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Al Lowe
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Al Lowe
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Albert William Lowe (born July 24, 1946)[1][2][3][4] is an American video game designer who developed several adventure games, mostly for Sierra On-Line. He created the Leisure Suit Larry series. He has also worked as a casting director, voice director, writer, director, producer, background photographer, actor and executive producer.

Key Information

Career

[edit]

Teaching, early programming

[edit]
Al Lowe on programming the monorail in Larry II (Interview 1989)

Lowe began his working life teaching public school music for 15 years. He taught himself programming during a sick leave.[5] He quit teaching and pursued a career in programming. In 1982 he created three video games for the Apple II: Dragon's Keep,[6][7] Bop-A-Bet,[7] and Troll's Tale.[8] He was on Name That Tune in the 1984–85 season and was a semifinalist in one of that season's Tournaments of Champions.

Sierra Entertainment bought these games in 1983 and Lowe worked for them as a programmer and game designer for 16 years. His first projects included Winnie the Pooh in the Hundred Acre Wood, Donald Duck's Playground, and The Black Cauldron, all based on Disney properties. Later, he was lead programmer on King's Quest III and Police Quest I and also created the music for other Sierra games. Lowe is best known for his Leisure Suit Larry series of games. After Larry's success, Lowe also designed other games such as Torin's Passage and Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist (with Josh Mandel). Throughout his career, Lowe was known for his distinctive bald head, full beard, and considerable beer belly, and liked to call himself "the world's oldest game designer". Next Generation listed Lowe in their "75 Most Important People in the Games Industry of 1995", chiefly for the Leisure Suit Larry series.[9]

Sam Suede: Undercover Exposure

[edit]

Computer Gaming World reported a rumor in July 1994 that Lowe was working on a new series, Capitol Punishment, with the first game being "Bill and Hillary's Whitewater Adventure".[10] That year he moved with his family to Seattle and supposedly retired in 1998. In a 2006 interview,[1] Lowe revealed that he was not actually retired, but had spent well over a year secretly designing a new game Sam Suede: Undercover Exposure, an action comedy game developed by iBase Entertainment, which he co-founded with Ken Wegrzyn. Unable to locate a publisher to promote and distribute Sam Suede, iBase Entertainment shut down in December 2006. Following this setback, Lowe expressed serious doubts whether he'd ever reenter the gaming industry again.[11] As of January 2007, the website for Sam Suede developer iBase Entertainment listed the project as postponed pending acquisition of additional development funding.

Later developing

[edit]

In 2010, Lowe produced and directed Al Lowe's Comedy Club, developed by The Binary Mill for iOS devices.[12] He has since been recruited by Replay Games to work on high-definition remakes of six of the first seven Leisure Suit Larry games (the fourth entry in the series was deliberately skipped as part of the "fifth" game's plot).[13] On December 11, 2013, it was announced that Lowe had left Replay Games and returned to retirement. While Replay Games' official statement claimed that Lowe's departure was amicable, Lowe himself disputed this, stating that the parting did not happen on good terms.[14]

Al Lowe's Sierra Source Code

[edit]

In 2018, Lowe posted a listing at popular auction website eBay of an entire backup of his own works at Sierra because he noted that Sierra had no intention of ever backing up any source code. Lowe said, "I backed everything up because I knew Sierra didn't." These included original floppies, boxes, manuals and source code for various games including popular titles such as the original Leisure Suit Larry and Space Quest among others. Shortly after he posted the listing, he sat down for an in depth interview with MetalJesusRocks, a former colleague and ex-Sierra employee where the two had a detailed discussion regarding the entire collection and its ultimate value.[15]

Personal life

[edit]

Lowe grew up in Chesterfield, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.[4] Both Lowe and his wife Margaret, whom he married in 1968, are University of Missouri graduates.[16][3][17] During college, Lowe played saxophone in university bands,[18] and after graduation, worked in education as a band director.[19]

Lowe is an avid model railroader and a member of the board of directors of the 4th Division of the Pacific Northwest Region of the National Model Railroad Association.[20][21] In November 2007, he was the guest of honor at the Alternative Party 2007 in Helsinki, Finland and played saxophone live with David Hasselhoff Big Band.[22][23] He also runs a website, Al Lowe's Humor Site, and CyberJoke 3000, a daily joke mailing list.

