For starters, one has to look at the literary roots of the Atlantis myth. The mysterious Lost Island of Atlantis was first mentioned in a series of letters by Plato around 360 B.C. Although fictional, Plato presented Atlantis as if it were an actual place, giving detailed descriptions of the main city. By the Middle Ages, most Europeans had come to think of Atlantis as real, though the theocratic nature of the times prevented any real scientific inquiry into the subject. By the 1700’s, Atlantis had been largely forgotten. Then came the Age of Enlightenment, and a renewed interest in the subject. Modern interest in Atlantis really began in 1882 with the publishing of Atlantis: The Antediluvian World by former U.S. congressman Ignatius Donnelly. This sparked a renewed and cyclic public fascination with the Atlantis myth. For a few years it seemed that every geographer and historian would publish this or that theory about the Lost Continent, then interest would die down, only to pop back up again twenty or thirty years later.

The 1970’s saw a new resurgence in popularity of the Atlantis myth and all things related. Several factors contributed. Perhaps most influential were the series of books by Erich von Däniken (Chariots of the Gods, In Search of Ancient Astronauts, etc) which detailed his theories that the mysterious artifacts of ancient civilizations were actually constructed by extraterrestrial visitors. This time period also saw the birth of the 'New Age” philosophy and practice, from Pyramid Power to aromatherapy to “crystal waving.” The Atlantis myth had never been more popular in the United States, with myriad non-fiction, science fiction and fantasy books on the Atlantis theme appearing.

Coincidentally, the 1970’s also saw the birth of the PC and the adventure game. It was a match made in heaven