Dragon's Lair (franchise)

The logo for Dragon's Lair

This article is about the franchise in total. For other meanings, see Dragon's Lair.

The Dragon's Lair franchise is a series of video games co-created and presently owned by Don Bluth, originally published by Cinematronics, and currently distributed exclusively by Digital Leisure.

The series began in 1983 with its first game released for the arcades, also called Dragon's Lair. The game itself achieved a major success and was followed by Space Ace, a sequel to the original using new characters and a futuristic setting, released in 1984. In 1991, Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp would be the third game and true sequel to the first, returning to the original setting and characters while also adding new ones. After 11 years, Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair would be the fourth and most recent Dragon's Lair title, released in 2002.

Both the original game and the trilogy as a whole received highly positive reception, giving birth to the entire laserdisc genre and inspiring many other laserdisc games such as Thayer's Quest and Braindead 13. The three games would be collected in a 2010 bundle known as Dragon's Lair Trilogy, receive multiple ports to DVD and video game consoles as well as spin-off games, and also be adapted into a comic series and a television cartoon. Dragon's Lair also has a movie in the works, albeit in development hell.

Main series

Dragon's Lair

Dirk and Singe during the final level of Dragon's Lair

Dragon's Lair was released to the arcades in 1983. In the video game, the Valiant Knight known as Dirk the Daring enters a dark and mysterious castle to save the beautiful Princess Daphne from an evil dragon. Unlike common arcade games, Dragon's Lair ran on animation sequences created by ex-disney animator Don Bluth.

The player directs Dirk in the direction he needs to go in order to advance deeper into the castle. While the original arcade game's level were randomized with each area cleared, the home versions have an option to set areas in a select order.

The game achieved a worldwide success and is often cited as one of the greatest arcade games in video game history for its innovation of laserdisc technology as well as aiding in the turn around of the Video Game Crash of 1983. By 1984, Dragon's Lair had grossed $32 million dollars for Cinematronics. Due to the game's popularity, Dragon's Lair has been ported to numerous game consoles, most recently to the Nintendo Switch in Dragon's Lair Trilogy.

Space Ace

In-game screenshot of Dexter and Kimberly in Space Ace

Space Ace was revealed in 1983 and hit arcades in 1984. The game stars Ace, a space pilot who had been struck by the evil Borf's Infanto Ray, and turned into the feeble Dexter. Transforming to and from Ace, Dexter chases down Borf to save his friend Kimberly.

The gameplay is strikingly similar to Dragon's Lair, however, the player is given chances to temporarily change Dexter back into Ace. Much like its predecessor, The game was developed by the same group of people and aimed to keep down production costs. However, the game was not as critically acclaimed as Dragon's Lair had been.

Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp

Once again created by Bluth Group, Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp was released for arcades in 1991 by The Leland Corporation after several years in developmental delays. The game is a direct sequel to the first Dragon's Lair, having Dirk and Daphne married and producing multiple children. Daphne is kidnapped once again by an evil wizard named Mordroc, with Dirk in pursuit traveling through time on Mordroc's Time Machine brother.

Unlike in the first game, the cinematics are not random and the scenes follow an order that the player must guide Dirk through. The game also includes various Treasures that must be collected.

Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair

12 years after Dragon's Lair and celebrating the 20th anniversary of Dragon's Lair, Dragonstone Software developed Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair. The game is the debut of Dragon's Lair in its entirety in cel shaded 3D graphics. Princess Daphne is captured by the two main antagonists and brought back to the castle, as Dirk chases after them.

Unlike the original trilogy, the game is an action-adventure platformer. Dirk the Daring is fully controllable, has brand new abilities and arsenal as he advances deeper and deeper into the castle.

Ports and spin-offs

Dragon's Lair led to the creation of numerous video game ports for home systems, beginning with an exclusive 1984 adaptation by COLECO and followed by a multi-console release by Software Projects in 1986. Since some original sequences did not fit in the ports for those systems, they were re-introduced in a pseudo-sequel called Escape from Singe's Castle. The non-linear arcade interpretation Dragon's Lair / Escape from Singe's Castle with platform and puzzle elements was released by Software Projects for 8-bit machines in 1986.

The sequence with the drawbridge and eyestalks seen in the attract mode was excised from the original arcade version of the game, but still remains on the laserdisc, playable in fan-made modifications of the program, or in the version of the game released in Europe, as well as the Sega CD, PC, DVD, and HD versions.