Games

[edit]
Name Year Credited with Publisher
Bop-A-Bet 1982 programmer Sunnyside Soft
Dragon's Keep 1982 programmer, writer, artist Sunnyside Soft
Troll's Tale 1983 programmer, writer, artist Sierra On-Line
Gelfling Adventure 1984 programmer Sierra On-Line
Donald Duck's Playground 1984 designer, programmer, composer Sierra On-Line
Mickey's Space Adventure 1984 composer Sierra On-Line
Winnie the Pooh in the Hundred Acre Wood 1984 designer Sierra On-Line
King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne 1985 composer Sierra On-Line
The Black Cauldron 1986 designer, programmer Sierra On-Line
King's Quest III: To Heir Is Human 1986 programmer Sierra On-Line
Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards 1987 designer, programmer, writer, composer Sierra On-Line
Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel 1987 programmer Sierra On-Line
King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella 1988 programmer Sierra On-Line
Leisure Suit Larry Goes Looking for Love (in Several Wrong Places) 1988 designer, programmer, writer, composer Sierra On-Line
Leisure Suit Larry III: Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating Pectorals 1989 producer, designer, programmer, writer Sierra On-Line
Leisure Suit Larry 5: Passionate Patti Does a Little Undercover Work 1991 director, designer, programmer, composer Sierra On-Line
Leisure Suit Larry 1: In the Land of the Lounge Lizards 1991 director, designer, programmer Sierra On-Line
Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist 1993 designer, writer, voice direction Sierra On-Line
Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out! 1993 director, producer, designer, writer, composer Sierra On-Line
Torin's Passage 1995 designer, writer, composer Sierra On-Line
Leisure Suit Larry: Love for Sail! 1996 director, designer, writer, composer Sierra On-Line
Leisure Suit Larry's Casino 1998 director, designer, writer Sierra On-Line
Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded 2013 designer, writer Replay Games

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Al Lowe

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Al Lowe (born July 24, 1946) is an American video game designer, programmer, and jazz musician renowned for creating the Leisure Suit Larry series of adult-oriented adventure games during the 1980s and 1990s. He initially worked as a high school music teacher for 15 years before transitioning to computer programming on an Apple II computer, where he developed educational software titles that were later acquired by Sierra On-Line. In 1982, Lowe joined Sierra On-Line, contributing to a wide array of projects including programming on Disney-licensed games like The Black Cauldron (1986) and Donald Duck's Playground (1984), as well as leading development on King's Quest III: To Heir Is Human (1986) and composing music for King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne (1985). His breakthrough came in 1987 with Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards, a satirical point-and-click adventure that parodied 1970s swinger culture, earning the Software Publishers Association Award for Best Adventure Game and pioneering the genre of humorous, adult-themed computer games; the series eventually sold over a million copies. Over the next decade, he expanded the series to seven main installments, including Leisure Suit Larry 7: Love for Sail! (1996), which sold more than 300,000 copies, and ventured into other titles like the Western parody Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist (1993) and the family-friendly Torin's Passage (1995). After 16 years at Sierra, having relocated to the area in 1994, Lowe was laid off in 1999 amid the company's restructuring, where he continues to perform as a saxophonist in local bands, maintains a humor-focused , and formerly managed the CyberJoke 3000™ mailing list until 2024. His work has influenced the adventure game genre by blending puzzle-solving with irreverent , and he has occasionally contributed to modern remakes, such as Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded (2013), and participated in industry panels, such as at the 2025 Portland Retro Gaming Expo.

Early life and education

Childhood and family background

Al Lowe was born on July 24, 1946, in , . He was raised in this small community of about 200 people and was effectively an , with an older sister 13 years his senior who was already married by the time he started grade school. His parents were 45 years old at the time of his birth and provided a supportive environment that encouraged his early interest in music. During his childhood, Lowe exhibited a strong penchant for humor, establishing himself as the perennial in school. He frequently engaged in pranks that amused his peers but often landed him in trouble with teachers, highlighting his mischievous nature from an early age. These formative experiences in pre-college life underscored Lowe's innate creativity and comedic inclinations, which would later influence his work in entertainment, though specific family influences on his sense of humor remain undocumented in available accounts.

