Audyssey; Computer Games Accessible to the Blind Edited by Michael Feir Issue 15: November/December, 1998 Welcome to the fifteenth issue of Audyssey. This magazine is dedicated to the discussion of games which, through accident or design, are accessible to the blind. Please write articles and letters about games or game-related topics which interest you. They will likely interest me, and your fellow readers. They will also make my job as editor a lot more interesting and true to the meaning of the word. This magazine should and can be a highly interesting and qualitative look at accessible computer gaming. To insure that high quality is maintained, I'll need your written contributions. I'm not asking for money here, and won't accept any. This magazine is free in its electronic form, and will always remain so. PCS needs to charge a subscription cost to cover the disks and shipping costs that it incurs by making the magazine available on disk. I'm writing this magazine as much for my own interest as for everyone else's. Your articles, reviews, and letters, as well as any games you might care to send me, are what I'm after. Send any games, articles, letters, or reviews on a 3.5-inch disk in a self-addressed mailer so that I can return your disk or disks to you once I have copied their contents onto my hard drive. Please only send shareware or freeware games. It is illegal to send commercial games. By sending me games, you will do several things: first, and most obviously, you will earn my gratitude. You will also insure that the games you send me are made available to my readership as a whole. As a further incentive, I will fill any disks you send me with games from my collection. No disk will be returned empty. If you want specific games, or specific types of games, send a message in Ascii format along. *Never* *ever* send your original disks of *anything* to *anyone* through the mail. *Always* send *copies!* This principle may seem like it shouldn't even have to be stated, but when it comes to just about anything related to computers, there's always some poor soul who will act before applying common sense. Disks are *not* indestructible. Things *do* get lost or damaged in the mail, and disks are not immune to these misfortunes. If you have a particular game that you need help with, and you are sending your questions on a disk anyhow, include the game so that I can try and get past your difficulty. If you can, I recommend that you send e-mail. I have acquired a copy of the Uuencode software, and can send and/or receive files which are encoded via this means. This way, no money will be wasted sending me a game I already have, and you'll get my reply more quickly. You are responsible for shipping costs. That means, either use a disk mailer which has your address on it, and is either free matter for the blind, or is properly stamped. I can and will gladly spare time to share games and my knowledge of them, but cannot currently spare money above what I spend hunting for new games. I encourage all my readers to give my magazine to whoever they think will appreciate it. Up-load it onto web pages and bulletin board systems. Copy it on disk for people, or print it out for sighted people who may find it of value. The larger our community gets, the more self- sustaining it will become. This magazine is published on a bi-monthly basis, each issue appearing no earlier than the twentieth of every other month. All submissions must be sent to me in standard Ascii format either on a 3.5-inch floppy disk, or via e-mail to my Compuserve address. I will give my home address and my Compuserve address at the end of the magazine. There are now several ways of obtaining Audyssey. To subscribe to the distribution list so that you receive all future issues, follow the instructions below from J.J. Meddaugh: To subscribe to the Audyssey mailing list and receive the latest issues in your Email, send a blank message to audyssey-mag-subscribe@bestmidi.com If you wish to unsubscribe from the automatic distribution list, send a blank message to audyssey-mag-unsubscribe@bestmidi.com To contact J.J. Meddaugh, the listowner, directly, write to jj@bestmidi.com. Remember that this list is separate from the discussion list. Travis Siegel has set up a list to facilitate discussions among readers between issues. To subscribe to this discussion list, send a message to listserv@softcon.com with "subscribe audyssey" in the body of the message. To post to the discussion list, send your messages to: audyssey@softcon.com You can find all issues of Audyssey on the Internet on Paul Henrichsen's web site at: www.thesocket.com/~henrich All issues are also available in the disability forum on Compuserve. If you have web access, Audyssey now has an official web-page, maintained by Igor Gueths at: http://www.concentric.net/~igueths Besides having all issues of Audyssey available for down-load, five megabytes of storage space are available for popular games. If you have ftp access, all issues are also available at Travis Siegel's ftp site: ftp.softcon.com Look in the /magazines directory. For those of you who have trouble finding some of the software discussed in this magazine, or if you know someone who doesn't have access to the Internet, but would be interested in the magazine, this magazine is now available on disk. PCS has agreed to distribute Audyssey, as well as selected shareware or freeware software on disk for ten dollars US per year. To subscribe to Audyssey on disk, contact them at: Personal Computer Systems 551 Compton Ave. Perth Amboy N.J. 08861 Phone (732)-826-1917 E-mail: pvlasak@monmouth.com ++ Contents: Welcome Contents From The Editor Introducing Our new Staff Members Letters Lone Wolf: The Real-time Revolution For Blind Gamers This Issue's Winner Gifts For Gamers Questioning Commercial Games Anchorhead Adrift on Divergent Opinions Game Reviews Contacting Us ++ From The Editor: Hello, everyone. First of all, I must apologise for this issue being as late as it is. Several factors attribute to this. One of the main ones was a stupid error on my part. While working late at night, I tried to copy all of the separate pieces into the right order. Unfortunately, I ended up copying over the sizeable portion of this issue which I had already completed. This destroyed around three weeks worth of work which I had to piece together in the past five days or so. Fortunately, our new staff members and many of you have provided the building blocks I needed to put together this third Holiday issue of Audyssey. Before we move onto the rest of the magazine, I must point out that a startling and dangerous trend may be occurring. I am used to having tons of letters to sort through, and not enough articles. This time, there were tons of reviews and articles, but almost no letters or discussion on Mr. Siegel's discussion list. I can only hope that this was simply due to people being too busy. This magazine needs your input to remain the forum for discussion and news that it has been up to this point. Just because a staff is finally starting to appear, don't think that you can just relax and enjoy the ride. We need your letters and feedback to keep Audyssey on the right path. You'll no doubt notice that Adam: The immortal Gamer has not made an appearance in this issue. The sad truth is that this gamer is only as immortal as we make him. We need ideas and episodes for future issues to keep this long-enjoyed section of Audyssey alive and well. With the bad news out of the way, lets turn to what you'll find in this issue. There are two particularly exciting developments. David Greenwood and PCS have released their real-time action/strategy game Lone Wolf. you'll find their excellent press-release in a special section all its own. Once and Future, the long-awaited commercial interactive fiction title, is now available by down- load. You no longer have to wait for a CD to arrive. It makes an excellent gift for blind players. This issue is absolutely packed with reviews to help steer you towards better games and avoid some potential pitfalls. In closing this editorial, I wish you all a happy festive season. Lets make 1999 the best year yet for Audyssey. Michael Feir, Editor of Audyssey ++ Introducing Our New Staff Members I'm pleased to announce that we have three staff members who have taken up the challenge of providing much of the substance of Audyssey for future issues. These three are Justin Fegel, James Peach, and our old friend Kelly Sapurgia. Justin has provided us with a good review of Once and Future as his way of greeting you. He has five years experience with dealing with interactive fiction, and I'm certain you'll all agree that it shows in his first appearance below. we'll all learn more about him as time goes on. You'll find his E-mail address in the "Contacting Us" section at the end of this issue. He is also on the Audyssey discussion list, as are James and Kelly. The other two staff members have elected to introduce themselves, and I'll turn the page over to them now. + Seasons greetings to readers new and old. I am James Peach, and though I was mentioned in the last issue of Audyssey, I felt that I should give you a bit of background dirt on myself and how I came to be affiliated with Mike's fine magazine. To begin with, I am a 17 year old, Grade 11 student, in the rural community of Wawanesa, that's in Canada somewhere in case you're wondering, and I write for the enjoyment of doing so. Though I do enjoy writing, I have aspirations in the field computers, software and electronics for the blind and visually impaired, and will continue to write, and contribute to Audyssey, for my own enjoyment. As Mike has already mentioned, I do have some sight, 20 over 300, which puts me in the perfect position to text and review commercial game accessible to the blind or blind/sighted teams, of which I have included reviews and articles about in this issue. Though this doesn't seem to be a great lot so far about myself, I'm sure you'd rather be reading my reviews rather than reading a lengthy, boring autobiography about me; did I happen to mention that I was once a former Canadian operative for the KGB? How did I get to where I am with Audyssey today you ask? Well, I originally met Mike at an event called SCORE (Summer Opportunities in Recreation and Education) this past July, I found him to be an honest, witty and talented individual, we quickly became friends. Before I had met him, people kept telling me about this infamous Mike Feir who edits this magazine called Audyssey, but this meant nothing to me at the time, until I have actually met the mystery man, and had gotten to know him. We got talking about this little hobby of his, and the issue of staffing came up. He didn't ask if I wand to be on his staff (as slave), but I offered my services, because I believed that I could really contribute, and because I really believed in what he was doing for the blind community. It wasn't until a few weeks later that he had an actual position for me to fill, commercial games being the suggested position, and from then on I've been working to try and get my work out to him for his magazine; the reason for it's delay from last issue was because of school, sports (curling) and sleep getting in the way. This issue, I've managed to add a few more things to my list of articles and reviews, and I hope I haven't disappointed anyone in this way. I hope that the convenience of my meeting with Mike at SCORE doesn't deter anyone who wishes to join the staff, for whatever reasons, from joining, because only good can come out of involving yourself, in this way, with the one and only magazine for games accessible to the blind; enjoy the rest of this issue, and holiday cheer to you all. + MY INTERACTIVE JOURNEYS By Kelly Sapergia When I started reading Audyssey last year, I read articles and letters from people discussing how they got into the hobby of Interactive Fiction. I thought you might be interested in my personal experiences as an IF player and reviewer. I began playing, or rather, enjoying IF games when I was about 9 or 10. My brother, Derek, had been given a 8088 XT computer, which had some programs on it. The first thing we wanted to try were the games that had been put on the hard drive. Derek told me that there were some "text" games on the hard drive. Some of these games included "The Wizard's Castle", "Bug-eyed Adventure" (which I don't recommend due to all the bugs), an IF version of Star Trek, etc. Looking back, I can't understand why I wasn't interested in these games. My attitude towards these text-based games changed when I received some games from a friend of mine. Some of the games that I received included such classics as "Beyond The Titanic", "Explorer 2" (a small game), "The Haunted Mission Adventurer" and "Island Of Mystery" by AdventureWare, and the always popular "Colossal Cave". (I still have some of these games lying around somewhere.) If I remember correctly, the first game I played was "Colossal Cave". The version I'm referring to had a 2-word parser, which took me a few days to figure out. I played most of these classics during school, whenever I had a free period, or whenever possible. (Not during class, of course.) I guess I knew how to move around in a game, but I didn't know how to do certain things, like getting past the "huge green fierce snake". To make a long story short, at one point I was so exasperated with the game that I decided to quit. Since I wasn't in a very good mood, I typed "I QUIT". The computer responded "What?" I typed it again. This time, I got a message that said, "I don't understand that. Please try again." Finally, I typed "HELP". My voice synthesizer read out a long list of commands, and I found out that one of them was "QUIT" to end the game. I typed "Quit", was asked if I wanted to do so, responded "Yes", and was back at the DOS prompt. (I forgot to mention that at that time, I was using a Tandy 1000 computer with an Artic voice synthesizer.) For a few days I continued to fool around with "Colossal Cave", and learned about what to type in different situations, such as "THROW AXE" when a little dwarf showed up to try to kill me with a "nasty knife". (Here's some advice for anyone who wants to try "Colossal Cave": down-load a copy of the TADS game "Colossal Cave Revisited" from: FTP.GMD.DE/IF-ARCHIVE/GAMES/PC/CCR.ZIP.) After awhile, I started to play the other IF games I had received. I was getting better at figuring the parsers out, and having fun at the same time. In 1993, when I was about 13 years old, I received two games by a company called "Infocom". I had never heard of Infocom, but that didn't stop me from playing their games. The games I got were "Moonmist" and the Zork trilogy. The copies of these games I received were not pirated, and they helped me understand the full-sentence parsers which were a great improvement over the 2-word parsers. After playing "Moonmist", I started to play the first game in the Zork trilogy. After a few days, I figured out how to do things like finding the troll in the cellar, and was intrigued with the game because it was almost like Colossal Cave. The only problem I had with these games were the puzzles. I'm not kidding when I say that I had to wait about four years to find out how to open the flood gates at the dam. (I received the freeware version of Zork from Mike last year. Mike included in the .ZIP file the solutions and InvisiClues documents for all three games, all documentation, as well as a history of the games' development.) In 1996, Derek got a new computer. This one was a Pentium computer with Windows 95, and Internet access. I, meanwhile, was getting bored with the games I already had, and wondered if there were any sites on the Internet where I could find some more games. We looked up "Infocom" first, with no luck. Then we did a search on "Text Adventures" and found "Snacky Pete's Text Adventure Archive". (See issue 11 of Audyssey for the URL for this site.) We downloaded some more games from the site, and I was amazed that IF games were still being developed! (I didn't know about Infocom going bankrupt at the time.) Speaking of Infocom, while we were looking for Christmas presents in December of 1996, I found a CD-ROM, called "Infocom Adventure Collection". I marked it down on my Christmas list, and when I got it, I was impressed with the games. (There were only about eight of them on the CD, but at the time, that was good enough.) My favourite game on the whole CD was "Planetfall", a science fiction game. (I solved it in May of this year, without needing any help from a solution. Just thought you'd like to know.) The only thing I didn't like about the CD was that all the documentation was in a print book, and there were no "InvisiClues" hint books, just the manuals. My mom read me what I needed from the manuals, and helped me with the map for the game "Infidel". (In my opinion, the CD-ROM, "Infocom Masterpieces Collection" is better, since it contains all but two classic games.) In September of last year, I received a disk in the mail from a company called "PCS" from Perth Amboy, New Jersey. (I had written to them in 1996 asking for a demo of their game "Anynight Football".) I wondered if the disk had a demo of a new game by them, but I was surprised to find that the disk had a sample issue of Audyssey Magazine on it! I read through the magazine, and was hooked immediately! After reading Allen Maynard's review of Jim Kitchen's multimedia baseball game, which was one of the games on the disk, and after reading a request for sending reviews and articles, I decided to send in a review of one of my favourite games, "The Legend Lives!", a game by Adventions. I wrote the review in October of last year, and sent it to Mike. In about two weeks, I got some disks from him with some more IF games. On the first disk, I found a letter from Mike, telling me that I "covered the game with surprising skill and perception for someone writing their first review." I was so excited, that I decided to write two more reviews, and to subscribe to the disk edition of Audyssey. After I sent in my reviews of "Electrabot" and "Wormhole", I got a call from Mike and asked him what positions he had available. That's how I became Audyssey's "Interactive Fiction Expert". In my spare time, I've been experimenting with games and programming systems, and writing reviews and articles for the magazine. Writing for Audyssey is something that I really enjoy, not because my work is published, but because I'm having fun doing it. I hope that my contributions have been helpful to all readers of this excellent magazine, and I want to take this opportunity to thank everybody on the Audyssey staff, for allowing me to continue doing something I really enjoy, helping all visually impaired gamers on their journeys into the world of Interactive Fiction. ++ Letters + From Patrick R Davis: Hi Michael, Thanks for the game. That was really cool. I'm glad that there was some competition though. I chose Haze Maze for my prize. I chose it because it was challenging, but simple to move around the maze. I have got the demo of Haze Maze, and it is pretty cool. Also, I wanted to share my opinion about Breakout. I only have the demo, but I think it is pretty cool. The sounds make up for lack of vision to me. The only thing it needs is a pause feature, for if you are called to do something really quick. I don't get what the second wall of sounds was supposed to represent in the demo. The game was really good and it had structure to it. I think a good sound player for David Greenwood to try is sbplay.exe. I find that one easier to use in my games than playwav or plany. Jim Kitchen uses it a lot and so does PCS. You can also find it at www.clark.net/pub/poehlman/readme.htm titled sbply253.zip. I hope that works. I also want to add some thoughts to the idea of the arcade for the blind, even though it might not happen. There could be an ear piece connected to the speech synthesizer that a blind person could wear. This could reduce the racket of about 10 speech synthesizers, while leaving the other ear open so the occupants can hear each other. Also, the people in it could hear the computer- generated or multimedia sounds, keeping the arcade ambience without having the people yelling their heads off just to be heard. Well, good luck with future issues of Audyssey. And for your readers, keep up the good work, guys, and keep typing away. Patrick + I suspected you might go for the Maze game. It certainly makes for a novel experience. I urge all of our readers to try out the demo if they have stereo sound in their computers. To hear your footsteps echo off walls is quite a treat, and the mazes can be quite a challenge. Patrick did a wonderful job with our Immortal gamer episode last issue. I hope some of you are encouraged by his success to take a shot at it yourselves. + From Igor Gueths: Please forward this message to anybody you see fit i.e., the discussion list. In case you don't know already, my url is http://www.concentric.net/~igueths. If you want anything on the page, just e-mail me at igueths@concentric.net. I'm running out of ideas on what to put on it. As Mike said before, it's your magazine, and feel free to publish your articles and reviews. Same thing with the page. I'm running out of ideas. I mean, it's your page, and you can put anything you want on it (I've got 5 mb of storage space). You people out there reading this have to help me out here. I don't know everything! I really want your feedback. So, to make a long story short, the bottom line is: I need your feedback and suggestions. Without them, the page will just sit there like a bump on a log. Let's make the page rock!!! + Five megs is a whole lot of room for text-based games. The more common places we can get to store games, the easier it will be to be certain that everyone can obtain what they're after. Mr. Henrichsen wants to put more games on his site as well, and I'm going to help both of these fine gentlemen in this department. However, I don't have the time to do everything. We can use all your help. If you think a game is so good that everyone should have it, make it easier for them to get by finding a place on a well- known site like igor's or mr. Henrichsen's. ++ Lone wolf: The Real-time Revolution for Blind Gamers Personal Computer Systems Presents DAVID GREENWOOD'S LONE WOLF Do you have nerves of steel? Should you stand firm firing torpedoes at a troop transport, or dive and try to make for safety, while a destroyer is bearing down, and firing at the submarine? Well, Lone Wolf allows you to take command of a world war two sub. Now, feel the tension when you try to get your sub into a firing solution. If the destroyer gets a sniff of the sub, it will be on top of you before the torpedo is launched. Lone Wolf - A Submarine Adventure The Signals Officer was crouched over the radio, one hand holding a pencil, the other pressed against the right ear of his head set. "Sir!", he exclaimed, " Message coming in from COM SUB PAC. I should have it decoded in a minute." A short while later, Cassidy stood up, "Its ready, Sir." The Captain nodded as he took the message from the Signals Officer. "Thanks, Cassidy.", he said while walking past him over to the First Officer, "John, read this." The first officer took the paper from the Captain's hands and read: "Urgent! You must locate all oil platforms in the Boot Strait. It is strongly suspected that the area is mined. A Destroyer has been spotted patrolling the area. Boot Strait is nestled in the south of the three island grouping located in area C-3." The captain frowned, "I think there are three possible ways to tackle this mission. And I don't like any of them. First, we could attack through the unprotected strait in the north. This would add a day to the mission and the Destroyer would be on top of us immediately after we hit the first platform. The second option isn't much better. We could slip under the Destroyer by diving to three hundred feet and run the engines at one-quarter speed. We probably wouldn't be detected, but it would be slow going and we would still be dogged by the Destroyer once we hit the first oil platform. I think the only way is take the Destroyer out immediately." John grimaced, "This is not going to be easy." "I know, but its probably our best option." Turning to the helmsman, the Captain barked, "Ahead full, set course to mark 0 degrees." The sun reflected dully off the surface of the gun barrel grey submarine as it made its way north towards its target. Like the wolf it emulated, its main advantage is its stealth and its element of surprise. Although the submarine would not win any battles, it was an effective weapon to play spoiler to the enemy. "Sir! Destroyer detected on radar at 9500 yards." "Good. Dive to forty feet and let's take a peek through the periscope. Switch to battery and slow down to one-quarter speed." "Destroyer at 7500 yards, bearing 270 degrees." "Destroyer at 6400 yards, running at six knots." "Destroyer at 5400 yards." The Captain started raising the periscope. "Full stop! Open torpedo tube doors!" The captain peered intently through the viewing piece. The Destroyer was twenty-four degrees off port and closing. In the bottom right corner of his periscope view was a red light. Keeping his concentration shared between the Destroyer, the Firing Solution light, and the compass lines, he watched anxiously for the right moment. At fourteen degrees off port, the Firing Solution light turned green and in quick succession he immediately slapped the red plungers labelled one and two. "Torpedoes away!", yelled the captain. "Give me a constant distance read-out of the torpedoes from sonar and set engines to reverse." "yes sir! Torpedoes at 1500 yards bearing true." "Torpedoes at 3000 yards, still on course." "Torpedoes at 4500 yards still running true." The captain paled as he realized the torpedoes were going to cross the bow of the Destroyer and enter the submerged mine field protecting the mouth of the strait. There was a distant sound of an explosion as the torpedo found and detonated one of the submerged mines. The Destroyer immediately spotted the rooster tail caused by the periscope and started turning in the direction of the submarine. "That cooked it! Full ahead! open ballasts! close torpedo tube doors! full right rudder! Dive!, Dive!". "Diving planes down full, sir. Currently at seventy-five feet bearing 43 degrees." "Good, continue turning and blow ballasts at 200 feet." "Sir, Destroyer at 900 yards and closing. Depth 157 feet." "Depth 190 feet, Destroyer starting to drop depth charges." The submarine shook as the depth charge detonated uncomfortably close to the hull. "Sir, detonation at 210 yards!. We have just reached 200 feet. Centering rudder and levelling out. Equalizing ballasts." The captain pulled a hanky out of his pocket and impatiently mopped his face. "Okay, wait until our speed is at 8 knots and cut engines. Rig for silent running." "Sir, detonation at 170 yards." "Sir, 130 yards." "50 yards." The sound of the Destroyer was easily heard through the hull of the submarine as the ship passed overhead, otherwise, everything was silent. Intermittently the submarine rocked from the force of the detonations, but each one was slightly less than the previous. The crew held their collective breaths as they waited for the danger to pass. "Sir, detonation at 1500 yards, I think they've lost us." The captain gave a slight smile. "Good, I guess we'll just sit