The Magic Candle

This is an old game by Mindcraft, the first in a series. The hero is Lukas, tasked with finding the way to keep the demon Dreax imprisoned in a magical candle after the guardians sustaining the magic were found missing. Lukas forms his party from a pool of characters found either in the castle of King Rebnard, or at the Crystal Castle. All characters, including Lukas, start with fix statistics, which can be improved during the game either through use, training, gifts or gods.

The game is a process of travelling, finding people, finding the key to solving the puzzle, while fighting monsters. The party either walks or take a boat. It can also teleport via spells or teleportals. Party members can find a job to earn money. Certain mushrooms, when eaten, confer combat-related bonuses. To gain access to more spells, spellbooks can be bought from renown wizards living in secluded towns. Unlike most RPGs, charisma is actually a required attribute, as key people will not talk to those with lesser charisma.

I think what sets this game apart from other RPGs of its time was that of earning money and gaining access to spells through spellbooks. Most RPGs allowed you to roll up a character; The Magic Candle gave you all the characters pre-rolled. It is up to you the player to choose who to bring along, and how to use the abilities and limitations. There is also a time limit for completing the game, with the number of days given depending on the difficulty level chosen.

This link leads to an online shrine for The Magic Candle.