Academic and teaching career

Al Lowe earned both a and a in Music Education from the University of Missouri-Columbia. These degrees prepared him for a career in education, aligning with his early interests in music as a professional saxophonist and jazz musician starting from age 13. Following his graduation, Lowe began his teaching career in the late as a high school educator in public , where he served for 15 years, primarily in . His duties included instructing instrumental , coordinating programs for large school districts, and leading school activities such as marching bands. Lowe's classroom style often incorporated humor, drawing from his childhood as a to engage students effectively.

Entry into computing and gaming

Self-taught programming

In the early , at the age of 35, Al Lowe began teaching himself while on from his position as a high school teacher, marking a pivotal shift toward a career in despite having no prior formal training in the field. This period of recovery provided him the time to immerse himself in the technology, driven by a growing fascination with computers and their potential for creative applications, which contrasted with his established background in education that had honed his skills in structured creativity. Lowe's self-study approach relied heavily on books and hands-on experimentation, as formal programming classes were unavailable for personal computers like the , which he had acquired around 1978–1979. He progressed through , starting with basic coding exercises and gradually tackling more complex tasks on the , adapting to its limitations without structured guidance. This methodical, independent learning process was typical of the era's nascent personal computing scene, where enthusiasts like Lowe bridged the gap between hobbyist tinkering and practical through persistent self-education. During this time, Lowe's first personal programming projects centered on educational software prototypes, reflecting his teaching experience and interest in making technology accessible for learning. For instance, he developed simple programs aimed at young children, such as Dragon's Keep (1982), an educational adventure game featuring point-and-click mechanics to rescue animals from a dragon's castle; Bop-A-Bet (1982), focused on letter recognition; and Troll's Tale (1983), a word puzzle adventure involving spelling to progress through troll-guarded levels, including one designed to teach reading to his own four-year-old son. These early efforts not only built his technical proficiency but also underscored his motivation to leverage programming for innovative, user-friendly tools, laying the groundwork for his transition into professional game development.

Initial game development

Al Lowe's initial forays into game development were enabled by his self-taught programming skills acquired on an computer while working as a high school music teacher. In 1982, Lowe created Bop-A-Bet, an educational game for the designed to teach children letter recognition and typing skills through interactive gameplay where players select correct letters from on-screen options. Originally published by Sunnyside Soft, the company Lowe founded, the game was later acquired and re-released by Sierra On-Line, marking Lowe's early entry into commercial software development. That same year, following the sale of his educational software to Sierra On-Line, Lowe joined the company as a programmer, transitioning from teaching to full-time game development around 1982–1983 after 15 years in education. By 1985, Lowe contributed to The Black Cauldron, an adventure game adaptation of the Disney film, which he designed and programmed and is noted as a 3D animated adventure game, featuring over 1,000 cells of animation and 30 animated characters.

Sierra On-Line career

Early contributions at Sierra

Al Lowe joined Sierra On-Line in the early as a contractor, initially contributing to projects like The Black Cauldron (1986), where he handled design and programming using the AGI engine. His role expanded significantly in 1986 as lead programmer for III: To Heir is Human, where he implemented key mechanics on the AGI engine, including a real-time timer system that added urgency to through periodic events like the wizard Manannan's inspections. This feature, suggested by engine developer Jeff Stephenson, enhanced narrative tension without overwhelming the parser-based interaction model. Lowe also developed an internal testing tool that allowed precise alignment and movement of animated characters, streamlining animation techniques and improving the fluidity of character navigation across depth-prioritized background bands in the AGI system. These contributions helped III achieve commercial success, selling over 250,000 copies and solidifying Sierra's dominance in the adventure genre during its mid-1980s expansion. In 1987, Lowe served as a core programmer for : In Pursuit of the Death Angel, adapting the AGI engine to simulate realistic police procedures in a text-parser-driven environment, including detailed room navigation and inventory management tailored to the game's procedural narrative. His work ensured reliable integration of authentic elements provided by designer Jim Walls, a former highway patrol officer, contributing to the game's acclaim for its groundbreaking realism in adventure gaming. By this period, Lowe had earned a reputation at Sierra for dependable coding and versatility, often working remotely to deliver efficient implementations amid the company's rapid growth and shift toward more sophisticated parser responses and visual storytelling.

