Having taken over two years to develop before its release in July 1997, Dungeon Keeper turned the tables on the usual good versus evil scenario.

This time, evil is good.

In Dungeon Keeper, your underground domain is being invaded by a band of annoying Heroes, headed by the Avatar. To defeat more than twenty levels brim-full of the forces of good, you need to recruit the dungeon’s creatures and create your own evil army.

However, your army won’t stay with you on love alone. You must feed and nurture them (with the occasional disciplinary slap, should they get lazy).

In order to defeat the Heroes, you must train your creatures for combat; research new and more powerful spells; and create traps and other forms of reinforcement so your dungeon fortress remains yours.

But all this costs money.

This is where your loyal Imps come in. These versatile, magical creatures will dig gold from the bare rocks on your very command, and claim new ground to enlarge your presence and fortify your walls.

When you encounter your enemy, do you just kill them in the name of adventure…? Heavens, no. Throw them in your Prison to shame them, to starve them… then place them in your Torture Chamber to prise vital information from them.

The add-on disk, The Deeper Dungeons, followed soon after in November of that year and took Dungeon Keeper to new heights. The Avatar has returned, reincarnated by some misguided Knights who survived the slaughter of your earlier victory.

They have taken over a network of subterranean caverns and mustered a new army. Offering improved opponent intelligence, The Deeper Dungeons had 30 new and more-challenging single and multiplayer levels.

In March 1998, Dungeon Keeper and The Deeper Dungeons were amalgamated and released as Dungeon Keeper Gold, primarily for the American market. Many new features were included in the Gold release. A full Theme Pack, a Level Editor, and the much awaited 3D-acceleration option.

This was followed with the Classic release in December 1998, this version having an extra “hot-off-the-press” Dungeon Keeper 2 game trailer.