[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/simonthesorcerer.jpg]] [[caption-width-right:350:Fear the dog!]]
A series of five adventure games, created initially by Creator/AdventureSoft and Creator/HeadFirst Production, later by the German company Silver Style Entertainment, in the which the protagonist, an obnoxious, narcissistic teenager from our universe, gets sucked into another universe by the good wizard Calypso to fight the evil wizard Sordid.
Basic as the plot may sound, these games include endless charming parodies of various popular books and fairy tales, including ''Literature/{{Rapunzel}}'', ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'', ''Literature/JackAndTheBeanstalk'' and ''Literature/ThreeBillyGoatsGruff''. To wit: the latter involves a troll protesting about being tossed from a bridge every day and thus wishing to rework his contract.
The first game was about as well received as the ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland'' games at the time, getting scores in the 90% area. Seven games have been made in total (two games being average pinball and puzzle games), the first two beloved, the subsequent sequels... not so much. An eighth game that would bring the series back to its roots with 2D graphics, a more British sense of humour and hand-drawn imagery was later in development by [=StoryBeasts=]. Unfortunately, the developing team broke up and the project was cancelled. In the year 2022 the prequel game ''Simon the Sorcerer: Origins'' developed by Smallthing Studios was announced.
The first two games are also available as apps in the Apple Store and can be played on the iPad. Whether it's as fun or practical to play as the PC version is arguable. In 2018, a 25th anniversary edition was released on Steam.
Simon is voiced in the first game by Creator/ChrisBarrie, known for his roles in ''Series/RedDwarf'' and ''Series/TheBrittasEmpire''.
---- !!Tropes used in the games include:
* AdaptationDyeJob: Simon in Simon 3D has black hair instead of the usual brown * AllClothUnravels: This is how you defeat a mummy in ''Simon the Sorcerer''. * AlliterationAndAdventurers: In the second game, Simon encounters a group of nerds playing ''Apartments And Accountants''. * AntiFrustrationFeatures: The second game alleviated PixelHunt by giving you a hotkey which briefly highlights every object on screen that you can interact with. * BagOfHolding: Simon's hat can hold such things as barrels and ladders. As with everything else, Simon {{lampshade|Hanging}}s it a few times. Though oddly he won't pick up a loose plank under Swampy's house saying "It's too big for me" despite it being no bigger than the ladder was. * BagOfSpilling: ** In ''Simon the Sorcerer'', you lose your whole inventory (you use a shrinking potion but all your stuff except clothes stay the same). As the game had an annoying tendency to clutter up your inventory with things you use only once, this was a ''good'' thing. ** This happens again in the sequel, twice. The first time it happens Simon says [[LampshadeHanging "Ah! My inventory!"]]. As before, none of the previously held items were needed in the new areas and the removal of the old inventory removes useless clutter. ** And again, this happens in the third game several times. The first time, it's even lampshaded, as the goblin that gives you the rainbird asks you all the useless items in the inventory as payment. * BalloonBurstingBird: In the second game, after you use three balloons to get to the castle treasure room through a window, a bird bursts all three balloons when you leave the room. * BreakingTheFourthWall: In ''Simon the Sorcerer'' the protagonist encounters a group of four wizards; when he talks to them, they pretend they are farmers. But you can point out that when you point at them with the cursor, it says "wizards"... And when you talk to them, you DO treat them as wizards. You can even tell them about the cursor. [[spoiler:You have even to tell them about it, when you want to get a wizard. Any other explanation, how you may know, that they are wizards, they wouldn't believe.]] * CandlelitRitual: A ritual to banish two demons to Hell requires a double-square with 8 candles at each of the square's corners, a mouse, a human skull, and [[IKnowYourTrueName knowing the demons' true names.]] * ChildMage: ** Played with in the games, where Simon is a regular British kid from our world who ends up in the magical realm. However, he doesn't have any magical abilities on his own. ** During the second game, Simon uses a few magic tricks, like cleaning or drying himself, but the player can't control when that happens. Also there are several animations of Simon's avatar when you left it idle for a while, including summoning some silver balls to juggle them, and levitating as he takes the lotus position. * ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: ''Simon the Sorcerer 3D'' has a strange character called Jar Nin whom you accidentally kill at the beginning of the game. Towards the end of the game it turns out that you have to resurrect him because you need him on your team. But when you do, he does exactly nothing and even vanishes shortly after, never to be seen or mentioned again. To be precise, except of Coneman the Barabrain, the entire subplot about great heroes was kinda pointless. * CollectorOfTheStrange: In the second game, the two gargoyles guarding the entrance to the Fortress of Doom discuss how far Simon would be able to make it without dying, followed by expressing hope that they are allowed to keep his kneecaps. * CombinatorialExplosion: The series is notable for having Simon comment on the sillier combinations. * ConvectionSchmonvection: At the end of the first game, Simon's and Sordid's showdown takes place on a ledge next to a crater of boiling lava, which causes them no apparent discomfort. * CoversAlwaysLie: On the cover art for the first game, Sordid already has the metallic body he puts his soul into in the second game. * CurseCutShort: ''Simon The Sorcerer 3D'', when Runt has kidnapped the Swampling and is currently levitating Simon over the trigger switch to a bomb. -->Simon: "Shi-" (Runt drops him) * DeadpanSnarker: Simon himself. --> Oh sure, I'll just tear off all these locks and chains with my BARE HANDS![[note]](from the second game, at the Three Bears' house)[[/note]] * DeathIsTheOnlyOption: In one puzzle in ''Simon The Sorcerer 3D'', Simon escapes from a locked room by goading the barbarian who's locked in the room with him into killing him, [[DeathIsCheap and coming back to life on a reincarnation tile outside the room]]. -->'''Simon''': [[LampshadeHanging That's the first time I've ever needed to die to solve a puzzle...]] * TheDragon: Runt in the second and third games. * EstablishingCharacterMoment: His very first line (If you don't count the opening credits) is him saying he wants to run his dog Chippy through the dryer cycle because he's bored. * EvilCounterpart: At the end of the third game, a second Simon appears who is different in two aspects: a) he's corporeal (long story) and b) he has a [[BeardOfEvil goatee]]. [[spoiler:Wait, [[ChaoticNeutral Simon]]'s not a nice guy either, right? Well it turns out that the counterpart is actually the [[LawfulNeutral ''lawful'' counterpart]] to Simon. He even [[DefiedTrope shaves his beard to get rid of the stigma]].]] * EvilSorcerer: Sordid. * EvilTwin: The ending of the third game introduces a second Simon with a stereotypical BeardOfEvil. FridgeLogic kicks in once you realise that Simon himself isn't really a good guy. [[spoiler:The sequel reveals that the other Simon is actually his [[LawfulNeutral ''lawful'']] twin.]] * FantasticFantasyIsMundane: In the second game, Simon encounters a group of nerds playing ''Apartments And Accountants''. * FireBreathingDiner: Done to solve a puzzle in ''Simon the Sorcerer''. To get rid of a [[{{Snowlems}} living snowman]], eat some mints to make the titular character breath fire on it. * FreakyFridayFlip: [[spoiler:The cliffhanger ending to the second game is based around one of these.]] * GameBreakingBug: The second game had a strange bug where a certain character and the object you needed to give them were on the same screen, and you could successfully use the SCUMM-style interface to "Give