Creation of Leisure Suit Larry series

Al Lowe conceived the Leisure Suit Larry series as a satirical response to the 1981 text adventure Softporn Adventure, which he viewed as outdated and overly simplistic in its portrayal of adult themes. Invited by Sierra On-Line co-founder Ken Williams to update the game, Lowe proposed parodying it instead, transforming the crude original into a humorous narrative following the hapless protagonist Larry Laffer, a middle-aged everyman seeking romance in the parody city of Lost Wages (modeled after Las Vegas). Development of the first title, Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards, began in late 1986 and was completed by Lowe alone, handling writing, design, and programming using Sierra's Adventure Game Interpreter (AGI) engine, with assistance from artist Mark Crowe on graphics. Released in June 1987, the game introduced an innovative age-verification quiz to address concerns over its risqué content, marking an early effort in content gating for video games. It quickly gained traction despite initial retailer hesitance, selling 250,000 copies in its first year and becoming Sierra's top non-King's Quest title by 1988. The series expanded rapidly with sequels that built on the original's foundation, evolving from parser-based interactions to point-and-click mechanics starting with the 1991 VGA remake of the first game and continuing through later entries. Leisure Suit Larry 2: Goes Looking for Love (In Several Wrong Places) arrived in 1988, followed by Leisure Suit Larry 3: Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating Pectorals in 1989, which introduced dual protagonists and more complex puzzles. Skipping a fourth installment, Lowe delivered Leisure Suit Larry 5: Passionate Patti Does a Little Undercover Work in 1991, Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out! in 1993—the first with full —and Leisure Suit Larry 7: Love for Sail! in 1996, his final original entry in the franchise. These games maintained the series' signature adult humor through , failed seductions, and cultural , while incorporating escalating technical innovations like 256-color in LSL5 and SVGA support in LSL6. The sequels collectively sold millions, with the first three each moving around 250,000 units and LSL7 exceeding 300,000 copies, underscoring the franchise's commercial endurance. The Leisure Suit Larry series pioneered the adult adventure genre, blending comedy with mature themes in a way that challenged industry norms and sparked ongoing debates. Lowe's beta-testing process for the original—recruiting over 200 volunteers via for three months—helped refine the humor and puzzles, but the explicit content led to bans in some stores and required disclaimers from Sierra. The inaugural game earned the Software Publishers Association's Codie Award for Best Adventure or Fantasy/ Program of 1987, awarded in 1988, validating its impact despite controversy. Voice acting in LSL6 and LSL7, featuring celebrity talent like , enhanced the satirical delivery and immersion, setting a benchmark for narrated adventures. Lowe's prior programming experience at Sierra enabled the efficient production of these titles, allowing him to focus on narrative wit over technical hurdles.

Other major projects

In addition to the series, Al Lowe contributed to several other notable games during his tenure at Sierra On-Line, demonstrating his range in humor-infused storytelling and . One of his key projects was Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist (), a satirical Western that he co-designed and co-programmed alongside . The game follows the titular pharmacist-turned-sheriff in the town of Coarsegold, blending puzzle-solving with parody elements of Old West tropes, and was praised for its witty dialogue and , which Lowe helped craft. Lowe later directed (1995), a family-oriented point-and-click adventure aimed at younger audiences, where he oversaw the design of its fantastical narrative involving nested worlds called Strata. The game features a teenage protagonist, Torin, on a quest to rescue his parents from an evil sorceress, incorporating innovative mechanics like shape-shifting and environmental puzzles across diverse realms from lush jungles to lava-filled depths. Lowe's direction emphasized accessible gameplay and whimsical animation, marking a departure from his adult-oriented works while retaining his signature humor. Lowe's final Sierra project was Leisure Suit Larry's Casino (1998), a gambling simulation spin-off that he directed, designed, and wrote, featuring as the host in a virtual environment with five card and slot games, party mini-games, and thematic restaurants. This lighter, non-adventure title showcased Lowe's versatility in adapting his humorous style to casual gameplay, complete with his composition of the theme song. After completing Leisure Suit Larry's Casino, Lowe was laid off from Sierra On-Line in 1999 after 16 years with the company, amid its acquisition by , allowing him to step away from full-time game development.