here and wait until they forget about us." Several hours passed as the crew waited until the Destroyer resumed its regular patrol. The submarine slowly moved back into position and tentatively raised its periscope. "Okay, we learned something on that last go-round.", sighed the Captain. "The Firing Solution light gives a three degree lead time. That's fine if the Destroyer was travelling at its regular speed, but at six knots I should have waited a second or two. This time we will do it right." The Captain sighted the Destroyer through the periscope and watched for the Firing Solution light. The light turned green and the Captain counted to three before slapping the plungers. "Torpedoes away! Let's cross our fingers this time. Give me a read-out on the status of the torpedoes." Cassidy, who shared his time between radio and sonar, called out the increasing distances of the torpedoes. Through the hull of the ship the crew felt the impact as the torpedo found its target. The relief in the control room was palpable. The Captain leaned back on the periscope's housing. "Okay, it should be a piece of cake from here. Surface and ahead full. Cassidy, start pinging the active sonar and guide us through those mine fields. With no opposition the submarine and its crew made short work of the three oil platforms. Suddenly, an omnipresent voice was heard, "Congratulations, you have completed your mission successfully. Would you like another game? Y or N". Lone Wolf is an advance computer submarine simulation. You will need to have good skills using a compass, working with large numbers, and knowing where you are at all times. This game is for a person with quick reactions, sharp decision making, and can keep track of many events happening at once. P C S Is happy to introduce David Greenwood's challenging game. He has made a game that will send you to the bottom visiting Davy Joan's many times. So, put your May west on and have fun trying to sink ships and stay dry. LONE WOLF costs $30.00 US. Please add two dollars shipping per order. You can contact P C S in any format at PERSONAL Computer Systems 551 Compton Ave. Perth Amboy NJ. 08861 phone (732) 826-1917 E-mail pvlasak@monmouth.com ++ And The Winner Is... This time around, the PCS free game goes to Goddess. Despite nightmares and strong repulsion to Anchorhead, Goddess has chosen to fight it out to the end and bring us an informed and insightful warning about this dark piece of interactive fiction. By taking this step, she has gone far beyond the call of duty. Hopefully, this will make your festive season a bit brighter. I hope that you can draw strength from your ordeal. Please continue to share your insights, ethics, and most of all, your profound courage with the readers of Audyssey. Just call the folks up at PCS, and you can claim your well-earned prize. ++ Gifts for Gamers While a lot of good ideas have been covered in other parts of this magazine, I always like to have a small section to share some ideas for gifts which you won't find elsewhere. Before we turn to games, I'd like to encourage you to consider a product you'll find advertised in the MSC Vantage which you likely received by now. It is the Parrot Plus. It is a personal organizer which uses a simple keyboard combined with voice-recognition. Features of particular interest to gamers are the ability to record notes which can be retrieved easily by giving a voice command and hitting a key. The system has a crisp and clear female voice, but mostly, you'll hear your own digitally recorded voice. The five- function calculator will also be of use to you. For those of us who have a propensity to become lost in game, and accidentally forget about deadlines or appointments, the Parrot can remind you of them in time. it can store and dial phone numbers, and operate in several languages. Recently, Microcomputer Science Centre decided to lower the price in keeping with the festive season. The current price is $249 Canadian. Small, powerful, and easy to use, the Parrot is a gift which will fit in your budget and under your tree. + From Justin: I just read this a few minutes ago on rec.games.int-fiction. This is kind of last minute, but maybe you can work it in to this month's issue before you send it out tomorrow. Forwarded message begins here: From: "Mike Berlyn" Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction,rec.games.int-fiction Subject: [Announce Once and Future: Download Version] Once and Future, the text adventure by Kevin Wilson, is now available in electronic download form for the Mac and Win9X OS. Pricing for the downloadable version is lower than that for the boxed version. Included in the ZIP file are the executable, manual and "feelies." The manual and "feelies" require Adobe Acrobat for viewing. For more information, please see: http://www.cascadepublishing.com and then follow the links to the software page. (Editor's note: Thanks to Justin's prompt action, you can retrieve Once and Future in time for the holidays. As you'll see in Justin's excellent review, Once and Future is an excellent gift for a blind gamer. The subject matter is a little serious for youngsters, but anyone from around fourteen or so onwards should find this game quite enjoyable.) At last, the first Inform port of Dungeon has appeared. you can get it from: ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/games/infocom or /inform This port of Dungeon is called zdungeon.z5, and is a direct port from the MDL version once found on mainframes. The author still considers it in beta-test stage, but from what I've seen of it, he's done a very good job indeed. I'm still waiting for the .z8 port being worked on by another author. It is supposed to be a special 20th-anniversary edition, packed with historical information. Even this .z5 version, however, offers gamers interested in where things all began an authentic and exciting piece of history. Some time ago, a university friend of mine called Chris Marn brought Star Wars: Rebellion to my attention. He suspected that by setting the game speed to the slowest setting, events would happen slow enough for blind players with sighted friends to participate meaningfully in the game. My father and i took him at his word, and found that he was quite correct. You'll need good strategic skills, and a good dose of patience. The sound and music is excellent, although it would have been nice to have more speech from the actors. Any Star Wars fans are certain to enjoy this galactic struggle. You'll need a CD-ROM drive, and a fairly good system to play the game. Be certain to check the game's requirements before you purchase it. Rebellion should be easily found in computer stores which sell software. Return To Krondor is an exciting new sequel to Betrayal At Krondor. The award-winning author Raymond Feist is back at the helm again, and has helped to produce another amazing role-playing game. Due to the game's being wrapped up and sitting under our Christmas tree, I'm certain you'll understand why I couldn't exactly review it. However, I can tell you what I've had read to me by Adam Taylor AKA Adam: The Immortal Gamer. The game has eleven chapters of story, just chalk-full of plot-twists and surprises. All of the characters have full speech, which will make the game excellent for blind- sighted partners in fun. Also, combat is entirely turn-based. This will give blind players time to come up with tactical plans and discuss them at leisure with their sighted fellows. Music and sound are apparently both of excellent quality. The Audyssey staff will do its best to make certain that a review of this game appears in the next Audyssey. Ancient Domains of Mystery, a gift to the world from Thomas Biscop, can be obtained from the Net free of charge. Consult earlier issues of Audyssey for instructions on where it can be obtained from. Gama10 was the last release to include a separate manual and documentation files as far as i know. It appears that Gama12 is the latest version currently available. Whichever version you get, I'm certain that anyone who is sufficiently skilled at reviewing the screen with either speech or Braille will thoroughly enjoy this game. No special hardware or software is required to play this Dos- based game. ++ Questioning Commercial Games Article written by: James Peach Computer and console games generate large revenues for their creators, with their target audience being the sighted gamer, with plenty of money for their state of the art gaming experiences; this article will be questioning the who, what, where, when, why, and how of such games that are either totally or partially accessible to blind gamers. Who would benefit from games accessible to the blind is not the easiest to answer, because blind gamers don't seem to be considered when it comes to accessible games. The most obvious answer is that blind people would benefit from computer and video games that they could play without the required assistance of the sighted. Though less obvious, sighted game players would benefit also, in the case of games that they could, or may need to, play with their blind friend(s), since many of such games are geared for the sighted consumer in mind, but I'll elaborate on this further on in the article. What games should I, blind consumer, purchase for myself or for play with a partner? Well, you should try and decide what your basic interests are, and then finding a game category which relates to your interests. Some of these categories are: simulation, role playing games, strategy, puzzle, adventure, trivia, and so on, with a variety of combinations. It's always a good idea to bring someone along with you to help you decide on what games to buy, and to help you read the boxes. An example of using interest to decide what games you might like would be, if say you liked to read novels, then role playing games might be for you, or if you like intellectual challenges, you may want to buy puzzle games. Ultimately, nobody should purchase a computer, video, or other type or game if they're not going to want to play it. What should I look for in a game accessible to blind game players? There seems to be particular game elements that apply to most games that are accessible; I'll begin with games that are totally blind accessible. For games that don't require sighted assistance: (1) they have to be programs that either use printed screen text a speech synthesizer can interpret, or the text has to be read out by the program itself; (2) they should not be real-time in game play, even if it meets the previous criteria, just because a blind player reacts slower in such situation, and depending on the game, this may take away from the overall experience; (3) though not necessarily a requirement, games should involve as many of the senses as possible, using multimedia sound effects, music and voice to utilize hearing, and the use of tactile interfaces and environment responsive controls to utilize touch; blind gamers should be able to be enveloped by the game environment in a similar manner to the sighted counterparts; Personal Computer Systems (PCS) is trying to sell such accessible games, which utilize multimedia sounds, creating a more enjoyable experience. For games played by blind/sighted teams: (1) the game should give the blind half of the team as much info as possible, so that he/she may be able to participate better; (1) should be turn-based or should have a reasonable time limit, mostly because these such games show most of their info through graphics, and because of the sad fact that sight individuals can react faster to the game environment, real-time games are not viable for a good gaming experience; (3) obviously enough, the game should be a game you both want to play together; (4) your computer should meet of exceed the desired game's minimum requirements, which are printed on the box, and if you don't know what is on your computer, try to find someone who can help you with that; if don't want the game badly enough, system requirement won't be that important. Where should I buy my games from? If you happen to prefer a particular store, and they sell what you want, then buy from there. If are able, you should try visiting other stores to find out what they are selling, do you like and of the games/programs that they are selling, and what are their prices. In the end, people won't want to buy a game, unless the supposed quality, quantity, and financial conveniences of buying are acceptable. When shopping for computer games (and console games, if PCS has anything to say about it), you should look for stores that will respect your needs and wishes as a blind gamer, wherein if the game is not as accessible for example, that you should be able to return of exchange it; in most cases, if they want your business, they'll comply. Where prices are reasonable to pay? That's entirely up to the individual buying the games; if you want a game badly enough, you're probably willing to pay what they are charging. When would be the best time to buy games, either for myself of for a friend/relative? Well, since the holiday season is fast approaching, you could start now. Many good games that are payable by blind/sighted teams (it's much less common to find commercial games accessible to the blind gamer) are on the shelves, and on sale. Waiting for sales isn't that bad of a way to buy your games and other merchandise, though I personally wouldn't wait too long; in the case of myself wanting to buy Betrayal at Krondor at Radio Shack, I waited a week too long, because the only copy, reduced to $10, was gone. In the case of Krondor, it wasn't on sale at all, but reduced in price, as are many games that have been on the shelves for a long while, and aren't selling the way they used to, in which case you