I liked HQ, and here's why.
Way back when, I had a nightmare of a Kobold Wizard living in my basement.
I used to think Baba Yaga lived inside my wall.
I believed that if you didn't run up the stairs, the troll living in the laundry room would get you.
I loved watching dad pound on the up arrow key until his finger bled. And STILL lose to the trolls.
I loved hearing uncle Martin recite that 'house of brown, now sit down' speech.
I hate playing with mouses because I can never click right where I need to, and end up dying often as a result.
I loved the very first time I saw my 8 year old cousin beat the game.
I hate MoSlo and like software. With a furious passion.
All a man needs are the 16 colors you get in a 16 pack of crayons. That and ducktape.
HQ meant a lot to me. Sure, they renamed it and rereleased it as QFG later still EGA and all... But it just wasn't the same. There was no high-speed-hero. There was no freezing your character if you fired a flame dart poorly, no oops error if you killed a mantray with a dagger.
Fending off beasts with your bare hands, casting calm in combat, sleeping in the forest 'neath the trees, falling into a bottomless pit, having the giant bird-hut crush you. Sigh, what wonderful ways there were to die in the original that I have yet to pull off in the 256 color version.