Post-Sierra endeavors

Independent game projects

Al Lowe, who had relocated his family to the area in 1994, was laid off from Sierra On-Line in 1999 and shifted focus toward independent creative endeavors, leveraging his foundational experience in design from his Sierra tenure. In 2006, Lowe established iBase Entertainment, his own studio, to develop Sam Suede: Undercover Exposure, an unreleased adult-oriented blending comedy, puzzles, and action elements. The title followed Sam Suede, a hapless solving a at a fantasy camp, and was targeted for PC with potential console ports on and PlayStation 3. Despite progress on a showcased at 2006, the project was cancelled later that year due to insufficient funding for console development and failure to secure a publisher, leading to the studio's closure. Lowe's next independent project was Al Lowe's Comedy Club, a humor app he directed and produced in 2010, developed by Binary Mill for iOS devices including iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. The app featured audio delivery of jokes, allowing users to listen to comedic content rather than read it, drawing from Lowe's longstanding interest in humor. In the early 2010s, Lowe collaborated with Replay Games on remakes of the Leisure Suit Larry series, contributing to the 2013 Kickstarter-funded Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded, the first in a planned set of updates. However, he departed the company in December 2013 amid disputes, including disagreements over public statements about his exit, and returned to retirement.

Release of source code and legacy preservation

In 2018, Al Lowe auctioned his personal collection of Sierra On-Line source code on , encompassing original code for multiple games including , , and The Black Cauldron. This effort aimed to preserve and share his professional archives, though some listings, such as those for early titles, were halted by due to concerns. Despite interruptions, portions of the collection were sold to collectors and enthusiasts, contributing to ongoing legacy preservation in the gaming community. Lowe maintains his personal website, allowe.com, as a central hub for sharing humorous content, biographical details, and archives related to his game development career, including downloadable resources and insider stories from his Sierra projects. Launched in the early , the site serves as an active repository for fans, featuring sections on his works, daily jokes via CyberJoke 3000, and updates on his post-retirement life, ensuring accessibility to his creative history without commercial intent. In recent years, Lowe has engaged in interviews and appearances to reflect on his contributions to adventure gaming. A notable 2023 YouTube conversation with host Daniel Albu delved into his design philosophies, the evolution of Leisure Suit Larry, and behind-the-scenes anecdotes from Sierra. In 2024, he recorded a supportive message for the Legends of Adventure documentary, a exploring Sierra On-Line's history, highlighting his role in the company's humorous titles. As of 2025, Lowe remains retired from professional game development since leaving Sierra in 1999 but stays active online through his Twitter account (@allowe), where he shares updates, humor, and interactions with fans. He also pursues personal interests including travel, jazz music, golf, model railroading, and charity work, balancing preservation efforts with a low-key lifestyle.

Personal life

Marriage and family

Al Lowe married Margaret Lowe in 1968, a union that has endured for over 57 years as of 2025. Both met as students at the University of Missouri, where they graduated, and their long-term partnership provided personal stability amid Lowe's transitions from teaching to game development. During Lowe's early career as a high in the 1970s, he developed his first for his then-4-year-old son, Brian, to aid in reading skills, integrating family needs into his initial programming efforts. As Lowe joined Sierra On-Line in 1982, Margaret played a key role in his creative process, serving as an informal editor and moral compass for the humor in the series; Lowe often tested jokes by asking if they were suitable to share with her, ensuring content balanced edginess with sensibility. Their daughter, Megan, later influenced projects like (1995), which Lowe designed partly to facilitate parent-child playtime, reflecting how family dynamics shaped his work during the Sierra years. In 1994, Lowe and his family relocated from , to the Seattle area following Sierra's headquarters move to , a change that aligned with the company's growth but required family adjustment. This move supported Lowe's continued contributions at Sierra until his layoff in 1999, after which the family remained in the Seattle region, allowing Lowe to focus on independent pursuits while maintaining familial stability. The couple's enduring relationship has been credited with fostering the consistency that enabled Lowe's creative output over decades.

Musical and recreational pursuits

Al Lowe has maintained a lifelong passion for , particularly playing the saxophone, which traces back to his early career as a high school teacher. This background has sustained his involvement in local music scenes after his layoff from the gaming industry in 1999, including performances with the Critical Mass Big Band, a prominent Seattle-based ensemble known for its contemporary arrangements. As a saxophonist in the group, Lowe contributes to their repertoire of big band standards and original compositions during regular gigs at venues like The Royal Room. Beyond music, Lowe is an avid enthusiast of model railroading, a hobby he rediscovered with renewed vigor following his retirement from . His elaborate layout, featured in profiles of Seattle's hobbyist community, incorporates detailed scenery, custom electronics, and historical accuracy, reflecting a blend of , artistry, and technical skill that he describes as therapeutic and immersive. Active in the National Model Railroad Association's Region, Lowe has shared his experiences through articles and club activities, encouraging broader participation in the hobby. In his post-retirement years, Lowe has pursued as a regular pastime, often playing despite self-admittedly modest skills, alongside volunteer efforts for local charities in the area. These activities, combined with maintaining his humor website—a platform offering daily jokes via the now-discontinued CyberJoke 3000 newsletter and various comedic content—provide creative and social outlets that align with his witty persona developed over decades in entertainment.