can capitalize on this reduction. Why should I buy commercial games at all? Good question; why should you, especially when you can just download accessible, free games from the Net? Though you really can just go on the Internet and download games accessible to blind game players, and there's no question about the fact that good games, such as Jigsaw, Anacreon Reconstruction, the Zork trilogy and more, but it all comes down to the saying: "you get what you paid for". If you're looking for something that is new, fresh, and innovative, you usually have to get it through the purchasing of the product, though you can downloads hundreds of games, with no sound, and of which have been around forever, if you can get Net access, which costs money. You can fill up your hard drive with text-based or ASCII text graphically-based games, but don't expect technical support for many of them, even if it does damage to your hard drive. When playing in blind/sighted team, in most cases the sighted person won't want to play such games, because they don't have graphics, great sound effects or music, though they're decent enough for blind individuals to play without assistance. Some of the biggest reasons why sighted gamers in particular buy commercial games, which are usually, instead of buying older ones or downloading good challenging games (like the Zork trilogy), are because they want more, faster, newer, more involving challenges and experiences, and they're willing to pay for it. Ultimately, it is entirely up to you, the blind gamer and consumer, to decide on what you are wiling to do with your time, money and effort when it comes purchasing or not purchasing games, because it's your time money, effort and entertainment. Now that I've successfully put commercial games to the question (ha ha), I think it's time to move on, to the rest of Audyssey, to computer stores, and to the holidays. ++ Anchorhead: Adrift on Divergent Opinions Special thanks go to both Goddess and Robin Mandell for contributing these two very different takes on the largest Inform game to appear as of December, 1998. Comprising over 400 K, Anchorhead is a very long game to play through. Thank you both for your patience and your time. Without lessening the value of Robin's excellent review, I must extend my utmost appreciation to Goddess. Despite finding the game quite traumatic and offensive, she stuck with it right to the end. She felt that it was vital that we, the Audyssey community, should be warned in time for the holiday season about just how dark and sinister this game was. Nothing forced her to take these extraordinary pains except her sense of duty to us. Many critics who find a work offensive will not go completely through it, and will base their judgements on a fraction of the whole. By not doing this, she gives her warning a lot more authority and depth. Goddess has gone through a mentally harrowing ordeal, and has thereby compelled our profound gratitude, respect, and attention. I urge all of you to heed her warning. This game is definitely not for younger players, and i caution you to think carefully before giving it as a gift. I've played some of this game myself, and agree with most of what she's saying. I don't agree with her view that even adults shouldn't play the game. Neither does the other reviewer of Anchorhead, Robin Mandell. The problem with censorship is that once a line has been drawn, it is all too easily moved. There have been far too many examples of what can happen when materials are banned or otherwise restricted. We must all draw our own lines in that respect, and allow others to do the same. As I've stated before in this magazine, games are like tools. A hammer can be used to build a house, or smash someone's skull to pieces. We would never think of banning the hammer due to its capability to be used to evil ends. The author of Anchorhead has used the medium of interactive fiction to explore very dark issues such as rape and incest. His efforts have provoked revulsion and terror in one instance, and keen enjoyment and interest in another. not having played the entire game, i reserve my final judgement of its ultimate value or lack thereof. I'll let these two brave and clever souls present their cases to us all. Hopefully, this will spark some discussion among you. This is the first time Audyssey has seen two reviews of a game as different as these. I hope that it isn't the last. I also hope that it doesn't take a game as darkly powerful as Anchorhead to spark such divergence in the future. + ++ Anchorhead, "A tale of Lovcraftian Horror?" Warning by Goddess Hello again, due to a lag in delivery of Audyssey, I was not able to post this in the last issue, I apologize. Anyway, I had originally planned to submit a review of the game Anchorhead. I wouldn't call what follows, a review, I'd call it a warning. When I first started playing the game, not only was I happy and relieved about there being a female protagonist for a change, but I also thought the descriptions were absolutely the best I'd seen and the author's ability to create moods was downright upsetting. I was soon to find out how right I was. I was prepared for the game to be quite scary and actually had nightmares about it the first night, and was quite upset by it the next day. This was quite a bit more than I had planned on, but it was still nothing compared to what I found when I played further. By the second day in the game, (this game is divided into days) I came upon something which disturbed me more than I could handle, which is one of the reasons for the following warning. THIS GAME IS DEFINITELY NOT FOR CHILDREN, AND I WOULD VENTURE TO SAY, SHOULDN'T EVEN BE FOR ADULTS!!! The main thread of the game's story hinges on repeated incestual childhood sexual abuse, and repeated is putting it mildly. Needless to say, this upsets and offends me far more than I can express here. I am outraged to say the least. What I found were diary entries from a little girl talking about her father repeatedly raping her. I don't care what type of "game" I'm playing, I feel that this sort of thing has no place in it, and makes me question the author. After seeing this, I wanted nothing more to do with this "game". I thought, however, that getting this out was vitally important, so, after speaking with some friends who encouraged me to finish the game and write this review, here it is. As the game progressed, the abuse was unfortunately discussed further and, in my opinion, sickeningly elaborated on. In addition to some profanity, quite graphic violence, and some upsetting and repulsive "mystical" references which also had to do with rape, it became the central theme of the "story" and played into a tasteless and sexist ending which I consider revolting. I know this is strong language, but I feel that this game warrants it. For those of you who still want to play this game, I've not given anything away which will interfere with you. In closing, I'd just reiterate that this game is obviously not for children. I'm also choosing to refrain from even giving this game any rating whatsoever, for reasons stated above. This file can be found on the gmd.de ftp sight in the if-archive directory. It is called anchor.z8 and is written by Michael Gentry, michael.gentry@ey.com I wish you all happy holidays, and happy adventuring, with the emphasis on "happy!" Goddess + Anchorhead: An Interactive Tale of Lovecraftian Horror Created by: Michael Gentry Reviewed by: Robin Lee Mandell "Raindrops spatter down onto the pavement. You take a deep breath of salty air. And the swollen, slate-coloured clouds that blanket the sky mutter ominous portents amongst themselves in the little coastal town of Anchorhead." So begins Anchorhead: An Interactive Tale of Lovecraftian Horror. Anchorhead, created quite recently by novice creator Michael Gentry, is, in my opinion, one of the best games which has appeared in the interactive fiction realm in a while. (Please keep in mind as you read the whole of this review that I am a novice Interactive Fiction player.) Set in the town of Anchorhead--which is somewhere along the New England coast--this game is a gripping, thrilling saga of horror and deceit. Your role as the main character is that of a young woman who has recently moved from the warm sunniness of Texas to the cold raininess of Anchorhead with her writer husband. The circumstances surrounding your move are these: Your husband, Michael, has been notified that the last in the line of a distant line of his family has recently died and that he must come take possession of the house. The turmoil of the sudden move has left you, the wife, feeling rather uprooted and desolate. To make matters worse, its raining out. With all that nitty-gritty background information out of the way, let me tell you how thoroughly I am enjoying this game. For many reasons, I have only progressed about halfway through the game. However, I find Anchorhead to be a superbly crafted, well- written game. The writing, as can be seen from the introduction which I have already quoted, is absolutely superb; its spell- binding, enthralling quality adds to the game a richness and realism which cannot be paralleled. When you play the game, note especially the rich, almost verbose, descriptions and the poetical cadences which have been intentionally or unintentionally utilized in the dream descriptions. Do not think for a moment that my playing of Anchorhead went without a hitch. I found some of the puzzles quite tricky and had to rely--perhaps too heavily--upon the solution file. This solution file, incidentally, is well-written and quite handy. It can be obtained at: www.personal.leeds.ac.uk/~phsmw/anchor.sol. Since there is no time limit placed upon the first 2 or 3 days of play--incidentally, the game is divided into 4 days--you can do enough exploring to eventually discover the puzzles and clues which must be solved or retrieved. There was one spot, however, where I feel that the author made an unfair assumption. I found an object which needed to be opened but which had no obvious means of opening. As I learned from the solution file, a certain character in the game, whom I had already met, could open this object for me; I never would have figured this out. When playing Anchorhead, you must put all of your Interactive Fiction playing skills to work. Remember to look at, under, behind, and in everything. Some objects of importance do not become apparent until you examine and/or search a room or area therein. (My neglect to follow this last instruction is part of the reason I have not yet finished the game.) Most of the objects you see in the game are important, so pick them up. One hint: The exception to this last bit of advice is the coffee cup. The rest of this game's complexities you will have to learn for yourself. Anchorhead is not for children, or for the faint of heart. I neglected to mention before that your character, the mysterious, unnamed wife of Michael the moody professor, is seeking for clues into the mysterious past of the members of Michael's distant family. As the plot thickens many details of incest, murder, and other inferred offenses to the social norm are revealed. In fact, though it certainly is not akin to any Stephen King novel, Anchorhead's eerie story and sometimes shocking revelations can be rather disturbing to the player. What more can I say? To gain a little more information on both the creation of Anchorhead and some hints for playing the game, type "about" at the command prompt at the beginning of the game. Anchorhead requires the Frotz interpreter to run. The game can be found at: ftp.gmd.de/if-archive/games/infocom/anchor.z8. I look forward to hearing your views, positive or negative, concerning Anchorhead. E-mail me at: bmandell@bfree.on.ca. ++ Game Reviews + Field General, created by Rodney Markert Reviewed by Allen Maynard Football is my favourite professional sport, so I was excited when Mike Feir told me of a dos-based text football game. Field General is just such a game. This game is very involved mainly because of the amount of things to select from and the different happenings in the game. Let me rattle them off. I hope none of your brains explode: You can set up a football schedule with the included schedule utility. You can also set up a tournament. If you want to play individual games you can pick from a list of the 30 football games, (which include the 2 new expansion teams--Carolina Panthers and Jaxonville Jaguirs), and then you choose the year you want to use which includes the actual player names and team stat ratios. You then select which team to automate and which team you will control. If you wish you can automate both teams and have the computer play itself, or you can automate neither team for a human head-to-head game. You can also choose to have both teams be equal or not, and even if home-field advantage is turned on or off. You can play a shortened game with seven minute quarters, or a more realistic game with standard fifteen minute quarters. There is a real-time game clock and a real-time play clock both of which you can turn on or off. It is less frustrating if you turn them both off due to the volume of offensive and defensive plays available. I have even brailled both sets of plays but the play clock is still annoying. Part of this is due to the fact that you only have six seconds to call a defense if the playclock is on. Also, you can set the playclock to off but if the game clock is on, the playclock will be engaged during the last two minutes of the second and fourth quarters. I must admit I may have this a little wrong since I turn all clocks off. If you use the schedule creation utility and then play the teams in your schedule, the playclock will engage at the last 