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Roberta Williams produced this sequel only a year after the original King's Quest became an industry bestseller and she uses that same winning formula here. It is a continuation of the romantic fairytale and is once again set in a magical kingdom of folklore and fantasy.

It has only been a year since Graham (now King Graham) returned with the 3 magical treasures of Daventry: the magic Mirror which foretells the future, the magic Shield which ensures victory in battle, and the magic Chest which gives a never ending supply of gold. The kingdom is peaceful and prosperous again and the people are happy under his benevolent rule.

Then one morning he looks into the Mirror and sees the face of his predecessor, King Edward, telling him that he must marry and produce an heir for his people. His prime minister advises him to throw a party and invite all of the eligible maidens to attend. And so he does, but Graham can find no one who stirs his heart in all of Daventry.

Despondent, he asks the Mirror what to do. He is shown a scene of a beautiful maiden crying in some far away tower and his heart suddenly leaps with love and longing. "Where may I find her?" he inquires.

This is Princess Valanice of the kingdom of Kolyma and she has been imprisoned because of her beauty and goodness by the jealous crone Hagatha: locked away in a quartz tower that is guarded by a ferocious beast. Graham must travel to that enchanted land of myth and legend, and find the 3 keys which unlock the doors. He must set Valanice free to make her his Queen.

Not much has changed in this game either in plot or technology. And unlike the first game, this game exists only as it was originally published. It was never upgraded (nor were any of the later games) due to the public outcry against changing the 'classics'.

The graphics are still extremely pixelated with only 16 colors, making objects difficult to identify. Sound cards and mice still did not exist, so navigation is accomplished by the arrow keys on your keyboard, and you still must navigate carefully. Commands are still typed in for action and must be kept simple. And once again it is a very short game by today's standards, even shorter than the first game.

But it's easy to play and the creatures and puzzles that you encounter are unusual and fun, if not always logical. Save often because you can die unexpectedly, and remember to pray! Be conscientious about reading all of the signs on the doors since doing so may trigger other things. And keep in mind that you're only allowed 7 times to cross that bridge, so be ready to open the final door on your 7th trip.

You will talk to characters as weird and varied as Red Riding Hood, a Horse and King Neptune; encounter everything from a Mermaid to Count Dracula; and ride on both a Seahorse and a Magic Carpet. And there is even a delightful surprise hidden in Hagatha's cave.

It was the second game in this now legendary adventure series, and its continued success firmly established graphical adventures as the wave of the future.

Roberta says:
King's Quest II reminded me a lttle of Wizard and the Princess. We saw how the previous games (Mystery House and King's Quest 1) were received by the public, and I was anxious to try my hand at a bigger story right away. Graham would be king by now. What quest should a lonely king go on? What should he see through the magic mirror? A maiden in distress! I started to foresee a family for Graham in the future. I couldn't fit some ideas into King's Quest 1, so I was happy to get a chance to include King Neptune, Dracula, everyone from Little Red Riding Hood, and that infamous rickety old bridge you could only cross so many times.

There's an "Easter Egg" in King's Quest 2. Find the cave with a symbol of a black bat over the entrance. Walk sound off the screen, then walk back to the cave. Keep doing this, and you'll see the Batmobile drive out. (From Roberta Williams Anthology Manual, 1996)