Initial release date: 1987

Released on: Commodore 64, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, iOS (2011)

Publisher: Datasoft

Genre: RPG

Perspective: First person

Setting: fantasy / sci-fi

Sequel to: Alternate Reality: The City (1985)

Manuals:

Read the manual (via Museum of Computer Adventure Game History, 1987), or see the Atari-specific version, or the Commodore 64 version (1987). The archive also has a Hintbook and extended manual (1987)

Announcements, Listings, and Advertisements:

Announced in Atari Explorer Vol 6 Issue #2 (1986)

Electronic Arts named as distributor, Ahoy! Magazine #47 (1987)

Listed in Apple II Software Information Guide (1990)

Advertised in Atari Explorer Vol 7 Issue #6 (1987); Atari Classics Vol 2 Issue #4 (1993); Farther, the Electronic Arts Magazine (1987); a fold-out in Computer Play #11 (1988); Compute! Gazette Issue #54 (1987)

Mentioned in an Industry Report, Michigan Atari Magazine Vol 1 Issue #7 (1987)

Previewed in the manual for Zorro (also a Datasoft-published game) (1985)

Advertised in the packing materials and manual for Alternate Reality: The City (1985)

Listed in the American Techna-Vision Catalog (1991); in Silicon Express Vol 3 Issue #2 (1986); in Your Commodore Issue #65 (1990)

Reviews and Write-Ups:

Reviewed in Compute! Gazette Issue #55 (1988); Hardcore Computist Issue #56 (1988); Analog Computing Magazine Issue #62 (1988); Zzap!64 Issue #31 (1987); GCC Gazette Vol 4 (1987); Info #23 (1988); Run Magazine #50 (1988); Washington Apple Pi Journal (Feb 1988)

Mentioned in a larger trend-piece about sequels, Commodore Magazine Issue #13 (1988)

Recounted in a section of The CRPG Book Project: Sharing the History of Computer Role-Playing Games (2018)

Media:

Playable Soundtrack/Music Collection

Tips:

A.P.T. (Advanced Playing Technique) described in Hardcore Computist Issue #52 (1988)

General tips in Gold Mine Game Tips for Commodore Users (1990)

General tips (in German) in Happy Computer SH Vol 24 Issue #5

Character Creation tips in Questbusters Vol 5 Issue #2

Many correspondences to and from magazines asking for help:

• Questbusters: Vol 5 Issue #3, Vol 5 Issue #10

• Australian Commodore and Amiga Review: Vol 7 Issue #6, Vol 8 Issue #10 (plus duplicate)

• Commodore Computing International: Vol 7 Issue #03

• Zzap!64: Issue #039

Minutiae:

Discussed in context with the process of fixing bugs in physical media, Online Today Vol 7 Issue #3 (1988)

Creators cited in Call-A.P.P.L.E. Magazine (1985)

Part of a Contest/Challenge in Computer Game Forum Issue #01 (1987)

Mentioned as a popular title in Washington Apple Pi Journal (1988)

Several sequential issues of Questbusters discuss a delay in release time (1987)

• Vol 4 Issue #4

• Issue #5

• Issue #6

• Issue #7

• Issue #8

Datasoft planned to release several sequels; the Arena is mentioned in Family Computing #59 (1988); however, no games in the series were released after The Dungeon.

Mentioned in context with other newly released software, Michigan Atari Magazine Vol 2 Issue #12 (1987)

Writeup of preceding game, Alternate Reality - the City, Retro Gamer #117 (2013)

Wiki Entries and Fan Sites:

Mobygames page

Monochromeeffect.org (archived)

Alternate Copies/Versions on the Internet Archive:

Full version uploaded by Jason Scott

Separate versions of Disk 1 and Disk 2 uploaded by Sketch the Cow

Bugs and Trivia:

First, a description of a condition that causes only “Devourer” enemies to appear; second, a description of a possible bug that causes said “Devourer” enemies to disappear.

Description, from Mobygames:

Alternate Reality: The Dungeon directly follows its predecessor: The player is still captured by aliens and imprisoned in an alternate reality. After visiting the city, now he proceeds to the dungeon with only one goal in mind: surviving.

While the predecessor was more about exploring the city, this installment has a largely linear path - the dungeon consists of four levels which have to be visited in order. But the surroundings don't mean that there are only monsters to fight in the turn-based combat system or treasure to loot: the player still has the shops, e.g. an inn or a smithy, to his disposal. Even the six guilds (plus two additional ones) found their way into the dungeon; this time the player even may become a member. An important change in gameplay is that all items have a weight associated with them - carrying too much is bad for speed and endurance.

The dungeon is separated from the city and after entering there is no turning back. Save games can be imported, but the player loses all potions but sixteen.