First I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Niek, i turned 20 2 days ago. And I can still remember when my father bought this game back in (i think!) 1988 or 1989. I remember the awesome cover of the box, with the dragon.
I don't think I started to play this game right away, since I was 3, and English isn't my mother language. I am from Holland. But i'm 100% sure I was playing this game when I was 4 (So that would be in 1990).
My dad and I made a list with commands I could use during the game, such as 'look at' 'ask about' 'pick lock' 'fight' 'run' 'search body' and so on. And at some time I made a map so I knew where all the different parts of the game where. So I can really say "Hero's Quest" helped me with my English. At that time I was playing some other RPG/Adventure games on my Nintendo (Especially the Castlevania games) but because of my age at some point I got stuck, because my english wasn't good enough to help me through the game. I think I got stuck with QFG when I had to visit Baba Yaga and the cave with the Kobold.
Anyway, during my youth I always came back to this game and installed it every few years and started to play again, about 3 years ago I started from scratch and began to play seriously. I soon found out a lot of stuff. The password, the rhyme, the ring, the potion and I found out what to do with the bear. (Years ago I just killed the bear..) and I found out what that awesome Antwerp was all about.
Anyway. When I played this game at age 5 or 6 I discovered that in the woods in some trees or bushes (Can't remember which) eyes will pop up. But when I played it recently I can't seem to find them. Did any of you guys see the eyes?
Niek.
Oh yeah, I'm writing a symphonic version of the QFG1 Theme Song

Ah yeah, that bouncing smilie reminds me of the good ol' Antwerp. Except for the 4 eyes and the moustache