Questprobe

In 1983, Marvel Comics searched for a licensee for use of its characters in a home computer game, and approached Adventure International; its founder and CEO Scott Adams was interested in the venture as an avid reader of Marvel since his childhood, and the two parties agreed to a contract on December 1, 1983.{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/commodore-power-play-13/page/n75/mode/2up |title=Probing Questprobe |last=Jermaine |first=John |date=March 1985 |magazine=Commodore Power/Play |publisher=Contemporary Marketing |pages=74–77 |issn=0739-8018}} Marvel's ten-year license for Adventure's use of its characters was Marvel's first long-term license,{{Cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/Page_6_Magazine_10/page/18/mode/2up |title=Scott Adams Interview |last=Gould |first=Steve |magazine=Page 6 |issue=10 |date=August 1984 |page=19}} as well as Adventure's first use of licensed characters. Adams, given unlimited freedom in creating the games, spent an afternoon coordinating a rough overview of the series with Marvel writer John Byrne, and Bob Budiansky would oversee the entire project. The series title came from Adams's attempt to formulate a title that would indicate the player's involvement in a search. The Hulk was selected as the star of the first installment because of his widespread recognition among general audiences, and the game would be the Hulk's first appearance within the medium.{{cite web |url=https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/17-super-fun-times-the-hulk-showed-up-in-video-gam/2900-135/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424095535/https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/17-super-fun-times-the-hulk-showed-up-in-video-gam/2900-135/ |title=17 Super Fun Times the Hulk Showed Up in Video games |last=Walden |first=Matthew |website=GameSpot |publisher=CBS Interactive |date=May 4, 2015 |archive-date=April 24, 2017 |access-date=February 2, 2022 |url-status=live}} Questprobe featuring The Hulk was released on May 1, 1984, for the Acorn Electron, Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, Dragon 32, IBM PC compatibles, and ZX Spectrum.{{cite web |url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/questprobe-featuring-the-hulk/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718201951/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/questprobe-featuring-the-hulk/ |title=Questprobe Featuring The Hulk |last=Kalata |first=Kurt |website=Hardcore Gaming 101 |date=July 14, 2019 |archive-date=July 18, 2019 |access-date=September 14, 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/Page_6_Magazine_10/page/18/mode/2up |title=Questprobe featuring The Hulk advertisement |magazine=Page 6 |issue=10 |date=August 1984 |page=18}} The game's release was accompanied by a comic similarly titled Questprobe, with the first issue centering on the Hulk being tricked into saving a doomed planet.{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/run-magazine-13/page/n15/mode/2up |title=Software Gallery: Questprobe: The Hulk |last=Jermaine |first=John |magazine=Run |publisher=IDG Communications |issue=13 |date=January 1985 |page=14}} Because wholesalers had no provisions for distributing comics, Adventure International decided to reduce the size of subsequent issues in order to package the comics along with the games.{{cite magazine |url=https://archive.org/details/MicroAdventurer11-Sep84/page/n7/mode/2up |title=Adventure International: The Incredible Hulk |last=Williams |first=Noel |magazine=Micro Adventurer |publisher=Sunshine Books |issue=11 |date=September 1984 |pages=8–9}}

In January 1985, Adams revealed that he was developing a second Questprobe game with Al Milgrom based on Spider-Man, and disclosed plans to release a new game every three to five months, with a projected total of twelve or thirteen games. Subsequent games involving Human Torch and Captain America were planned at the time, as were potential games showcasing Iron Man and a villain character.

The fourth title in the series was to include the X-Men. This game was partly coded by Scott Adams but never saw the light of day as a published game, as Adventure International became bankrupt during its development in 1986.{{cite journal|journal=GamesTM|publisher=Imagine Publishing|title=Great Scott|pages=40–41|author=GamesTM Staff|series=The Ultimate Retro Companion|year=2010|volume=3|isbn=978-1-906078-56-0}}

A Questprobe comic book tie-in was also released. Originally intended as a 12-issue miniseries, this series was canceled after issue #3 (November 1985) due to Adventure International's bankruptcy.[http://www.comics.org/series/2888/ Questprobe] at the Grand Comics Database The story intended for issue #4, featuring the X-Men, was published in Marvel Fanfare #33 (July 1987).[http://www.comics.org/issue/43105/ Marvel Fanfare #33] at the Grand Comics Database

The events of the Questprobe comic book were later followed up on in the Quasar series. The Chief Examiner from the game and comics received an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #2 (January 1986).

{{Reflist}}

• {{moby game|id=-group/scott-adams-questprobe-series|name=Questprobe series}}
• [http://www.uvlist.net/groups/info/questprobe Questprobe series] at Universal Videogame List
• [https://ifdb.org/search?searchfor=series:Questprobe Questprobe series] at the Interactive Fiction Database

{{Adventure International}}

{{Disney franchises}}

Category:1980s interactive fiction

Category:Adventure International games

Category:Defunct American comics

Category:Interactive fiction based on works

Category:Marvel Comics storylines

Category:Single-player video games

Category:Video game franchises introduced in 1984

Category:Video games based on Marvel Comics