Legacy

Impact on adventure gaming

Al Lowe's creation of the Leisure Suit Larry series in 1987 marked a pivotal moment in adventure gaming by pioneering the adult-oriented subgenre, introducing explicit themes and sexual into graphical adventures at a time when the genre was dominated by narratives. This innovation stemmed from Lowe's adaptation of the earlier text-based , transforming it into the first graphic adventure with mature content, which challenged industry norms and expanded the medium's appeal to adult audiences seeking humor laced with risqué elements. By blending puzzle-solving with comedic seduction quests, Lowe established a template for future titles that incorporated adult humor, influencing the evolution of narrative-driven games toward more diverse tonal explorations. During Sierra On-Line's golden age in the 1980s and 1990s, Lowe played a key role in advancing technical aspects of development, contributing as lead programmer on titles like III: To Heir Is Human and Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel, where he refined parser systems to handle more complex inputs and extensive vocabularies for immersive interactions. His work on the SCI engine, particularly in Goes Looking for Love (In Several Wrong Places), incorporated innovations such as doubled graphical resolution, synthesized sound effects, and mouse-driven interfaces, which enhanced fluidity and player accessibility, setting standards for subsequent Sierra adventures. These contributions helped solidify Sierra's reputation for pushing graphical and interactive boundaries, enabling richer storytelling and exploration in the genre. The Leisure Suit Larry series received notable recognition, including the 1988 CODiE Award from the Software Publishers Association for Best Adventure or Fantasy/ Program, underscoring its commercial and critical success amid controversy over its content. This accolade highlighted Lowe's ability to deliver innovative entertainment that resonated widely, with the original game selling over 250,000 copies in its first year and spawning sequels that maintained strong sales through the 1990s. Lowe's emphasis on humor profoundly shaped adventure gaming's cultural landscape, proving that the genre could sustain comedy as a core mechanic rather than incidental gags, as seen in his integration of witty dialogue and satirical scenarios that mocked dating culture. This approach influenced later titles by encouraging developers to prioritize narrative wit, evident in games like , and fostered a dedicated fanbase that continues preservation efforts through remakes and community archives. His legacy endures in the genre's acceptance of mature, humorous storytelling, broadening its scope beyond puzzles to include .

Complete list of works

Al Lowe's contributions to video games span educational titles, adventure games, and humorous series, primarily during his time at Sierra On-Line and in later independent projects. The following is a chronological list of his major works, focusing on games where he held significant roles such as designer, programmer, writer, or director. Platforms are noted for initial releases, with notable ports or variants indicated.
TitleYearRole(s)Platform(s)Notes
Bop-A-Bet1982Programmer, DesignerApple IIEducational typing game published by Sunnyside Soft; later distributed by Sierra On-Line.
The Black Cauldron1986Designer, Programmer, WriterApple II, DOS, Atari ST, Amiga, Apple IIGSAdventure game based on the Disney film; initial Apple II release in 1985, full versions in 1986.
King's Quest III: To Heir Is Human1986Lead ProgrammerDOS, Apple II, Amiga, Atari STPart of the King's Quest series; ports to multiple platforms followed initial DOS release.
Police Quest: In Pursuit of the Death Angel1987Lead ProgrammerDOS, Amiga, Atari STRealistic police simulation; later remastered and ported.
Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards1987Designer, Programmer, Director, WriterDOS, Apple II, Amiga, Atari STOriginal AGI version; EGA remake in 1991 for DOS.
Leisure Suit Larry Goes Looking for Love (In Several Wrong Places)1988Designer, Programmer, WriterDOS, AmigaSequel (Larry 2); ports to Macintosh and others.
Leisure Suit Larry 3: Passionate Patti in Pursuit of the Pulsating Pectorals1989Original Concept, WriterDOS, Amiga, Atari STVGA graphics introduction for the series.
Leisure Suit Larry 4: The Laffer Adventures of Larry Lovage1991N/A (unreleased, but planned)N/ACanceled project; no direct credits, but conceptual ties to series.
Leisure Suit Larry 5: Passionate Patti Does a Little Undercover Work1991Designer, Programmer, WriterDOS, WindowsFeatured full voice acting; ports to Macintosh.
Freddy Pharkas: Frontier Pharmacist1993Designer, WriterDOSWestern parody adventure; co-designed with Josh Mandel.
Leisure Suit Larry 6: Shape Up or Slip Out!1993Designer, Writer, Director, ProducerDOS, WindowsPoint-and-click style; CD-ROM version with voice.
Torin's Passage1995Designer, WriterDOS, WindowsFantasy adventure; full-motion video elements.
Leisure Suit Larry 7: Love for Sail!1996Lead Designer, WriterWindows, DOSFinal Sierra Larry game; cruise ship setting with mini-games.
Leisure Suit Larry's Casino1998Designer, WriterWindowsGambling simulation spin-off; online and retail versions.
Sam Suede: Undercover Exposure2006DesignerN/AUnreleased adventure game; development canceled after publisher issues.
Al Lowe's Comedy Club2010Producer, DirectoriOSMobile joke collection app; developed by The Binary Mill.
Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded2013Designer, WriterWindows, iOS, AndroidCrowdfunded remake of the first Larry game by Replay Games; modernized graphics and puzzles.
This list highlights Lowe's primary creative and technical roles; minor credits such as composer for (1985) or special thanks in later titles are omitted for focus on major projects. Notable variants include VGA remakes of early games and mobile ports in the .