Platformer adaptations of the original game were made for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super NES, also called Dragon's Lair, while the Game Boy version is titled Dragon's Lair: The Legend (see platform ports). The later Game Boy Color version, however, is a more direct rendition of the original.

The Dragon's Lair Deluxe Pack was released for home computers containing all the FMV for all three games. Though it contains all the video, including some scenes cut from the North American version of the game, the gameplay was seen as lackluster.

ReadySoft released Dragon’s Lair for the Apple Macintosh on CD-ROM in 1994. A Sega CD version was also released.

DAPHNE, an emulator for laserdisc based games, can emulate the original 1983 version. DAPHNE requires the ROM files plus the original laserdisc to run. Alternatively, an MPEG-2 video stream and Ogg Vorbis audio stream can be substituted for the laserdisc. These streams can be generated from the original laserdisc or from Digital Leisure's 2002 "20th Anniversary Special Edition" official DVD releases.

In July 2010 the iOS version was released by Electronic Arts on Apple's App Store. The game's graphics were optimized for the iPhone screen, but a superior visual quality version was later released by Digital Leisure, most recently updated in 2017.

Platform ports

Dragon's Lair on the Nintendo Entertainment System, one of the more infamous ports in the Dragon's Lair series

Platformer adaptations of the original game were made for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super NES, also called Dragon's Lair; see Dragon's Lair (NES) and Dragon's Lair (SNES).

The Game Boy version (Dragon's Lair: The Legend) in particular has almost nothing to do with the source game aside from Dirk as the protagonist, Mordroc as the villain, and saving Princess Daphne as the objective. In fact, the game is a port of an older ZX Spectrum game, Roller Coaster, the result being a platform game where Dirk has to negotiate a series of thinly-disguised fairground rides.

Release history

This section is a work-in-progress. Verification needed for release dates, publishers, and developers.

