Akalabeth: World of Doom was the predecessor to the Ultima Series, although there appears to be some debate as to where it fits in the Ultima Timeline. According to what has become the accepted Ultima Timeline, Akalabeth occurs before the Ultima series begins with Ultima 1. However, Trigon Dragon observes that the game could well fit in between Ultima 1 and Ultima 2, as it seems to involve only cleaning up a rash of monsters after Mondain’s death.

Written entirely in BASIC, Akalabeth was originally released in 1980, on 5.25″ diskettes and on cassette. It was re-released in 1980 (exclusively on 5.25″ diskettes) and again in 1981 (again on 5.25″ diskettes).

Ultima 1: The First Age of Darkness was originally titled “Ultima” before any of the sequels were developed. The initial version of the game was written in BASIC and was essentially a re-working and upgrade of Akalabeth. After its original release, Richard Garriot re-did the game in assembley language, and it was re-released in 1986 under the Origin Systems label. All releases were apparently on 5.25″ diskettes.

Ultima 1 told the tale of the battle between the Stranger from Another World and the evil wizard Mondain. As with the other pre-Avatar Ultimas, this game features a science-fiction component in addition to its fantasy world.

Ultima 2: Revenge of the Enchantress was released in 1982. While a larger game than its predecessor, it featured marginal, if any, graphical improvements over Ultima 1. It was re-released several times afterward (1983, 1985, and 1989, most notably) on a wide range of systems.

Ultima 2 picks up where Ultima 1 left off. Following Mondain’s death, his protoge and (young!) lover Minax vows revenge, and launches an assault on the Stranger from Another World’s native Earth, ushering in a nuclear holocaust there. The game takes place in several different eras and epochs of time, from prehistoric Earth to a devastated future. Finally, the player travels through time to Minax’s castle to do battle with her.

Ultima 3: Exodus was released in 1983, and its graphics were virtually identical (in the first release, at least) to those of Ultima 2. However, the game was subsequently re-released on several platforms (including the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987), and many of these re-released versions featured upgraded music and graphics.

Ultima 3 picks up where Ultima 2 left off. Following Minax’s death, the child/spawn of Mondain and Minax surfaces on the Isle of Fire to lay siege to Sosaria and claim revenge for the death of its parents. The Stranger from Another World must battle legions of monsters, and even the Great Earth Serpent, to defeat the machine known as Exodus.

Ultima 4: The Quest of the Avatar was released in 1985, and its graphics showed a marked improvement over those of the previous Ultimas. This was the first Ultima, from a strictly canonical perspective, that featured the recurring character that was the Avatar. Whether the Avatar was the Stranger from Another World of previous titles is the subject of some debate, and Ultima documentation at various times has given both “yes” and “no” answers to the question.

In Ultima 4, the player must strive to master the 8 Virtues and achieve the title of “Avatar”. Along the way, he or she will journey into the heart of the Underworld and discover the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom.

Ultima 5: Warriors of Destiny was released in 1988, and again featured an improvement over the graphics of its predecessors. Having said that, this was the last Ultima to feature the truly classic overhead “dual-scale” low-resolution world view. All Ultimas after this (until Ultima 9) would feature some variant of the isometric view.

Ultima 5 brought the Avatar back to a darker Britannia, in which Lord British had been imprisoned and the land caught up in the oppressive rule of the treacherous Lord Blackthorn, himself a puppet of the evil Shadowlords – three beings of great evil spawned from the shards of the shattered Gem of Mondain.

Ultima 6: The False Prophet was released in 1990, and featured the first of the isometric Ultima engines, which eliminated the need for “dual-scale” world maps and allowed a greater level of immersion into the world of Britannia.

Ultima 6 told the story of the invasion of Britannia by the Gargoyles, and the racial prejudice that marred both sides of the conflict. Force of arms is not the way to resolve this conflict, and so the Avatar has to find a way to peacefully resolve the conflict, a dispute over the ownership of the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom.

Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss was released in 1992, and marked the first foray of Ultima into the world of 3D adventure gaming. For its time, the game’s 3D engine was remarkably advanced, featuring an advanced drawing method and several features not included in other 3D games of its era, such as sloped floors. Ultima Underworld is not always considered a canon Ultima, for while it certainly fits into the storyline of Ultima, it adds nothing to the overall plot arc.

Ultima Underworld saw the Avatar wrongly accused of kidnapping the daughter of the lord of a new city in Britannia, built upon the Isle of the Avatar near the entrance to the Stygian Abyss. The Avatar must navigate the perils of the Abyss to find her and defeat the evil wizard Tyball, who is madly bent on bringing a great demon, the Slasher of Veils, into Britannia.