2 minutes of the second and fourth quarters. You can also choose to have the pc-speaker sound turned on or off but with it on, it really doesn't add to the game. This game doesn't use soundblaster sounds. Now to get into the game: On every kickoff you have the choice of kicking the ball to the right, left, or down the middle. The offense must choose to set up a blocking wedge on the right, left, or in the middle. Depending on what is chosen by the kicking and receiving teams, the runback will be effected. It is possible to kick the ball out of bounds and even out of the enzone. The game has eighteen defenses and sixty offensive plays. With this fabulous number of both offensive and defensive plays, there is a vast number of possible results. There are fakes, play-action passes, long passes, a hail Mary, smash-mouth running plays, screens, draws, traps and much more. There are hashmarks to worry about. In other words, if you are at the left hashmark you probably don't want to throw a screen to that side because you are closer to the sideline and consequently have less room to work with. There are the typical punts and field goal attempts, but there are also fake punts, angle punts to pin the receiving team deep in their own end of the field, and fake field goals which you can select and try your luck. Once you score a touchdown you are given the choice of kicking the extra point or going for a two- point conversion. You can ground the ball if you are out of time- outs and need to stop the clock--(the time-outs prevent time from being taken off the clock on the up-coming play). I almost forgot that you don't have to kickoff directly, you can try an on-side kick or you can squib the ball down field. And this was one of the more impressive aspects of the game--you must contend with weather conditions. It might be rainy, or windy, or snowy, I believe; or it can be a combination of weather conditions. Of course the weather may be perfect for your game or you can choose to turn off the weather condition feature. You also have to be careful of injuries since they can drop your particular effectiveness in the given area. For example, one of my wide receivers came up lame and my pass completion ratio dropped by one point. Here are some of my observations and opinions: For a DOS football game, I would have to say that this one was one of the best I've played. I have created my own DOS football games in the past, but my attempts cannot hold a candle to Field General. If you want to quit a game in mid-stride, you have the option of saving the game. This game is incredible but it can also be incredibly frustrating. The computer plays a damn good game. I have played five games so far against the computer and I've only won one game--not a winning percentage to be proud of. As a coach, I'm looking at being fired at the end of the season. Sometimes the program works in your favour such as when the refs gather to discuss if a pass was caught or to bring out the chains to measure for a first down. But I have found that you really need a good knowledge of pro football to play this game well. For example, some of the defenses are like this: over key strong zone, nickel twist strong zone, key mombo, flex man-to-man, weak side blitz, and 4-2 key safety X combo. Some of the offensive plays are: double tight 35 slam, Z pop, X quick out, A and B slip, shotgun X comeback, 24 B rim, trap draw, sprint draw, flea flicker bootleg right, and double-tight blind. Fortunately I have a friend and a father who understand many of these terms, but even armed with this vague understanding, I am still getting my but kicked by a cluster of microchips. I just realized that I should have clarified something I mentioned earlier. With the clocks, time is always kept on the game clock, but if you turn off the real-time game clock a certain number of seconds is taken off the clock--more for running plays and less on incomplete passes. Now the only bug I've found is when you or the computer use a time-out, the first one is not taken off your total. If the computer has three time-outs remaining and then uses one to stop the clock, the computer still has three time-outs left. If the computer uses another, then at that point the total drops by 1, effectively giving each team 4 time-outs. Is this game blind and speech friendly? Generally it is. The upper part of the screen is set up as a scoreboard and the prompts for offensive or defensive plays and play results are in the lower half of the computer display. I use Vocal-eyes and I had to set different windows because after each play I would hear the entire scoreboard spoken to me before the prompt for a new play. The first game of Field General I tried which was version 5.1, there was virtually no text description. All I heard was, "x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x" and then something like, "result, 8 yards." Version 5.1 can be found at www.thesocket.come/~henrich and follow the "great files to download from my ftp site" link. The file is called football.zip and for a blind user it makes a good demo since text descriptions are lacking. When I tried version 5.1 of Field General, I e-mailed Mr. Markert and asked him if he could create another version with more text description since I was blind, and he e-mailed me back saying he had received a lot of requests for such a version and he was nearing completion of version 8. I was greatly impressed that a programmer of a great game would take the time to make it more fun and accessible for blind people to play. Version 8 definitely does have more description and I paid the $32 for my registered copy, but to be honest I would have liked even more description. For example, it does say now, "Marino takes the snap, draw play, a give to Higs...4 yard gain." but what I was hoping for was, "Marino takes the snap, a draw to Higs...he crashes off tackle and is spun down after a 4 yard gain." Yes, I'm being picky now but I'm just voicing my opinions, shallow and ungrateful they might appear to be. However, in both versions 5.1 and 8.0 you have to listen to, "x x x x x". There is no getting around this. All in all it is a fantastic DOS-based football simulation. I think it is worth every penny of the $32, and more. I believe Mr. Markert's email address, home address, and phone number are located in the general.doc file of the unzipped football.zip file. If you have any questions which I may have neglected to cover in this review, please email me at anomaly@access1.net, put a question to me in the next audyssey issue, or post a message on the audyssey email list which I am now on. + MAX-imum Review A Comparative Review of MAX and MAX 2 Created by: Interplay Reviewed by James Peach For those of you who haven't ever heard of, or played MAX (which stands for Mechanized Assault and Exploration) or MAX 2, this comparison will give a concise synopsis of the plot, and the game in general. MAX (Mechanized Assault and Exploration), was created in 1996, and is a graphically-based, turn-based strategy game, so to start off with it will require that you, the blind consumer, play with a sighted partner. Just to give you a feel for the game, I'll begin by rattling off the plots of both MAX and MAX 2 (in that order). The plot of this game, is illustrated in the manual that comes with MAX, but if you don't care to read it, the opening movie summarizes it into a five minute nutshell. The plot goes like this: An alien organization, the Concord, is looking for peoples to aid in the Concord's distant galactic conquests; they come across Earth. The earth has become politically unstable, so religious faction, minority groups, corporations, and entire governments where more than will to jump out of the fire that Earth was burning in to aid the Concord. Some of these men and women would fight in the Armies of the Concord, most would build and maintain what would become the machinery of war, and the select few would become the prestigious MAX Commanders. These commanders were the brains of willing Earth refugees, removed by surgery from the skull and placed in a sealed, liquid-filled capsule, which was then connected to robot interfaces which controlled the colony ships. Since humans cannot withstand the rigors of hyper space, all except the MAX Commanders, were kept in stasis, while the insulated brain would be left responsible for the control of the ships they piloted, and for the direct control of the robotic units that would be on the planet's surface. Now the human species was promised new worlds that they could colonize, by the Concord, if only they agreed to fight for the Concord, and to fight for the planets, the land, if they wanted it. Surely enough, when the colony ships dropped out of hyper space at their planets of destination, most of them found other such ships, and earlier colonies on the surface, which proved true that if you want the land, then you'll have to fight for it's possession; and so the battle begins. MAX 2, which was created in mid 1998, is the basic sequel to it's acclaimed predecessor. The plot in this one is much less complex than the elaborate one in MAX (in my opinion, it could've been worked on a bit, but I'll continue on with that later), however it does manage to set the mood of the game well enough. IN MAX 2, the humans have advanced in technology and structure since their departure from the homeworld, and have become very successful for the Concord. Unfortunate for the human factions, they tried to take a few too many worlds, and came across the once benevolent Sheevat. The humans tried to take the Sheevat worlds, but the Sheevat awakened from their hibernation, and wouldn't stand for the occupation of their land by a single human form any faction; they now bred their species for the destruction of the humans, so that they could return to rest. The battle rages on for the humans and the Concord, of whom we see more of in MAX 2. Now that the stage is set, we can rush head long into the yeas and nays of MAX and it's sequel, MAX 2. NOTE: At the end of each compared point, a fating will be given for each, with MAX always appearing on the left and MAX 2 appearing of the right. The approximate average will be given at the end of this review. To start us off, lets compare the plots, since we're familiar with them: I really did appreciate the way the plot unfolded and created a setting with a story, whereas MAX 2's plot was really just a matter of you encounter the Sheevat, and they wish nothing more than to destroy you, and though they're both simple enough, MAX 2 doesn't really seem to have a plot, with MAX's intro movie telling a lot and MAX 2's movie telling not. Level of difficulty: MAX is a difficult game in itself since you have to battle against, and beat an existing colony, compared to MAX 2 which is more or a merciless slaughter of your units at most levels; for this reason, I would rather be playing MAX, since they will give you some time to build up a force before they kill you, which doesn't subtract from the experience of playing. Game play, which mostly discusses play during a game of MAX/MAX 2: there is only a slight difference between the game play of these two games, except for a few improvements that are included in MAX 2, such with the transfer of materials from buildings to units and vise versa, with transfer being automatic and instantaneous in MAX 2. However, MAX still retains some elements of game play that were lacking in MAX 2 for whatever reason, such a with the ease of navigation using the mouse, which may seem irrelevant to nearly all of you, but without quick and easy navigation for your sighted partner, the harder the game becomes for the whole team, and movement, which I find to be a lot faster in MAX, whereas with the sequel it seems that your units trudge along while you they move very quickly. Also, the most important to note is that they can both be played in either turn- based or simultaneous turn-based play, which just means that the turns are taken at the same time, and this is more important still, because the way they both are designed, it's much simpler to play turn-based style instead of in real-time, of which is possible in MAX 2. The only real improvement is in the irrelevant graphics, with the game play of both being very similar, aside from movement which is really the most noticeable. Innovations for MAX 2 over MAX, though there are few of these such innovations, they are really nice to have: for starters, the general use of resources has improved with the elimination of fuel and automatic resource transfer in MAX 2, making it more straightforward and faster than MAX; The Sheevat bring some elements unique to their species into combat, with the use of shields, regeneration, parasitic attacks and more; as I mentioned earlier, the humans have made advances and changes since last we made conquest outs with them in MAX, with more improved weapons, resource gathering and refining, and even special attacks of their own, the Concord have decided to make an appearance in MAX 2 with their own brand of weapons (which look similar to the Sheevat weapons) which they supply for a price to help the home team; surface-dwelling animals make also create an unstable element in the game if you so choose, and may even end up aiding in the attack against the opposition, though they're more likely to attack you instead; finally, if that wasn't enough, MAX 2 has a scenario builder and editor so that if you get bored with the maps you've played, you can just make new ones, or even exchange them for maps that your friends have created, an option of a map editor for MAX would've been severely appreciated. IN the end of it all, MAX 2 is little more than a slightly expanded version of the original, though with the above