Year	Platform	Media	Developer	Publisher	Other notes
1983	Arcade game	LaserDisc	Starcom	Cinematronics Atari (Europe) Sidam/Atari (Italty) Leisure/Allied (Australia)	Original Release
1984	Coleco Adam	Cartridge		Coleco
	Coleco Adam	5.25" Floppy		Coleco
1986	Amstrad CPC	Cassette		Software Projects
	Amstrad CPC	3" Floppy		Software Projects
	ZX Spectrum	Cassette		Software Projects
	Commodore 64	Cassette		Software Projects
	Commodore 64	Cassette		Software Projects
1987	ZX Spectrum	Cartridge		Software Projects	Budget Release
	Amstrad CPC	Cassette		Software Projects	Release name: Escape From Singe’s Castle
	Amstrad CPC	Floppy		Software Projects	Release name: Escape From Singe’s Castle
	ZX Spectrum	Cassette		Software Projects	Release name: Escape From Singe’s Castle
	Commodore 64	Cassette		Software Projects	Release name: Escape From Singe’s Castle
	Commodore 64	Floppy		Amazing Software	Republished version includes both cassette versions on a single 'flippy'
1989	Commodore Amiga	Floppy	Visionary Design Technologies	Readysoft?	Programmed by Randy Linden; Released on six 3.5" floppy discs
	Atari ST	Floppy		Readysoft
	Personal Computer & Compatibles	Floppy		Sullivan Bluth / Merit Software	Released on: 5.25" Floppy
	Personal Computer & Compatibles	Floppy		Sullivan Bluth / Merit Software	Released on: 3.5" Floppy
1990	Macintosh Plus / SE	Floppy		Readysoft
	Atari ST	Cartridge		Readysoft
	Amiga	Floppy	Visionary Design	Visionary/Media Technology Ltd.	Release name: Escape From Singe’s Castle (includes some original non-arcade levels)
	Nintendo Entertainment System	Cartridge	MotiveTime	Imagesoft	Famicom and EU versions released in 1991
1991	Game Boy	Cartridge	MotiveTime	CSG Imagesoft/Ubisoft (NA), Elite Systems (PAL), Epic/Sony Records (JP)
	Nintendo Entertainment System/Famicom	Cartridge	MotiveTime	Elite Systems (PAL), Epic/Sony Records (JP)	NES (NA) version released in 1990.
	Personal computer	Floppy		Readysoft
	Personal computer	Floppy		Readysoft	Release name: Escape From Singe’s Castle (includes some original non-arcade levels)
	Personal computer	Floppy		Readysoft	Release name: Escape From Singe’s Castle
	Apple Macintosh	Floppy		Readysoft	Release name: Escape From Singe’s Castle (this version includes few levels from the original arcade game Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp)
1993	Super Nintendo Entertainment System	Cartridge	MotiveTime	Data East (NA), Elite Systems (PAL), Konami (JP)	Super Famicom release titled Dragon's Magic
	Sega CD/Mega-CD	CD-ROM		Readysoft
	Personal computer	CD-ROM		Readysoft	Variant cover titles: Dragon's Lair CD-ROM
	3DO	CD-ROM		Readysoft
1994	Apple Macintosh	CD-ROM		Readysoft
	CD-I	CD-ROM		Philips Interactive Media
1995	Atari Jaguar	CD-ROM		Readysoft
1997	Windows 95	CD-ROM		Digital Leisure	Release name: Deluxe Pack (also contained Space Ace and Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp)
	Personal Computer	DVD-ROM		Digital Leisure
1998	Home DVD players	DVD		Digital Leisure
	Windows 98	DVD-ROM		Digital Leisure
2000	Game Boy Color	Cartridge		Capcom
	PlayStation 2	DVD		Digital Leisure
2001	Windows XP	CD-ROM		Digital Leisure	Arcade Authentic
	Xbox	DVD		Digital Leisure
2002	Home DVD players	DVD		Digital Leisure	Release name: 20th Anniversary Pack
	Apple Macintosh	DVD-ROM		Digital Leisure
	GameCube	CUBE-DVD	DragonStone	Capcom	Remake name: Dragon's Lair 3D
	Xbox	Xbox-DVD	DragonStone	UbiSoft	Remake name: Dragon's Lair 3D
	Personal Computer	CD-ROM	DragonStone	UbiSoft	Remake name: Dragon's Lair 3D
2003	Windows XP	CD-ROM		Digital Leisure	Release name: Dragon's Lair 20th Anniversary Pack
	Arcade game	Hard Drive		Ultracade	Release name: Dragon's Lair 20th Anniversary
2004	PlayStation 2	PS2-DVD	DragonStone	THQ	Remake name: Dragon's Lair 3D - Special Edition
	GameCube	CUBE-DVD	DragonStone	THQ	Remake name: Dragon's Lair 3D - Special Edition
2005	Mobile Phone	Download		Disney Mobile	Java-based produced by MMJ Games downloadable in sections from StarWave servers
2006	Windows XP	DVD-ROM		Digital Leisure	High Definition WMV
2007	Home Blu-ray Disc players	BD-R	Infinite HD	Digital Leisure
	PlayStation 3	BD-R	Infinite HD	Digital Leisure
	Home HD DVD players	HD DVD	Infinite HD	Digital Leisure
	Xbox 360	HD DVD		Digital Leisure
	Personal Computer	DVD		Digital Leisure	20th Anniversary Pack released on 1 DVD instead of 4 disks