Worlds of Ultima: Savage Empire was released in 1990, and used the same engine as Ultima 6 (albeit with a different graphics tileset). It is not considered a canon Ultima.

Savage Empire saw Lord British sending the Avatar to the land of Eodon, a prehistoric jungle empire, to defeat the Myrmidex queen and shatter a dark moonstone.

Worlds of Ultima: Martian Dreams was a strange, but novel, game that again featured the versatile isometric engine of Ultima 6 (again with a new graphics tileset). Released in 1991, it is not considered a canon Ultima, not least of all because it apparently happens in a dream.

In Martian Dreams, the Avatar is sent to Mars to rescue a group of famous historical figures who have accidentally been sent to Mars aboard a cannon-launched space-ship.

Ultima 7: The Black Gate was released in 1992, and featured a new isometric engine that vastly expanded both the functionality and detail of the world of Britannia. With this game and this engine, Ultima set a standard in world interactivity.

Ultima 7 saw the Avatar mysteriously summoned to Britannia after being contacted by an apparently malevolent being called the Guardian. Arriving, the Avatar finds Britannia giving up on the Virtues, and a new group called the Fellowship spreading its philosophy throughout the land. Only a few people know or suspect the Fellowship’s true purpose – to assasinate the Avatar and summon the Guardian to enslave Britannia.

Ultima Underworld 2: Labyrinth of Worlds was released in 1993, and featured an upgraded version of the 3D engine of the original Underworld. Underworld 2 is not always considered a canon Ultima, although unlike its predecessor it does tell a somewhat important part of the Ultima story following Ultima 7 and leading up to Serpent Isle.

Underworld 2 sees the Avatar and the leaders of most of the towns of Britannia entombed inside the castle of Lord British by a blackrock dome conjured by the treacherous Guardian. The Avatar must find a portal to another world, this one already subjugated by the Guardian and enslaved by his anti-Virtues, and from there journey between worlds to find a way to break the massive dome.

Ultima 7 Part Two: Serpent Isle was released in 1993, and again used the isometric engine of Ultima 7 to continue the tale of the Avatar. This time, the game’s setting was not in familiar Britannia but the alien (and yet somehow familiar) Serpent Isle.

In Serpent Isle, the Avatar pursues Batlin, the fugitive leader of the Fellowship, to the titular continent, a land populated by people who have fled Lord British’s rule to preserve their cowardly and unjust ways, and who hate all things Britannian. Surrounded by this hostile culture, the Avatar must determine Batlin’s, and the Guardian’s, purpose in this strange land and bring the rogue Fellowship monk to justice.

Ultima 8: Pagan featured yet another isometric engine and, for the first time, advanced motion control features for the Avatar such as running and jumping. While this was certainly an advancement in many respects, it was also received with mixed feelings by fans of the series, and several jumping puzzles in particular caused more than a little frustration amongst players. What was truly novel about the game was the way it continually put the Avatar into morally dubious situations, in which sometimes the only way through was to commit acts that would be considered evil by most players.

Captured by the Guardian, the Avatar is dumped on a strange world called Pagan. Far away from allies and familiar equipment, the Avatar must struggle to understand an oppressive and foreign place long dominated by the Guardian. Ultimately, to escape, the Avatar must defeat the four Titans of the Elements and take on the mantle of the Titan of Ether.

Ultima 9: Ascension was in many respects the most controversial Ultima title ever released. To some Ultima fans, it is not even an Ultima. To others, it is not a canonical Ultima. To others, it is accepted as canon, although emotions concerning it range from enjoyment to disillusionment.

What is generally beyond question is that the game was buggy and incomplete, with several plot aspects that contradicted (or outright flew in the face of) previous Ultimas. Features that had been accepted as being “uniquely” Ultima – Avatar gender selection, companions – were notably absent. There were also numerous continuity failures, and the ending was almost universally considered disappointing. That said, it did feature exceptional sound editing and a marvelous 3D world that showed Britannia in unparalleled detail.

In Ultima 9, the Avatar is sent to Britannia by the spirit of Hawkwind, only to find the land invaded by the Guardian and on the verge of being torn asunder by eight massive columns. The Virtues have been corrupted by these columns, and the people of the land have become cold and cruel. The Avatar, assisted by the mysterious pirate lady Raven, must solve the mystery of the Columns and defeat the Guardian once and for all, even if it costs him his life.