Released in 1982, Dragonstomper is often recognized as the first true role-playing game (RPG) for a home console, Dragonstomper casts the player as a lone hero on a quest to retrieve a magical amulet lost to a powerful dragon. The game is structured in three acts: roaming the Enchanted Countryside to battle monsters and earn gold; navigating an Oppressed Village to purchase items and gather allies; and finally descending into the Dragon’s Cave for a climactic showdown. Featuring random encounters, turn-based combat, recruitable NPCs, and multiple solution paths, the game draws heavily from pen-and-paper RPG tropes. Its scope and ambition were remarkable for the Atari 2600, taking full advantage of the Supercharger’s extra memory and loading capabilities to deliver a sophisticated, multi-stage fantasy adventure.

Part of the Starpath Supercharger collection, all of these titles are candidates for licensing and revival.  The 1996 CD Stella Gets A New Brain revived the collection for a while.  An ambitious team with an Atari 2600 emulator could make this entire collection available again…