comparative review to consider, as well as boredom of MAX due to your mastery of it (for those who might have played it), purchasing MAX 2 might be worth considering. Though the odd music in both games leaves a bit to be desired, the multimedia effects and voice are excellent for adding a greater sense of what's going on. One element that I think should be included in more strategy games is the nearly limitless upgrading of a single or group of units, which is not as easy and inexpensive as you might thing, only necessary for survival. I personally think that both are worth purchasing, with all the improvements in MAX 2 balancing out the horrible intro as compared to MAX, and with Christmas quickly approaching, you might want to think of either of them as a great gift idea for you or for someone you care about; they're both relatively inexpensive, pricing at around $25 for MAX and around $35 for MAX 2 (this is in Canadian prices, so you may have to do some math, and for those who don't this includes taxes!). Until next time, gain MAX-imum satisfaction out of the games you love to play. + Magic: the Gathering (MicroProse Inc.) Reviewed by James Peach Magic: the Gathering was originally a card game created by Richard Garfield, the President of Wizards of the Coast and TSR Inc. He was out originally to combine the randomness and playability with the collectible/tradable element of sport cards, into a truly unique approach to gaming. MicroProse's attempt to emulate such a game is a commendable effort, though misguided, as I will explain further in this review. The main objective of this game is to defeat your opponent by reducing his life points to 0, through the use of spells, creatures and artifacts. In this game, you have three modes of play: a duel (match between you and the computer); Shandalar, which is a strategy/role playing type of game where you roam the land of Shandalar, as a planeswalker, duelling other planeswalkers and monsters that are out to end your adventure; and then there's online play, where you can select from literally hundreds of players to duel against. They all have their strengths, but they have massive pitfalls as well. This game would not be playable for the blind, since it's all graphical, but it makes an excellent game for blind/sighted teams. Though there is only some memorization involved in this game, by no means does that make it easy. In the duel, you have the option of selecting a pre-made deck from the list of decks, or to make your own, through the use of a deck editor/creator included with the game. With over 800 cards to choose from. Since the game is turn-based, there is plenty of time to build a strategy from the cards that you have in play, or in your hand. Through the use of sighted assistance, the cards you have in play, in your discard pile, your opponent has in play, etc. can all be described, and all in good time. Through the use of multimedia sounds, which are not hard to memorize, in my honest opinion, so the blind person will be able to hear the sound(s) and know what has transpired. In all honesty, the only reason you'd need sighted assistance is to execute the commands of casting spells, attack, the effects of spells, etc.; if you have a fairly good memory, whether sighted or not, then the game will come much easier and time effective. The Shandalar game allows for a multitude of combinations for good replay value. For instance, when you start out, you could choose to be a blue magic-user, with a sorcerer difficulty level; you'd then start out at a point on the game map, (and it's a very big map I will add). When walking around, you will require food to keep you going at a good place; not to worry, every town, village and city has food that you can purchase. Spells can be purchased as well, to add to your starting deck of spells (which is randomly generated). After that's done, you can travel about, performing tasks for the old man, would will reward you with spells and/or amulets (play the game), go on quests for rare spells, duel wandering monsters for spells and "dungeon clues" (just play, you'll see), and much more! Finally, there's the on-line option for play over the Internet, though it doesn't come with the original, type 1.1 or type 1.25 versions, so it has to be downloaded off of the Net, which is free to do so (legally)! This can add a new level of challenge, since your are playing against real people, with real experience, and wisdom, that can keep you going, spell for spell. Now that you've heard the rave reviews, lets hear the rest (sigh). With the duel mode, unless you know the deck's contents, then you'll either have to take the time to check them out with the deck editor, or take your chances with a deck you don't know; which can be challenging and fun at the same time. Shandalar is a great game to play for the sighted, though it is absolutely horrible for the blind. This is because the action of movement is real-time, so when you're moving about, so are the monsters, and unless they've fought, and lost to, you before, they'll go right for you (a tip for the game if you will), leaving little time for thinking and escape. Though, if you leave this problem to your sighted companion, this should be no problem. The online mode I strongly dislike, for everyone, regardless of sight, because, many of the people play with flavourless decks (that is, cheap, first-turn-kill decks, which I know how to make, but would never use, because I like to play Magic, not to win in that way) making it boring at frustrating, especially to new player of the game to face such a deck. It is so very easy to be drawn to the first-turn-kill deck for guaranteed victory, though it removes the fun and flavour to the game. Coming from a person who has the game, and who has played the card game for at least three years, I hope you would take such advice seriously. Our of the standard 1 to 10 rating system, that we've come to love and accept, I give MicroProse's attempt to bring the card game to the computer a 7 seven rating. With most of reason explained in the above, I will attempt to explain the rest. Remember when I said that the Magic: the Gathering computer game was misguided idea, what I meant was, that it's collectability of cards, that makes the card game so appealing, is completely destroyed, since they give you over 800 cards to choose from, and you can have an infinite number of any of these card in your deck (up to 500). Though this may not seem like much to base such a moderate rating on, but I assure you, if any of you have ever played or have a friend who played, you'd understand why this is such a big deal. Oh yeah, the game also has a tutorial, set as a group of cinema scenes, teaching you all the basic, so that you could successfully play a game yourself. Don't worry about the threatening word "cinema scenes", as they are graphical, the tutors (yes, I did use a plural) will speak their words of wisdom to you, in a clear, concise way, with the graphic acting only as support. From someone who has taught many people how to play the card game, it is a very descriptive and helpful when trying to learn; I wish I had it when I was teaching people how to play. I do believe that it is a good buy, if you like such elements, like those I had mentioned, rolled into one game, and frankly, until they come out with Braille Magic cards (don't hold your breath for that), then this is the next, best thing to the card game, in my opinion. The game requires Windows 95 to run, a sound card for the multimedia sounds, a CD ROM drive to install it (and play it with CD music), and plenty of patience. My advice to you is to get the older version, not the "Duels of the Planeswalkers" version, since you should be able to get the older one for a reasonable price (I got mine for 30 bucks), the must-have upgrade (I'm absolutely NOT fooling about that) from the www.microprose.com site, and the online add-on is free from www.gathering.net. Enjoy the game, if you get it. + SimCity (Maxis) Reviewed by James Peach As the name implies, it is a game in which you build and manage a city as it's mayor. Pollution, crime, natural forces, traffic jams, riots and more all play a factor in your success, or failure; are you ready for the high-stress job as mayor? The game has three basic options for game play: create a new city, scenarios, and map editor. These options can create a certain amount of fun, challenge, and replay value. When creating a new city, you select a map from HUNDREDS of maps, create a name for the city, and choose what difficulty level to play; all you need to start your community. With scenarios, you have a selection from about six, which can range from a nuclear accident, to natural disasters, to an alien invasion! The main objective in these scenarios is to restore the city to as close to it's former population and glory as possible, with added smaller objectives added into each. With the map editor, you can take an existing map that has been saved, or a scenario, and change things in it, from where property squares are located, to the whole layout of the city. If you save this work, you can either save over the existing information, or save it as it's own file. When starting a game of SimCity, you will start out with a certain amount of money, and open space. What has to be done here is to use that money to build a community where your simcitizens can live, power for them to use, roads for them to travel on, industry for jobs, and commerce for the same reason. When people are tripping over themselves to get to your community, you'll then have people to pay taxes, so the money that you've spent will slowly and eventually return, allowing you to build more, and continue to expand. Eventually you will expand to become a town, then a city, then capital, then a metropolis, and finally, megalopolis! This game is a classic in every respect, the one that started the whole genre or educational/simulation games, bringing together organization and financial management skills and entertainment. Through it's wide variety of maps and options, this game has great replay value. AS you may have been wondering, it is perfect for blind/sighted teams, adding twice the ideas and schemes and knowledge to create a prosperous city. Though it is a real-time simulation, the game speed can be adjusted, or even stopped, allowing you to make decisions without the computer overwhelming you. Regardless of how many SimCity sequels they create, they all have their roots in the original, classic, SimCity, and I feel confident in giving this game a rating of 8 out of 10, simply because of audio effects, which could've been greatly improved upon in my opinion. If you're thinking about buying this game, shop around, it is fairly inexpensive, even in the multi-game packages that are appearing for older games these days. + IMPERIAL SECRETS Game created and led by Janet DeLacroites Review by Theresa van Ettinger URL: http://members.tripod.com/~johnny7/imperial.html You've been walking now for at least a day. At last, a city comes into view on the horizon. Your pace quickens as you realize your destination cannot be far away. If the lure of adventure and intrigue calls to you, then Imperial Secrets may be just what you're looking for. This is an epic taleweaver play-by-email (PBEM) in which the play is done by means of an email list to which the players subscribe. It is set in a world brilliantly created by Janet DeLacroites of Email Gaming Central. In this game, players write in contributions to an ongoing saga, expanding both their characters and the world in which they reside, gaining in rank as they go along. Also, it is quite common for various characters to team up and write joint posts, which may include anywhere from two to four characters. Currently it has two groupings, one entered around L'Isle Calypsa, and the other around the island of Rompel to the south. The game has been around now since April, and although the GM had to step out for a while, the game has held up quite well, and now has about fifty players. All of them are quite friendly and willing to answer questions. This is an excellent game for those who enjoy creative writing, and who like to socialize in the process. I would definitely rate this one at 10 out of 10. Interactive Fiction Page, wordplay section, poetry ....... http://members.tripod.com/~k_lana + Pegs Game from University of Washington Review by Theresa van Ettinger URL: scv.bu.edu/htbin/pegs/ Pegs is a challenging game of strategy in which the player competes against a computer opponent to try to remove the highest number of pegs from a board. The pegs are represented by their colour, or by an "o" in the case of neutral pieces. No java interface is needed, and Lynx has no difficulty reading it. So far, I have not succeeded in defeating the computer, but I have been able to at least come to a draw. But then, I also used to think the neutral o's couldn't be removed. Another thing is that you never know what the computer's strategy will be. If it has a set strategy, I have yet to determine it. This is a game I would highly recommend if you're into strategy, and are looking for something with a simple design, but challenging nature. I'm giving this one a rating of 10 out of 10. + South American Trek Created by: Conrad Button Reviewed by: Robin Mandell South American Trek is the first educational adventure produced by Buttonware Inc. It is designed as an entertaining teaching tool for students. The player must completely explore every country on the South American continent. Once this is done, and once every task has been completed, the player makes his/her way to Cape Horn where, the last destination in his/her voyage. Although this game is designed for school aged children, it