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King Graham is getting too old for adventuring, and his health is failing him. Thinking about his condition, he decides to let the adventure hat pass down to his children Rosella and Alexander. As he tosses the hat toward them, his heart gives in to the stress … and only luck enables him to survive the heart attack, but Father Death is coming closer every second. Princess Rosella cannot bear to see her father suffer, and with the help of the magic mirror and a fairy queen called Genesta, she sets out on a quest to find a fruit with the power to save her father's life. And so the fourth King’s Quest begins.

In KQ4 we are once again back in Daventry with our beloved hero King Graham and his royal family. This time it is his daughter who will do the travelling. The game is filled with plots and twists from almost any fairytale you can possibly think of. Remembering these stories is a must in order to complete the game, as you will have to act according to them.

The graphics have taken a big step forward from KQ3, signaling that Sierra is still working on better graphical solutions. KQ4 was also the first game in the series to incorporate mouse control, but it is used only for movement. The game is fun to play and is filled with details for you to enjoy. So do just that. Enjoy.

Roberta says:
Before King's Quest IV was released, word leaked out that Graham would have a heart attack and might die. Fans were upset enough to write in, asking to save Graham. I wanted King's Quest IV to have some pressure applied to you: a timed game, taking place over a 24-hour period, so you roam around during the day and eventually it turns to night. I don't remember other games using the same scenes at night; it looked creepy.

The story always comes first, but the technology plays a big part in what you can't do. When Wizard and the Princess shipped for the IBM PC, you could play it all in B&W or in 4 hideous CGA colors. When we created EGA support for King's Quest IV, we got higher resolution (to get facial expressions and body language). For music support, Ken met someone at a trade show, made a few calls to Roland, and suddenly we could add an orchestra to the games. That did a lot in establishing the mood. I loved King's Quest IV's terrifying "Zombie's Night" and joyful "Cupid's Theme" songs. King's Quest IV won the Software Publishers' Association's "Best Adventure Game" award in 1989.

I knew the female lead is just fine for women and girls who play the game, but wasn't sure how it would go over with some of the men. And you know what? It wasn't as controversial as I expected. However, it was real strange at first designing the game; quite a different point of view. Have the woman die bothered me more than I expected. (From Roberta Williams Anthology manual, 1996)