Lure of the Temptress is the free adventure that started Revolution Software. You play Diermot, an ordinary peasant thrown into a cell by the Skorl, the mercenary invaders who’ve taken over the land of Turnvale. Escaping is only step one. After that, you have to free the kingdom and track down Selena, the mysterious Temptress who controls the Skorl.
Revolution began in Hull, funded partly by a £10,000 loan from co-founder Charles Cecil’s mother, and Virgin Interactive published this debut in 1992 for the Amiga, Atari ST and MS-DOS. Its big idea was the Virtual Theatre engine, where characters wander the world independently and go about everyday routines instead of standing still until you show up. Revolution reused the engine in Beneath a Steel Sky and the first two Broken Sword games.
Revolution released the DOS version as freeware in 2003. The source code had been lost, so the ScummVM team had to reverse-engineer the engine, and it officially supported the game in January 2007. GOG added a free version in December 2008.
Curious how Revolution’s first outing stacks up against the pack? See where it lands in our best free point-and-click adventure games.
Is Lure of the Temptress Free?
Yes. Lure of the Temptress is freeware. Its creators and copyright holders, Revolution Software, gave it away, so there’s no price, no microtransactions and no paid version.
Gameplay & Features
It’s a medieval-fantasy point-and-click adventure, and an honest early effort. It’s fairly short and straightforward, but the action-menu interface can feel fiddly today, and many modern players rank it below Revolution’s later games. What keeps it interesting is how alive the world feels for a 1992 title.
- Virtual Theatre characters who move around Turnvale and live out their own lives.
- The chance to give other characters commands, though they’ll cheerfully agree to things that don’t help you.
- Hand-drawn 256-colour pixel art at 320×200.
- Freeware versions in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.
- A dry sense of humor. Revolution has joked that the title came before the game had any luring or any temptress in it.
If you enjoy this, Revolution’s own Beneath a Steel Sky is the better game, and Broken Sword 2.5 carries the studio’s spirit forward in a fan-made adventure. Flight of the Amazon Queen is another ScummVM freeware classic, and Heroine’s Quest offers a fantasy quest with more depth.
PC System Requirements
These figures come from Revolution Software’s own page for the game. Everything runs through ScummVM and needs very little.
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 or older | Windows 10 or 11 |
| Processor | 1 GHz | Any modern CPU |
| Memory | 256 MB RAM | Any modern PC |
| Graphics | Any card with DirectX 9 | Any modern GPU |
| Storage | 25 MB | 25 MB |
Linux and Mac are supported too. Revolution lists Ubuntu 14.04 or Mint 17 with a 1.4 GHz processor, 512 MB of RAM and 128 MB of video memory for Linux, and an Intel Core Duo at 2 GHz, 1 GB of RAM and 64 MB of video memory for Mac. Both need about 25 MB of storage.
How to Download & Play Lure of the Temptress for Free
There are two official routes: GOG and ScummVM. Both are free and safe. If you want to double-check other sources, our guide to safe free PC game download sites explains what to look for.
- Easiest route: download Lure of the Temptress free on GOG. It’s DRM-free, supports Windows, Linux and macOS, and needs a free GOG account.
- No-account route: install ScummVM, then download Lure of the Temptress free from ScummVM. The English freeware version is a tiny zip of about 5 MB.
- Extract the zip, open ScummVM, click Add Game and select the folder, then press Start.
- If the music or sound effects sound off, try changing ScummVM’s music device in its options. The game was written for Roland MT-32 and CM-32L sound modules, and FluidSynth has worked well for at least one reviewer.
FAQ
Is Lure of the Temptress legal to download?
Yes. Revolution Software, the creators and copyright holders, released it as freeware in 2003, and GOG and ScummVM both distribute it with that permission.
Is it related to Broken Sword?
Yes. It was Revolution’s first game, and the Virtual Theatre engine behind it also powered Beneath a Steel Sky and the first two Broken Sword games.
How long does it take to finish?
Reviewers describe it as relatively short and straightforward, so it won’t eat up your week.
Does it work on Mac and Linux?
Yes. GOG supports Windows, Linux and macOS, and ScummVM runs the game on all three.