2008	Arcade	Hard Drive		Ultracade	Release name: Dragon's Lair 25th Anniversary; combo cabinet includes Dragon's Lair, Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp and Space Ace
2009	iOS iPhone/iPad	Downloadable	Digital Leisure	Electronic Arts
	Nintendo DSi (DSiWare)	Downloadable	Digital Leisure	Digital Leisure
2010	Wii	Nintendo optical disc	Digital Leisure	Destineer	Release name: Dragon's Lair Trilogy (includes Dragon's Lair, Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp, and Space Ace)
	iPad	Downloadable	Digital Leisure	Dragon's Lair LLC	Release name: Dragon's Lair HD
	Nintendo DS	DS Game Card	Digital Leisure	Destineer
	PlayStation 3 (PlayStation Network)	Downloadable	Digital Leisure	Digital Leisure
2011	PSP	Downloadable	Digital Leisure	Digital Leisure
	Android	Downloadable	Digital Leisure	Digital Leisure	Main code and corresponding video files downloaded separately with six available resolutions
2012	Xbox 360 LiveArcade	Downloadable	Digital Leisure	Microsoft Studios	Playable with Kinect, bundled with XboxArcade features
	Windows PC	Downloadable	Digital Leisure	Digital Leisure	Compatible with Windows 7, Vista and XP
	Macintosh	Downloadable	Digital Leisure	Digital Leisure	Release Name: Dragon's Lair (Daring Edition); compatible with Mac OS X 10.6 or higher
	ColecoVision compatibles/Super Game Module	Cartridge	Mystery Man and Pixelboy	Team Pixelboy	Mystery Man converted the ADAM game to cartridge format, released with box and manual.
2013	PlayStation 3 (PlayStation Network)	Downloadable	Digital Leisure	Digital Leisure	Release name: Dragon's Lair Trilogy (includes Dragon's Lair, Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp, and Space Ace)
	iPhone App Store iOS 4.3	Downloadable	Digital Leisure	Digital Leisure	Release name: Dragon's Lair 30th Anniversary Updated 2017
	PC	Downloadable	Digital Leisure	Digital Leisure	Originally for Steam on May 17, later added for GOG.com and Linux "Dragon's Lair Trilogy" bundle option Updated 2017
	Slot Machine			Cadillac Jack	Multi-bonus video reel for casinos and gambling venues
2017	PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 (PlayStation Network)	Downloadable PS4 Disc (LRG)	Digital Leisure	Digital Leisure Limited Run Games (physical)	Release name: Dragon's Lair Trilogy (includes Dragon's Lair, Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp, and Space Ace)
	Linux	Downloadable	Digital Leisure	Digital Leisure	Available on Steam with Linux support added
2019	Switch	Downloadable Cartridge (LRG)	Digital Leisure	Digital Leisure Limited Run Games (physical)	Release name: Dragon's Lair Trilogy (includes Dragon's Lair, Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp, and Space Ace)
	Xbox One	Downloadable	Digital Leisure	Digital Leisure	Release name: Dragon's Lair Trilogy (includes Dragon's Lair, Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp, and Space Ace)
	TI-99/4A	Cartridge	HarmlessLion	HarmlessLion	Limited run of cartridges produced under a license from Digital Leisure
2020	RepliCade	Arcade 1/6th Scale Collectible	Digital Leisure/New Wave Toys	New Wave Toys, licensed from Digital Leisure	Release name: Dragon's Lair X RepliCade, running arcade rom
2021	iiRcade	Multicade/Arcade Home Replica Cabinet	iiRcade	iiRcade, licensed from Digital Leisure	Arcade and "home version" ROMs pre-loaded with other licensed titles, option to purchase modified home versions of Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp and Space Ace
2022	RepliCade	Arcade 1/6th Scale Collectible	Digital Leisure/New Wave Toys	New Wave Toys, licensed from Digital Leisure	Release name: Dragon's Lair X RepliCade Overhaul Black/Red Edition, running arcade rom
	Arcade1Up	Arcade Home Replica Cabinet	Arcade1Up	Arcade1Up, licensed from Digital Leisure	Includes arcade roms of Dragon's Lair, Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp, and Space Ace running off DAPHNE emulator.
	Apple IIGS	Download	Brutal Deluxe	Brutal Deluxe	Released as Dragon's Lair, Dragon's Lair: Escape from Singe's Castle, and Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp
2024	ColecoVision compatible/SGM capability	Cartridge	Pixelboy	CollectorVision	Limited release of "Team Pixelboy Collection" cartridges with new box, manual, and label.

