The field of amateur adventures seems to improve every year, and I suppose there's no better evidence of this continuing improvement then the fact that it took hours of debate and pondering for us to settle on five nominees for each category — let alone picking a winner for some of them! While there were a few games this year that really stood out above the crowd, there were many other games that warranted very strong consideration as well, moreso than there have been in any year previously.

So, here we are, to hand out the first annual Adventure Gamers Underground awards, honoring those individuals who put time and effort into creating great adventure games and making those games available for us as freeware. We want to thank all the authors and creators who pursue this endeavor, and we look forward to the many great Underground adventures to come in 2004!

If you missed the nominations article, be sure to check it out first. Dave and AGA, members of our fearless Underground team, will provide some commentary on each category. Without further ado, let's begin handing out the awards!