Spyro the Dragon is a platform video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. The game was released for the PlayStation in September 1998. The first game in the Spyro the Dragon series, it stars the title character, a young purple dragon named Spyro, and his dragonfly friend, Sparx, who venture through the dragon kingdom to rescue the other dragons from a spell placed by the antagonist, Gnasty Gnorc. Spyro the Dragon received positive reviews from critics, who praised the game for its graphics and high replay value. The game was also a commercial success, selling nearly 5 million copies worldwide. Two sequels, titled Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! and Spyro: Year of the Dragon, were later released for the PlayStation in 1999 and 2000, respectively.