Development

Dragon's Lair began as a concept by Rick Dyer, president of Advanced Microcomputer Systems (which later became RDI Video Systems). A team of game designers created the characters and locations, then choreographed Dirk's movements as he encountered the monsters and obstacles in the castle. The art department at AMS created storyboards for each episode as a guide for the final animation.

Dyer was inspired by the text game Adventure. This game gave rise to an invention he dubbed The Fantasy Machine. This device went through many incarnations from a rudimentary computer using paper tape (with illustrations and text) to a system that manipulated a videodisc containing mostly still images and narration. The game it played was a graphic adventure called The Secrets of the Lost Woods. Attempts to market The Fantasy Machine had repeatedly failed. Allegedly, an Ideal Toy Company representative walked out in the middle of one presentation. Dyer's inspiration allegedly came during his viewing of The Secret of NIMH, whereby he realized he needed quality animation and an action script to bring excitement to his game. He elected to take a reserved but as of yet unscripted location from The Secrets of the Lost Woods known as The Dragon's Lair.

The game was animated by veteran Disney animator Don Bluth and his studio. Development was done on a shoestring budget, cost US $1 million and took seven months to complete. Since the studio could not afford to hire any models, the animators used photos from Playboy magazines for inspiration for the character Princess Daphne.

The animators also used their own voices for all the characters instead of hiring voice actors in order to keep costs down, although it does feature one professional voice actor: Michael Rye as the narrator in the attract sequence, who would reprise this role in Space Ace and Dragon's Lair II. Dirk the Daring's voice belongs to film editor Dan Molina, who later went on to perform the bubbling sound effects for another animated character, Fish Out of Water, from the 2005 Disney film Chicken Little, which he also edited. Dirk shrieks or makes other noises on numerous occasions but speaks words only twice. First, he mutters "Uh, oh" when the platform begins to recede during the fire-swinging sequence, then he exclaims "Wow!" when first entering the dragon's lair and laying eyes on the imprisoned Princess Daphne. The voice of Princess Daphne was provided by Vera Lanpher, who was head of the clean-up department at the time.

The music and many sound effects were scored and performed by Chris Stone at EFX Systems in Burbank. Bryan Rusenko and Glen Berkovitz were the recording engineers. The 43 second "Attract Loop" was recorded in a straight 18 hour session. Featured instruments, all keyboards, were the E-mu Emulator and Memory MOOG.

In popular culture

• Dragon's Lair is featured in the Video Games Live tour.
• Dragon's Lair was once a featured game on the 1980s video game based game show, Starcade. The entire episode can be seen in Digital Leisure's 20th Anniversary DVD and PC CD ROM editions.
• The Italo dance group Koto used extensive samples from the game in their 1988 song "Dragon's Legend".
• Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki was often referred to by the nickname "Dirk the Daring" during his professional playing career.
• When the USA Network aired reruns of the Ruby-Spears TV Series as part of its "USA Cartoon Express" programming block, Dirk the Daring was featured along with several other cartoon characters in the block's intro and bumpers.
• The game has inspired various references and homages in other artistic media:
  • Various games in the franchise have been featured or reviewed by notable web series creators such as James Rolf ("The Angry Video Game Nerd") and Doug Walker ("The Nostalgia Critic").
  • In the Samurai Jack episode "Episode XXI: Jack and the Dragon", a scissorsmith tells Jack which path leads to the "dragon's lair." When Jack asks where the other path goes, he says "Space Ace!"
  • An arcade version of Dragon's Lair 3D was featured in the 2005 film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. The Character Tibby interviews Brian McBrian who has supposedly broken every record there is for the game, referred to as simply Dragon's Lair.
  • The Robot Chicken episode "Celebrity Rocket" shows Dirk battling a mid-life crisis in the segment Dragon's Lair: The Middle Ages, portraying a arcade cabinet display of Dirk purchasing a used car in order to commute to his medical examination.
  • A portion of the game was parodied in an episode of the TV show Family Guy. In "Family Gay" (Season 7, episode 8), Peter Griffin portrayed Dirk the Daring. After bragging to his wife Lois about almost beating "The Dragon's Lair", a cut-away segment portrays Peter in the Flying Barding scene where he manages to dodge some of flames but smacks into the wall bringing up the death scene animation.
  • The Simpsons Game (Electronic Arts, 2007) features a "Dragon Slayer" achievement trophy.
  • In Wreck-It-Ralph, an arcade cabinet with header and screen text that closely resemble Dragon's Lair appears during the wide view of Litwak's arcade.
  • The Goldbergs episode "The Age of Darkness" (Season 1, episode 21) features the Dragon's Lair arcade game, of which Adam recollects "we'd blow most of our quarters on." Barry answers his brother's question of "how'd they get a cartoon into a video game?" with the explanation "You're so dumb. They pour it in the top."
  • The "Mazes & Mutants" episode (Season 2, Episode 15) of Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series revolves around a simulated live-action role-playing quest referencing many popular medieval game tropes. April O'Neil's bubble prison and her crown are references to Princess Daphne from the original Dragon's Lair. Leatherhead plays the role of the dragon-like final boss, a scene which was also adapted into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Legends mobile role-playing game released in 2016 by Ludia.
  • The Stranger Things series prominently featured the original Dragon's Lair arcade game beginning with the second season premiere episode "MADMAX."
  • In the Mighty Magiswords episode "Continue?", Prohyas and Vambre find themselves in an area resembling the Rolling Balls stage from the original Dragon's Lair.
  • In the Homestar Runner 2018 Halloween episode "Mr. Poofers Must Die", Homestar is dressed as Dirk the Daring.
  • YouTube animator JiM SWEET created a parody crossover with the Alien franchise.

Legacy

The original Fantasy Machine was later released as a prototype video game console known as Halcyon.