References

  1. https://allowe.com/al/bio1.html
  2. https://allowe.com/al/bio2.html
  3. https://www.facebook.com/groups/273746983994/posts/10161272908023995/
  4. https://www.metaljesusrocks.com/pc-games/the-legends-of-sierra-panel-with-al-lowe-the-coles-josh-mandel-mark-seibert-metal-jesus-prge-2025/
  5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--VsinNC6Qo
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  7. http://www.adventureclassicgaming.com/index.php/site/interviews/199/
  8. https://resources.breakoutedu.com/blog/gameonpodcast-al-lowe
  9. https://www.hugi.scene.org/online/hugi34/hugi%2034%20-%20demoscene%20interviews%20magic%20al%20lowe%20interview.htm
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  20. https://www.vgchartz.com/game/228625/kings-quest/
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  30. http://allowe.com/games/game-designs.html
  31. https://www.sierrachest.com/fedoraa1/index.php?a=person&id=2&fld=general
  32. https://allowe.com/games/larry/inside-stories/sierra-history.html
  33. https://www.unseen64.net/2022/12/08/sam-suede-undercover-exposure-ibase-entertainment-pc-xbox-360-ps3-cancelled/
  34. https://allowe.com/welcome.html
  35. https://gamesbeat.com/leisure-suit-larry-creator-al-lowe-leaves-replay-games-exclusive/
  36. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/11/al-lowe-reveals-his-sierra-source-code-collection-then-puts-all-of-it-on-ebay/
  37. https://www.pcgamesn.com/leisure-suit-larry-source-code-auction
  38. https://www.polygon.com/2018/12/1/18121018/leisure-suit-larry-source-code-ebay-for-sale-al-lowe-sierra-on-line
  39. https://allowe.com/
  40. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsfLgm78GuQ
  41. https://www.timeextension.com/news/2024/07/sierra-on-lines-history-to-be-told-in-new-documentary-legends-of-adventure
  42. https://x.com/allowe
  43. https://adventureclassicgaming.com/interviews/al-lowe-ibase-entertainment
  44. https://www.earshot.org/event/critical-mass-big-band-w-sugartime-trio-2/
  45. https://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-city-life/2014/01/model-railroader-al-lowe-lives-on-little-rails-january-2014
  46. https://4dpnr.com/encouraging-participation-in-model-railroading/
  47. https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2011/01/history-of-graphic-adventures/
  48. https://www.ign.com/articles/2014/12/26/talking-leisure-suit-larry-with-al-lowe
  49. https://retro365.blog/2021/05/23/bits-from-my-personal-collection-bop-a-bet-al-lowes-second-game-kansasfest-san-francisco-november-1982/
  50. https://www.mobygames.com/game/379/leisure-suit-larry-in-the-land-of-the-lounge-lizards/
  51. https://www.mobygames.com/game/1785/freddy-pharkas-frontier-pharmacist/
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