Editorial Review
For centuries the dragons of Pern and their riders have protected their world from the alien Thread. Mightiest among the dragons are the gold dragons and their riders, the Weyrwomen, who are the leaders of the free people of Weyr. And now your Weyrwoman is dead, and her gold dragon is dying. Unless you can find a new Weyrwoman to take up her mantle, your Weyr, and perhaps all of Pern, is doomed.
Based in the sci-fi/fantasy world of Pern, the setting of Anne McCaffrey's The Dragonriders of Pern novel, you take the role of D'kor, a novice dragonrider known as a Weyrling. Your fate is tied into a complex adventure in which the Red Star is not the only threat to life on Pern. With more than 200 characters with which to interact, a complex and thrilling story, and some fiendish puzzles, D'kor must venture across the rich world of Pern in the hope of saving it from its greatest enemy.
Dragon Riders: Chronicles of Pern is a 3-D role-playing game with an epic story that spans four chapters and contains dozens of subplots. At the heart of the game is a story that constantly progresses as you explore the world and interact with the vast array of characters that inhabit it. Set at the seventh pass of the Red Star, there is a whole new cast of characters exclusive to this title. Experience dozens of environments through the cinematic camera system as you guide your dragonrider through more than 120 detailed locations on three continents. Interact with numerous non-player characters while you build up your player by improving skills and your social status.
Cached date: AWS Called=true
Customer Reviews
very very good game 
2006-01-24
Ok i beat the game i about a week but i did not complete every thing. like getting all of the fire lizards. I cant find the brown. I have been introrested in anne mcCaffreys books for only 4 months but i have only read 4 of them. back to the game i loved the game . good for pern fans. the only thing is that it needs thread fighting. it would be so much better if you could fight thread. anyway its a very very good game.
A (somewhat disappointing) must-have for Pern fans 
2003-10-20
Like many others, I was absolutely wild to get my hands on this game when I first heard about it, as I`ve been a Pern fan for many many years. I think the developers did a good job considering their limitations, but of course, there was absolutely no way this game could have lived up to my hopes, dreams, and expectations to be totally honest! The controls were a bit difficult, and there were some noticeable bugs, but for a die-hard Pern fan there is no way you could pass up the opportunity to be in the game. It didn`t take too long to beat, but my first time through I wasn`t able to get to all the secrets, so the opportunity to replay and re-enjoy is there. For the Pern enthusiast, this is a must-have. For the gaming enthusiast, I would rate this a `pass`.
Could/Should Be SO Much Better 
2003-10-06
This game was very fun in the offset, because everything is textured and colored wonderfully, and every new area is eye dazzeling. However, the game-play itself leaves MUCH to be desired. It's as if Ubi Soft released this game half done. It's extremely buggy, some parts of the story line completely disapear never to be explained, the character's voices will cut in and out during dialog, and my biggest complaint is getting stuck in the middle of the game due to a BUG!!! Also, the fighting system is a basic point and click. Click short for small attack, click longer for larger attack. Boring! This game could be so much fun if it had been finished by it's creator. Even with all of the un-fun bugs, this game still has potential if you're a huge Dragonrider fan like myself. Despite everything, I have stuck with this game for the love of Anne McCaffrey and the amazing world of the Dragonriders that she's created. It's like playing through a book in the series. However, there are lots of discrepancies here too. If you are a fan, you'll be disapointed by what appears to be the lack of the programmer's knowledge of Pern, it's culture, and it's social-political structure. Over all, I liked playing through a video novel, but the patience required may be too much to ask from some players. If you're a fan, go for it! If you're not, don't bother. :)
Addictive and Lovable Goodness 2003-08-23
Personally, I don't know what the bloody is wrong with these people giving DR:CoP less than above average in reviews. So WHAT if the angles and such are a pain? I've found the whole 'loading time' problem not to be the game, but your computer. Granted, DR:CoP wouldn't load on my old 98 machine, but works like a charm on my new XP. But other than the technical mumbo-jumbo, I tend to look at the whole gameplay interaction rather than how you play it.
Just the *thought* of a Pern game set my senses wild. I've been a fan of Anne McCaffrey's world going on five years now, and I have to say, this game brought /so/ my sense into my perspective of the books. To tell you the truth, I had zilch ideas of what a Weyr looked like - I mean, I knew the whole cavern dealie and such, but this game just made it so much more.. clear. And the firelizards! I /loved/ my little flits, and Zenth. Come on! While I used to think D'kor was just.. icky to look at, you grow to love him even through the hysterical faces and gestures he makes in the Tunnlesnake Caves..
Sure, I know how aggravating it is to deal with the game freezing on you in the glitches (it just about drove me mad some times..) and I know it can be touch with the angles, but I really found the game itself worth it. Come /on!/ You get to be the sexy, confident Bronzerider looking for Gold candidates all while saving Pern. And the Hatching Sands! That had to be my -favorite- environment in the games. **swoons at the pretty Gold..**
Needless to say, if you are a diehard Pern fan (you gotta have atleast some knowledge of the books to understand the game..) and enjoy roleplaying / goal-oriented / generally interesting games, this is for you. The battles aren't exactly dynamic, but then again, did you expect fluffy D'kor to be a ruffian?