Various home computer adaptations of Dragon's Lair were released during the 1980s and 1990s but because of (at the time) high memory requirements due to the detailed animation of the games, not all scenes were included. Reviewers of the home computer versions differed widely in their appraisal of the game, with one Amiga magazine awarding the corresponding version 92% due to the unprecedented audio-visual quality, with another magazine giving the same version a score of only 32% on account of the "wooden" gameplay. This led to Escape from Singe's Castle, a pseudo-sequel where Daphne is snatched away at the moment of Dirk's victory by the Shapeshifter, forcing the knight to venture even further into the castle to save her again. The game was made up of unused scenes from the laserdisc version, though some portions (such as the Lizard King and the Mudmen) were shortened. The 8-bit versions were created by Software Projects, while Readysoft handled the 16-bit versions. These used video compression and new storage techniques, but came on multiple 3.5" floppy disks.

The game also led to the creation of a short-lived television animated series, Dragon's Lair by Ruby-Spears Productions, in which the originally-nameless Dragon was given the name Singe, and Princess Daphne (voiced by Ellen Gerstell) now wore a less-revealing pink dress. Thirteen half-hour episodes were produced and aired on the ABC network from September 8, 1984, to April 27, 1985. It was last aired on the Cartoon Express between the late 1980s and the early 1990s, with a commercial bumper showing Dirk inside the train entertaining children with magic tricks while Singe the Dragon ran by his back until Dirk pulled out his sword and chased Singe. The show boasted an unusual feature: to keep the spirit of the game, before each commercial break, a narrator would ask what the viewer would do to solve the problem facing Dirk. After the commercial break, the outcomes of the various choices were shown before Dirk acts on the correct idea (with the occasional exception) to save the day.

The game inspired a sequel (disregarding Escape from Singe's Castle as one), Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp, created shortly after the original, but released in 1991.

It also led to the creation of 1984's Space Ace, another game animated by Don Bluth and his crew. Space Ace was also a ROM and disc upgrade kit for the Dragon's Lair cabinets, complete with new control panel overlay, side art and header.

Dragon's Lair III: The Curse of Mordread was made for Amiga and DOS in 1993, mixing original footage with scenes from Time Warp that were not included in the original PC release due to memory constraints. The game also included a newly produced "Blackbeard the Pirate" stage that was originally intended to be in the arcade game but was never completed.

In late 2002, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the original's smash hit arcade release, Digital Leisure Inc. produced a special edition DVD box set of the three arcade classics that defined laserdisc video games: Dragon's Lair, Space Ace and Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp. All the scenes from the original arcade releases were included and optionally the player could select new scenes that were animated in 1983, but not included in any previous Dragon's Lair release. The games were also updated to include higher quality video, authentic scene order and a new difficulty selection to make it more challenging for Dragon's Lair pros. Digital Leisure worked with a small independent game developer, Derek Sweet, to release a CD-ROM 4-Disc Box Set for Windows based PCs.

Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair was developed in 2002, as a 3D interpretation of the game for Microsoft Windows, Xbox, GameCube and the PS2.

A comic book miniseries based on the game, but incorporating elements from the cartoon series as well, like Dirk's horse Bertram, was released in 2003 by CrossGen Entertainment, concurrent with a miniseries based on Space Ace. Arcana Studio published the complete comic book series in 2006, as there were three issues that were never before published.

In 2005, Digital Leisure created a new Dragon's Lair III, which utilized 3D footage from Dragon's Lair 3D, but controlled via a system like the original arcade games.

In late 2006, Digital Leisure released "Dragon's Lair HD", featuring an all-new High-Definition transfer from the original negatives (as opposed to just sourcing the laserdisc). The original mono soundtrack has also been remastered into Dolby Digital 5.1 sound (on PCs that can support it).

On April 9, 2007, a Blu-ray Disc version of Dragon's Lair was released. This uses the same HD transfer as the aforementioned PC release, but went through a 6 month process to clean and remaster the image. The Dragon's Lair Blu-ray Disc is the first title to fully utilize the BD-J technology.

Since the debut of the original game, Don Bluth and Gary Goldman attempted unsuccessfully to partner with a film studio to produce a Dragon's Lair movie adaptation, which had been scripted and storyboarded for financing and production. The film concept was envisioned for classic, traditional 2D animation style. In 2020, Bluth secured a deal with Netflix to adapt the franchise into a live-action feature.

External Links

• Dragon's Lair Project "Laser Disc Game Ports/Emulators"
• Digital Leisure Official Homepage