you - just let me at it!
Ok, then it's yours. Enjoy! :-)

Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (DOS) - ultima4.zip
Instructions: Copy to your intended Ultima directory (e.g. C:\GAMES\ULTIMA4) and unzip. Playing instructions, tips and the map are included.

I understand that there's a couple of patches around that add sound and can improve graphics - where are they?
Ah, I'm glad you asked! The patch for music is by Aridindae Dragon, and can be found at:
http://weber.u.washington.edu/~draug/ (~200k)
Graphics - an excellent upgrade to Ultima IV's rather "basic" graphics can be found at
http://copland.udel.edu/~avatar/u4graph.html or

Argh! This site's too slow! Where else can I get it legally?

(Consider my ISP's webmaster clued-by-four :-^)
If the download seems too slow from where you are, might I suggest trying one of the following:
Hidalgo Trading Company, run by Fortran Dragon (ideal for the USA users) or Minstrel Dragon's Ring Page for users in Europe.

Happy adventuring!