can provide an entertaining challenge to all--though to the directionally or geographically challenged it may prove too much. The greatest challenge is remembering where you are in relation to other countries. The game requires you to complete certain tasks which require certain objects. You must remember where you saw the required object and retrace your movements to that location. E.G. Gold is needed to entice the cowboy to give you his bola. The bola is needed to catch the llama to ride it to the top of the mountain. There is an important object at the top of the mountain, but first you must find the gold. Though it can be enjoyed by everyone, this game is obviously for children. The help system will tell you exactly what to do in almost every situation. It can be a nuisance, so I would suggest that you only type "help" when you really need it. Oh, did I mention Miss Diddlemeyer? She is the touring geography teacher who tags along with you after you find her. She is terribly cheerful and, if she were a real person, her behaviour would be rather annoying. This game is completely compatible with speech. The only bizarre incompatibility I have found is with my Pow Braille 40; the display completely shuts down during the game and comes back to life only after I have finished playing. South American Trek is a relief from the more complicated text adventures. This is not to say that it is unexciting. I have not completed the game yet and I am still surprised by new locations which I somehow missed before. + Crypt: Adventures into Unfathomed Depths of Horror Version 2.0, Copyright 1990 Created By Steve Herring of Herringbone Software Reviewed by: Robin Mandell Please do not be afraid of the title of this game. It's not as scary as it sounds. During the two-and-a-half years in which this game has resided on my hard drive, it has remained an enigmatic mystery to me. The documentation file speaks of many horrific circumstances which must be met and conquered in the ancient English church in which this game is set. To illustrate why I am so mystified I will show you an excerpt from the documentation file and then tell you what I really found. It is important to note before I do this, however, that the version which I own is unregistered. This could make a difference. "In the crypt may be found long lost historical artifacts of great value, protected by a host of traps, tricks, and creatures both natural and supernatural. The successful adventurer must possess courage, skill, intelligence, and a bit of luck." While playing this game, I explored the knave, the altar, the vicar's office, (you even get to wake the old guy up and talk to him), the crypt, and the graveyard. The only challenge I encountered was in the graveyard, which turned out to be a somewhat complex maze. This churchyard is quite unkempt and the player's way is often blocked by brambles and fallen headstones. One must remember precise directions and retrace one's steps very carefully; I only made it back to the church once. In the graveyard can also be found many historical artifacts and an open grave. Here, in the churchyard, is the only sign of the danger and intrigue to which the game's documentation alludes. On to the crypt--the place which is supposed to house the real danger. Aside from a creepy, crawly monster which is scared away from the light of the candle which is found on the altar, the crypt is devoid of danger. The crypt is composed of a passageway with many chambers leading off of it. Each chamber contains a stone sarcophagus. Aside from cryptic writing on the wall, there is no mystery here and there seems to be no where to go except back up into the knave of the church. Now that I've done telling you of the games inadequacies, I will praise its good points. The writing is superbly eloquent. E.G. "Coloured light filters through stained glass windows and splashes among the pews and columns." Smells and sensations are described just as vividly. The maze in the graveyard, as I hinted before, is very involving. One could spend a great deal of time exploring. It is important to note that one must be able to review the screen. For some odd reason, the screen is not automatically read during each turn. As with other games involving a great deal of text, I personally prefer to use my Power Braille 40 to read the descriptions. Crypt is an extremely simple game to play. The documentation file likens the style of the game to that of The Colossal Cave Adventure. Only directional indications and two-word commands are needed. However, the simplicity of the game ends there. The help system, such as it is, gives virtually no assistance. Crypt is a game which has great potential. I would be interested to know whether there are later versions of the game and whether the registered version is any more complete than the unregistered version. + "JACARANDA JIM" Game by Graham Cluley Reviewed by Kelly Sapergia This game, which I'll refer to as "JJ", was one of two IF games, made by Graham Cluley, who also wrote the excellent game, "Humbug". Apparently, he created these games from scratch, which is quite an achievement! In this game, you play the role of a guy called "Jacaranda Jim", who was on his way to Jupiter. However, his ship was attacked by, get this, a crack squad of "Homicidal beechwood armchairs", and crash-landed on the wacky world of Ibberspleen IV. He was rescued from the wreckage by a "gribbley" (whatever that is), called Alan. "This is too much," you thought, then decided to "call it a day and lose consciousness". Your mission is to explore the planet and find a way to leave it. So, now we have to answer the question, "Since the intro text is good, is the rest of the game?" Well, I'll be honest with you: yes and no. I'll admit, the humour is good, and some of the locations are described well, but for the most part, the game, in my opinion, isn't that great. The parser is really good. Even though it is a 4- word parser, it can be used as a full-sentence one if you wish. But that doesn't really save the overall game. One thing I really hate about this game is that you have to drop certain items at certain spots in order for something to happen. For instance, at one point in the game, I had to drop a chair, and a cucumber. I then had to say a magic word to teleport somewhere. After I did all this successfully, I went back to the spot where I dropped the chair and the cucumber. But the cucumber was gone! In it's place, was a gold key! I couldn't believe it! I'm wondering now what happened to the cucumber?. It seems strange, doesn't it? It could be that the magic word I typed in was the reason why things are disappearing and new things appear in an item's place. (Well, this is fiction, isn't it?) Other than that problem listed above, the game isn't too bad. It's geared towards advanced game players, and some of the puzzles aren't really logical, in my opinion. But, if you like that sort of game, then you'll have a lot of fun with it. A word of advice, though: without the walkthrough from GMD.DE/IF-ARCHIVE/SOLUTIONS, you'll be spending a long time trying to get through this game. It is shareware, but I'm not sure if it still is. The reason I said this is because last year, Graham released his other game, "Humbug" to the public domain, because he didn't have a lot of time to support it anymore. (I'll give you a hint here: the solution file on GMD.DE also has the name you get when you register the game.) One thing that might annoy you is that this game will NOT speak through BIOS, so you'll have to go into your screen reader's review mode to read the screen. If you're using a braille display, then you don't have to worry. On a scale of 1 to 10, I gave this game a rating of 6. In my opinion, the story starts out fine, but I think it needs some work. Also, I wasn't crazy about the puzzle I described a little earlier in this review, since there's really no reason for it. But other than that, the game isn't that bad. You can find it on & the Internet at: FTP.GMD.DE/IF-ARCHIVE/GAMES/PC/JACJIM50.ZIP. + "LISTS AND LISTS" Tutorial by Andrew Plotkin Reviewed by Kelly Sapergia Did you notice that I said "Tutorial by Andrew Plotkin" instead of "Game by Andrew Plotkin"? The reason I put that in is because this is an "Interactive Tutorial" program that was created with Inform. I know that Audyssey specializes in Interactive Fiction games, but I thought it might be of interest for those of you who are thinking of making educational programs with Inform. In a way, this looks like a game, but it isn't. There is no score, or time limits. Basically, a genie will give you some exercises to try out, as you learn how to program in "Scheme", a cleaned-up version of "LISP". (I never heard of "Scheme", but I have heard a little about "Lisp". There are a few IF creation toolkits that use the LISP system. It sounds complicated to me, though.) Other than the examples you are given, there really isn't much to do, except try them out on the "Scheme Interpreter" that has been incorporated into the program. It activates when you turn on the computer. Some commands you may have to use are either in brackets or have a colon symbol, followed by the command. For example, to access the manual (see below), you have to type ":m" (without the quotes). Personally, if you're going to try this program, I recommend using either a Braille display, or turn on your screen reader's Punctuation, because you'll need it! I tried a few of the puzzles in this tutorial, and I'll admit, I'm impressed. If you are completely stuck on an example, or if you don't know what to type in to make something work in Scheme, don't worry. There are two forms of on-line hints in this program. One is an on-line version of the "Scheme Programmer's Manual". When you want to read the manual, you'll get a menu of all the chapters in the book. You simply have to move to the chapter you want by using Inform's standard menu keys. (N for next, P for Previous, etc.) The other way to get on-line hints is by typing "HINT" when you're not using the computer. The genie will start off by asking something like, for example, "Did you read Chapter 6 of the manual?" If you type "HINT" again, the genie will give you another hint. He'll even tell you what to type to complete an exercise. On a scale of 1 to 10, this "tutorial" program is rated at 8. The idea was an excellent one, especially for a first attempt at writing a tutorial in Inform. I hope that more people will do this, not just for new programming languages, but also for some of the IF game-writing toolkits, such as TADS, or even Inform itself. I certainly could use some of these tutorials, since I'm trying to learn both TADS and Inform, and am having alot of problems trying to read the manual and write some sample code at the same time. Yes, I'm glad that there are some sample games included to help you, but they aren't enough, in my opinion. If you would like to give "LISTS and LISTS" a try, you can get it from: FTP.GMD.DE/IF-ARCHIVE/GAMES/INFOCOM/LISTS.Z5. You'll need an Inform interpreter, such as "DOS FROTZ" to play the tutor. + "ANOTHER LIFELESS PLANET AND ME WITH NO BEER" Game by Dennis Drew Reviewed by Kelly Sapergia Since I'm interested in Interactive Fiction, I'm always interested in seeing what people have come up with. I play all types of games, from the ones that are programmed from scratch, to games made with such systems as AGT, TADS, INFORM, etc., as well as games that game-writing toolkit writers have made. The game which I'm about to review fits into the latter category. It is a shareware game, but it is also a demonstration of Dennis Drew's game-writing system, called "Gamescape". It's clear from the start that Mr. Drew really likes to publicize his products. (Well, who doesn't?) For one thing, included with the NOBEER.ZIP file is a catalog of his products, that describes them with terms like "logical", "high- quality", etc. In a way, he is almost right. Also, NOBEER.ZIP not only contains the game and the Gamescape interpreter, but a sample of another product, "CompuNerd", a program that answers the question "Am I a nerd?" You basically answer some questions, such as "What percentage of your computer use involves word processing?", then you get a few screens about your rating. For example, for the above question I answered 95, and was told that I was "one of the millions of people who have found word processing to be an incredibly valuable computer function." The program then gave me a rating of 5: minor nerd. (Not bad!) But now onto the review of "No Beer", another one of Mr. Drew's "Astounding", and "logical" programs. I played part of the game, and what I saw didn't really impress me. The story isn't original, and the parser needs ALOT of work! This game is a sequel to Mr. Drew's other game, "Marooned Again". Basically, you're stranded on an alien planet and you have to find some items in order to get your alien ship to work again. And, contrary to the title of this game, the planet isn't really "lifeless". You will know this if you walk to the north from your starting point. (I won't reprint the quote from the game.) Mr. Drew's spelling is all right, but I don't really think that makes the game better. For one thing, his humour isn't really the best. As an example, here's the starting room description. "You are standing right beside a square hole in the ground. It looks very deep. You have seen such holes before. They too, were very deep. Holes have a way of doing that. Being very deep, I mean." As every IF fan knows, the quality of the game's parser is also a good factor to consider. It can be really good, or really poor. In this case, I think it's really poor! You can only use two words, and no synonyms! If there is an object that you want to