**crosses fingers.** I can only wish they'd do a sequel now.. or something of the sort. *_*
Concider it An Alternate Universe Pern 2002-12-11
I was initially disapointed with the fact that we were following D'kor, a new character rather then an old favorite from the books. But then I thought, why use an old storyline when you can surprise your readers with a whole new one they get to discover on their own?
I was disapointed that the keyboard controls weren't easier to use - I had a heck of a time picking the pocket of the gambling cheat in Chapter 4 - mouse or game pad driven probably would have been easier.
I know that people have complained greatly about graphics and about the dragon's use and appearance. I don't believe that most fans of the book just now trying the game realize just what a difficult time UbiSoft had getting that damned dragon to work. There was absoultely no way they could have on the limited budget they were given to work with gotten a dragon that could have stepped off one of Michael Whellan's covers for Anne's books. As for the thread fighting - personally I'm glad that was omited, as the game was hard enough as it was working with the keyboard controls, I can't imagine what dodging and flaming thread would have been like.
As a first attempt I think this was great - and while tricky, not too hard for someone who's never gamed in their life. Hopefully, there will be a second game with some further intrique of D'kor's life on Pern. By the time a sequal hits the shelves, the technology should be there to give everyone what they were hoping for.
More Dragonriders Please. 
2002-09-29
For centuries the dragons of Pern and their riders have protected their world from the alien Thread. Mightiest among the dragons are the gold dragons and their riders, the Weyrwomen, who are the leaders of the free people of Weyr. And now your Weyrwoman is dead, and her gold dragon is dying. Unless you can find a new Weyrwoman to take up her mantle, your Weyr, and perhaps all of Pern, is doomed.
Based in the sci-fi/fantasy world of Pern, the setting of Anne McCaffrey's The Dragonriders of Pern novel, you take the role of D'kor, a novice dragonrider known as a Weyrling. Your fate is tied into a complex adventure in which the Red Star is not the only threat to life on Pern. With more than 200 characters with which to interact, a complex and thrilling story, and some fiendish puzzles, D'kor must venture across the rich world of Pern in the hope of saving it from its greatest enemy.
Dragon Riders: Chronicles of Pern is a 3-D role-playing game with an epic story that spans four chapters and contains dozens of subplots. At the heart of the game is a story that constantly progresses as you explore the world and interact with the vast array of characters that inhabit it. Set at the seventh pass of the Red Star, there is a whole new cast of characters exclusive to this title. Experience dozens of environments through the cinematic camera system as you guide your dragonrider through more than 120 detailed locations on three continents. Interact with numerous non-player characters while you build up your player by improving skills and your social status.
Not up to Pernese standards... 2002-09-26
I have to admit I think this game could have been better. Though it's a keeper for me simply for being anything about Pern, I have to say I was a bit dissapointed with this game, and surprised it was approved. As far as adventure games go it was okay, but as far as being associated to the Dragonriders of Pern series it was not up to snuff. It is all about a quest and never once was I able to fly my dragon to fight thread, which is what Pern is based on. I would like to have had the ability to do things from dragonback, and use my firelizard for sending messages and other things. There is so much potential for a great Dragonriders of Pern game, but sadly it was not grasped here.
Good storyline, but poorly designed 2002-06-14
I waited for this game eagerly for a couple of years, and purchased it right when it came out.
There isn't as much dragonflying as I expected. The only flying in the game exists in video clips as you go from one destination to another.
The storyline, however, is quite interesting. You are a bronze rider, set out on a quest to unravel the causes of mysterious deaths. Your quest takes you all around Pern, and you meet a bunch of great characters, gathering clues along the way. There are also subplots that tie in nicely with the story.
Gameplay is simple with commands that are quick and easy to use. The game centers more about character development (building strength, reputation, and knowledge) that it does in your skill of using the keyboard or mouse to fight. Fighting techniques are easy to master.
There are several problems with the game, however. It can be very very slow unless you have a good processor and a large amount of RAM. (I gave up playing it until I got a 1 Ghz processor and 256 mb of RAM - it works nicely now.)
The camera view on the character shifts frequently, and sometimes this becomes disorienting. The camera view also often places you behind walls, unable to see your character. (There is a freestyle camera mode which you can access by hitting 5 on your keypad, though the freestyle camera is difficult to pan with.)
Some parts of the game seem unfinished - such as a door here and there that don't actually lead to anything, or a character who is speaking, but doesn't have a voice recorded for them. (Not to worry - there is text accompanying the speaking parts.)
Sometimes the flying video clips become a bit tedious to watch, as they can be quite long. Too bad there isn't a way to escape the clips.
If you're a big fan of Pern and have a decent computer system and are willing to spend time with this game, then get it. I do enjoy playing it, even if I have to work around some bugs here and there.
good graphics 2002-04-18
if you like role playing and have read pern, you will love this. the problems:
1. tough downloading
2. slow loading
3. stops and skips while playing like there is a hitch somewhere
good things:
1. really good graphics
2. realistic
3. easy to understand
4. can be played from keyboard, joystick, or game controller
Dont waste your money 
2002-01-27
This game plays terrible! This game has fixed cameras so it is very easy to walk off camera. Then you have to guess which way to turn or walk to get back into camera site. At first I could not get this game to play on my computer but after ONLY 2 weeks of e-mails to their tec department and a new sound card I got it to play. Funny thing, My sound card worked fine on ALL of my other games.
