Diablo

Genre: Role Playing

Release Year: 1996

Developer: Blizzard Entertainment

Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment

Age Rating: 18+

Playability Status: Perfect

Tested On: Windows 10 x64

Availability: Copyright retained - Out of print/unavailable

Way back in 1996, Diablo took the classic Rogue template of randomly generated dungeons laden with monsters and treasure and updated it for then cutting-edge PC hardware. It was a critical and commercial success and with robust online and LAN multiplayer, a favourite of university students across the world. This year marks the games 20th anniversary, so what better time to revisit Tristram and the Cathedral labyrinth?

Installation

The game should install without any difficulties on a modern PC, simply place the CD-ROM in your computers optical drive and follow the on-screen prompts. If installation does not start automatically, browse to the CD in Computer/This PC and run the “AUTORUN.EXE” file manually.

Blizzard’s support for their classic titles is second to none. If you have lost your CD but still have your serial number, you can register for a Battle.net account here. Once you have done that, log into your account and click on the “Add a game key” button. Then, enter your CD key and you will be able to download a copy of the game for free directly from Battle.net.

Patching

If you downloaded your game from Battle.net, no patching should be necessary. If you installed from CD, you should download the latest patch from this page. To install the patch, just run it, installation will then be automatic.

Nothing else?

Not this time, there are no graphics or sound options to set, so just go play!

Wait, I want better graphics!

Well, okay then, if you really want to run Diablo in high definition and with enhanced graphics and sound, check out the Diablo 1 HD mod, Codename: Belzebub. To install this mod, download it from its homepage, then simply copy the entire contents of the downloaded zip file into your Diablo game folder. Then, run Belzebub.exe to start the game. You can then press the Escape key any time in game and choose “Video Options”. You will then be able to ramp the games resolution all the way up to 1080p and beyond.

Note that apart from adding support for HD resolutions, this mod also tweaks the games difficulty, making it more challenging. Sadly, the mod currently only supports single player mode. While on that page you might also want to check out Project Tchernobog. A popular mod for Diablo 1 that adds some of the improvements found in Diablo 2, while still keeping the experience very much Diablo 1.

Troubleshooting

Corrupt colours – On some machines (particularly Windows 7 machines) you may find the games colours are corrupt or don’t display properly, particularly on loading screens. To cure this problem, try Aqrit’s ddwrapper. Follow the instructions on that page to install the wrapper into your Diablo game folder (do not install or overwrite the supplied ddraw.dll file anywhere else!). To cure the corrupt colour issues, try the ColorFix and/or ForceDirectDrawEmulation options.

Screenshots

Click on any screenshot to enlarge it.

The game in its original resolution.

Playing using the HD mod.