pick up, you'll have to hyphenate the word. For example, at the beginning of the game, there's a small stone. If you want to get it, you have to type "TAKE SMALL-STONE". Most of the parser problems can be worked around, but sometimes not. For instance, I was in a room and was basically playing the Gamescape's version of Hangman. In this case, I had to guess the secret word, then I would get a scrambled word to try to figure out. I haven't yet guessed the secret word, and here's the reason why: I think I got just about all the letters, but when I tried to guess the letter Q, I was asked if I wanted to quit the game! "GUESS Q" didn't work either. I tried the "GUESS" command on the correct letters, and that didn't work! I gave up with the game after a week of accomplishing nothing. I blame my problems with the parser, which Mr. Drew claims to be "high quality". By the way, here's another thing that isn't good about the parser's performance: if you try going in a direction that isn't listed in the room description, you'll get the message "I don't understand that. Is that logical?" (I'm not making this up!) This also happens if the parser can't understand what you want it to do. You can tell that Gamescape was used to make this game, because when you quit, you have to read, or listen to, two promotional screens about the product. I haven't tried out Gamescape itself, but from what I read in the Frequently Asked Questions documents from REC.ARTS.INT-FICTION, I don't think anyone likes it. I have also read that there is no discussion about it on the newsgroups. I really can't blame anyone for not taking an interest in it. You can get an idea of how this system is by playing "No Beer". And to top it off, the price for this shareware adventure game writing system is [prepare to be shocked] $95 US!! (If you'd like more information about this system, read Bob Newell's "Which System Is Better?" document. You can find it at: FTP.GMD.DE/IF-ARCHIVE/INFO/. The file is WHICHSYS.ZIP.) After spending a few weeks with this game, I gave it a rating of 2 out of 10. I wasn't impressed with the system used, or with the story itself. If you'd like to try this game, the file NOBEER.ZIP can be found in the /GAMES/PC/ directory on the IF-ARCHIVE. Gamescape can be found in the /PROGRAMMING/GAMESCAPE/ directory. + Once and Future by G. Kevin Wilson Reviewed by Justin Fegel After almost five years in development, the most anticipated piece of interactive fiction to date was released back in August. I finally got around to purchasing the game last month and presently I am about half way through. So far, I think the game is quite good. The game is written in Tads, the Text Adventure Development System, and has the distinction of being the first commercial text adventure in many years. The game sells for $29.95 US from Cascade Mountain Publishing, a company founded earlier this year by Michael Berlyn of Infocom fame. The cd that the game ships on contains Tads interpreters for a variety of operating systems including Dos, Windows 3.1, and Windows95/98. The packaging also includes a printed manual and some other documents that will give you a little background on the character you will be playing. I used my scanner to read all of the documents and they came out fine. In Once and Future, you assume the identity of Frank Leandro, a 23 year old U.S. soldier in the Vietnam war. Even though you start out in a tent playing poker, your adventure really begins when you are killed trying to save three of your friends from a live grenade which has been thrown in to your tent. You suddenly find yourself on the mythical isle of Avalon face to face with the legendary king Arthur Pendragon. Arthur tells you that he has been watching you for some time now and that you have been chosen to save your world from a terrible fate. In order for you to do this he gives you the holy grail and says that you must purify it and use its powers to resurrect yourself. Before you can do this however, you must find three other important items, one of which is the sword Excalibur. Arthur then vanishes andd you're on your own. In your adventures, you will travel through time, across worlds, and even through the veil of death and back. You will also encounter many characters from myth and legend whowill either help or hinder you in your quest. Overall, I think this is a good game. For one thing, it's huge! The game file itself is over 900K in size. There are plenty of places to explore and many things to do. The puzzles are all logical and straight forward. Since I haven't finished the game yet I can't comment on all of the puzzles, but so far, they haven't been to difficult. Many of the puzzles also have more than one solution. According to the author, there are also several endings depending on certain actions you take in certain areas. This gives the game some replayability value. I thought the scoring system was really neat. Instead of getting points for specific actions like in most games, your score increases by military rank. For example, you begin ass a private, then you move up to corporal, and on up through the ranks. The writing is excellent. The descriptions of places and actions are very detailed. I also like the use of cut scenes throughout the game. They help to move the story along. I think that the author also goes to a great extent to make the main character seem real to the player. By using flashbacks of Frank's life and making extensive use of dialogue in certain scenes, you can get a good idea of what type of person frank really is and what he's going through. Since I haven't completed the game yet I don't want to make a lot of negative comments, because I may end up taking them back when I finish. There are however, a couple things I would like to mention. First, there have been a few instances where I have had to play guessing games with the parser. Second, I thought that the plot could have been set up a little better. The lines, "I have been watching you for a long time," and "you have been chosen," have been used countless times before one way or another in other games I have played. I think there could have been a more creative way to develop this. I also think that Arthur should have given more explicit instructions on what exactly you are to do. He basically hands you the grail and says "go save the world." Right now I feel like I'm on a treasure hunt, wandering around, solving random puzzles and trying to locate these three items he told me to find. I'm hoping that once I've found what I'm supposed to, someone will appear and give me more explicit instructions. On a scale of one to ten, I would give Once and Future an 8.5. The writing and attention to detail are excellent and the game on a whole is well implemented. I'm only subtracting points for minor parser problems and plot development. Keep in mind that this rating could change when I finally finish the game. As I stated before, overall this is a good game. If you enjoy huge text adventures with a lot of puzzles then definitely buy this game. To order Once and Future, call Cascade Mountain Publishing at 1-800-981-6889 or check them out on the web at http://www.cascadepublishing.com. Happy holidays. + "PHOTOPIA" Game by Adam Cadre Reviewed by Kelly Sapergia This game won first place in the 1998 IF Competition, and most deservedly, in my opinion. Personally, I only liked two of the games that were created for this year's competition, and this was one of them. Photopia is different than just about any other IF game I've played before. This game uses a "branching story" approach. That is, you start the game as one character, then switch to a different character and setting, then back to the first character after completing a few puzzles, etc. When I first played the game, I thought "What is going on here?" But I was amazed by the quality of the Inform parser and the excellent text that I didn't want to quit the game! It takes a good IF author to do something as good as this. The puzzles are simple. You really don't need to get a walkthrough for the game. If you're stuck, typing "HELP" will give you a hint (if there is one) for the current puzzle you're stuck on. But for the most part, you should be able to solve the puzzles easily. One thing I didn't really care for about this game was what happens when you're switching between characters and settings. You have to press any key to switch scenes, which is fine. But instead of saying "Press any key to continue", the game simply gives you the traditional greater than (>) prompt. One way to find out if you have to press a key is to look at line 24 of the screen. Normally, it's blank, but there may be text on the line, which is the ending of the current scene. You can then press any key, and you're in another scene. On a scale of 1 to 10, I gave this game a 10. If you're looking for a game that is easy for novice players, and has excellent text descriptions, then this is the perfect game for you. I'm not sure, but I think this was the first game to employ the "branching story" approach, but if it is, it was an excellent idea. I hope there are more games like this in the future. I recommend this game for players aged 14 and up. This game requires an Inform interpreter. The one I use is DOS Frotz. You can find Photopia at: FTP.GMD.DE/IF-ARCHIVE/GAMES/COMPETITION98/PHOTOPIA The game file is PHOTOPIA.Z5. + "REVERBERATIONS" Game by Russell Glasser Reviewed by Kelly Sapergia This is one of my favourite entries in the Inform category of games from the 1996 IF competition. It's a totally action-packed game with very good puzzles, and an excellent story-line. Combine all this creative accomplishment with Inform's superb parser, and you've got a top-rated game worth downloading! In this game, you play the role of a pizza-delivery man, who is assigned to deliver a pizza to the courthouse, where a Guido Canzone is being convicted of a crime which we're not told about. You, on the other hand, are hungry because you didn't have breakfast this morning, so you open the box, start to eat a slice of pizza, and find a metal file hidden amongst some cheese. When you go to the courthouse, you give the file to the DA at the Canzone trial, and Mr. Canzone is being held in a maximum-security prison. I won't reveal any more of this game, since that might spoil the fun, but I'll just say this, if the first puzzle is anything to go on, you'll have alot of fun with this masterpiece. I personally found this game to be quite addictive. Even though I solved this game, I kept going back to it at different times, just to read the text. This game basically looks (or sounds, if you prefer) like a TV show or a movie. The good thing about this is that because you can interact with the game, you can decide the game's final outcome. It's basically like an interactive movie. (This is one reason why I've always liked Interactive Fiction, (Compared to graphical games.) The game does come with a built-in hint system, but you should be able to figure out most of the puzzles on your own. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'm proud to say that I've rated this game 10. This means "You won't be disappointed when you download this work of IF!" Like I said, the overall game is outstanding! I haven't come across any bugs worth mentioning, which is a good thing! I hope that Mr. Glasser is planning on writing more works of IF! He certainly did a terrific job in this game! To download this game, go to: FTP.GMD.DE/IF-ARCHIVE/GAMES/COMPETITION96/. The file to look for is REVERB.Z5. ++ Contacting Us I can be reached in two ways. The easiest is through Compuserve. My e-mail address is as follows: 72712.3103@compuserve.com Alternatively, you may correspond with me on 3.5-inch disks, provided you be sure to send them in returnable disk-mailers. I don't have the money to pay for postage. My mailing address is: 5787 Montevideo Road Mississauga, Ontario, Canada Postal code: L5N 2L5 I have acquired a copy of UUencode and UUdecode for dos, so you may send files to me via this means. Also, thanks to a reader named Frank Haslam, I have acquired a copy of something called Netsend. this is a program written and encoded so that it can be sent as a standard e-mail, but once it is cut from the rest of the message text, it can be run as an executable file. You will then have all you need to send and receive files over E-mail. this should go a long way to making sharing of files easier. thanks a bunch, Frank. Adam Taylor, star of Adam, The Immortal Gamer, and our resident ADOM guru, can be reached three ways. You can send him e-mail at: blade@ican.net Or, you can check out his homepage on the web: Blade's Armory http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Arcade/9111 His page is dedicated to providing help, cheats and solutions to many games. Send him a request, and he'll do his best to find what you need. He also has sections on ADOM and Nethack available. And, you can download the magazine from his page. Finally, if you wish to contact him at home, his address is: 3082 Bartholomew Crescent Mississauga, Ontario Canada L5N 3L1 Justin Fegel is one of our two interactive fiction staff members. He will be happy to advise and guide players through the many interactive fiction games out there. He can be contacted at: zardak@dmv.com James Peach, our commercial games expert, will do his best to advise those seeking commercial entertainment which is accessible to blind players with or without sighted assistance. He can be contacted at: jamespeach@hotmail.com Kelly Sapurgia is another expert in interactive fiction. He is a well-established reviewer of games for Audyssey, and has an interest in developing interactive fiction as well as playing it. He can be contacted at: k.sapurgia@dlcwest.com