Courtesy Slashdot comes Matt Barton’s article on The History of Computer Role-Playing Games Part I: The Early Years (1974-1983). The chronology starts by discussing tabletop D&D and number games like Strat-O-Matic, moves into mainframe classics like dnd and Rogue, and then covers the first CRPGs for home computers. The author wrote this article for CRPG fans who want to learn more about venerable old classics (including those for the Apple II) like Akalabeth, Temple of Apshai, Ultima, Wizardry, Tunnels of Doom, Dungeons of Daggorath, and Telengard.