Ultima Collection Due in February

In preparation for Ultima 9: Ascension, Origin will ship The Ultima Collection, the first product to feature all of the existing Ultima games on one CD, not including spin-off titles like Ultima Underworld or Worlds of Ultima games. While one can find the Complete Ultima 7 and Ultima 8 in bargain bins nationwide, the Ultima 1-6 anthology is no longer available in stores.

Worked to run under Windows 95, The Ultima Collection will also include a number of bonus items, including video interviews with Lord British (aka Richard Garriott) himself, a PC version of Lord British's first game, Akalabeth, a video trailer for Ultima 9, and a US$10 rebate for the purchase of Ultima Online.

While nothing was solid at press time, the marketers at Origin are currently working on an incentive for current Ultima Online players. However, due to production cost limitations, the original manuals and trademark Ultima cloth maps will not be included. The cloth maps will be compiled into an Ultima atlas, while the original documentation will be available on the CD in Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Word, and text formats.

The Ultima Collection is expected to ship this February for the suggested retail price of $39.99.