You can now play the original Diablo in a browser window, so say goodbye to productivity

Developed by Blizzard North, the original Diablo was first released for PC in January 1997. Not only was it the first game in an iconic franchise that is still going strong today, but it also helped create a brand-new genre: action RPGs. Still playable on modern hardware, this latest version of the game lets you fire up and play the original Diablo on any capable browser.

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With the source code for the game ported to WebAssembly via Git, you can now fire it up and enjoy exploring the multi-layered dungeon found underneath the town of Tristram while being able to alt-tab to work-related windows at tasks just to make it look like you're still working. Yes, even after all these years, the simple Diablo formula, as depicted in the first game, is still as highly addictive as ever.

To play the full version of the game, you'll need to upload the DIABDAT.MPQ file from your copy (or digital version found on services like GOG), and then you're good to go. Don't own a copy of the original Diablo? Or, more likely, you don't have a fresh install sitting somewhere on a hard drive. The good news is you can still play the Shareware version without uploading a file.

Also, you can upload and download save files. Very cool.

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The Shareware version limits you to the Warrior class, but you can still walk up to skeletons and demons and give them a good whack so they explode into a pile of gold and loot. The original Diablo was the first game to introduce a simple point-and-click interface and real-time action to the nerdy dungeon crawler genre - the game was initially designed as a traditional pen-and-paper turn-based RPG.

It was luck and experimentation that led to the version PC gamers fondly recall. The heads of Blizzard asked the team to see how it might feel to play as a real-time action RPG. The experiment was surprisingly simple to implement, transforming the game - literally - overnight.