Category Archives: PC Games

PC Games

Space Quest II: Vohaul’s Revenge

4 Comments

Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Sierra
Year: 1987
Platform: DOS, Amiga, Atari ST, Apple II, Macintosh

Review: After reading multiple reviews of this game in particular and of the Space Quest series as a whole, I have come to the conclusion that there may possibly be only one living human besides myself that believes this is the best game of the lot. And since that other person is my brother, and since he doesn’t remember anything he did more than six weeks ago, perhaps the following review should be taken with a grain of salt.

Once again you play Roger Wilco, janitor extraordinaire. There is really no plot to speak of, with the running premise being avoiding death while accidentally saving the universe once more. And if you thought dying was annoying in the The Sarien Encounter, be prepared to find yourself in a padded room after playing Vohaul’s Revenge. Not only are there more ways to axe yourself, there are more instant-death rooms, unavoidable except by luck. To top it off, the game designers will mock you every step of the way, insulting your very being with every mistake.

Perhaps a bit more NPC interaction would have spiced the game up, as would have some good production values.  The graphics and sound have not improved since the last installment and neither has the parser. Also, a few of the puzzles have very unobvious solutions. Though, considering I won the game in a couple of days, nothing is all too difficult.

There is one way to put yourself in an unwinnable state, but it is so flippin’ hilarious when you realize what happened that restoring back thirty minutes is worth the mistake. I was actually glad I screwed up.

To sum up, Vohaul’s Revenge has very little to offer from a gamer’s perspective, despite a couple of crafty puzzles. But I found myself laughing so damn much I didn’t care. In fact, I recommend this game to anyone who has the same sense of humor as me.  Or my brother.

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Contemporary Rating: Low. The parser is still weak and the game is not friendly.

Cruelty Rating:  Nasty.  You must save on every single screen because there is a way to die on every single screen.  The walking dead situation isn’t quite cruel, because you have a pretty good idea something went wrong, and you’ll likely have separate save files ready when the time comes.

PC Games

Leisure Suit Larry Goes Looking For Love (In Several Wrong Places)

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Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Sierra
Year: 1988
Platform: DOS, Amiga, Atari ST

Review: Released only two years after the first installment, Looking For Loveis an exceptional game, much better than the original. Also, while the game is still rated for adults, the sex has been toned down considerably, delegated to jokes and conversation rather than the act.  In fact, the easier you are to the various women you meet, the more likely you are to die! This game is appropriate for most teenagers.  This was the only game in the series my parents allowed me to play before high school and I understand why.

Poor Larry has been dumped by Eve (his primary conquest from the first game) and with no money, job, or place to live, he must wander the streets of Los Angeles once more. If Larry gets lucky he’ll also wander a cruise ship, a tropical island, and an airplane! The plot, rather than focusing on sex, involves a KGB conspiracy that Larry accidentally gets himself in the middle of without knowing it!

Using their new SCI engine, the graphics have been vamped up considerably.  The parser has also been upgraded as well, able to understand some complex sentences. Unfortunately, the sound effects and music are mostly unimaginative and flat.

What really makes or breaks this game for most people are the puzzles. While most are creative, this game probably holds the record for most ways to put yourself in an unwinnable state and not know it. What sets this apart from most games that do this is that most of the time it’s hilarious. There are at least four different points in the game where Larry dies, only then realizing that he forgot an important item near the beginning of the game. In fact, I think I encountered every single one the first time I played. The game is already quite long as is, and the playing time was quadrupled for me due to these gaffes. I’d like to think I was able to forgive these torture puzzles as they are humorous, but more likely the reason is I played the game when I was ten and had no other games to boot up. I had an e-mail exchange once with the game’s creator, Al Lowe, and asked him about the design.  He pretty much admitted designing a game in this manner is unforgivable and was glad I liked it anyway.

If you can put up with the puzzles, you should have a good time.  The humor is ubiquitous and quite refined. Along with the gags are more subtle jokes, pleasing fans of both with some laugh-out-loud moments. And the end game is a satisfying conclusion to a satisfying adventure.

Contemporary Rating: Medium. The parser is actually pretty good, and the jokes hold up well.

Cruelty Rating:  Cruel.  The cruelest game ever!

PC Games

King’s Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow!

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Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Sierra
Year: 1992
Platform: DOS, Windows, Amiga, Macintosh

Review: While a vast improvement over the previous installment, with a much longer, integrated plot and a much better use of mythology, the sixth installment still lacks in many basic areas that plague the King’s Quest series.  Thankfully, there’s enough that’s awesome here to make it worth playing.

Alexander, a very bored prince, is sulking in the throne room, something he learned quite well from his father. Roberta Williams digs into the plot device bag and pulls out the ol’ reliable Magic Mirror to get things started. And whadya know, Cassima, the lass King Graham helped save on his last adventure, appears in the mirror. She is trapped inside of a castle and expresses her longing for a man (a la Juliet).  While she never mentions him by name, Alexander assumes she is talking about himself. So, without asking his father’s permission or telling so much as his fairy godmother of his plans, Alexander takes off for the Land of the Green Isles, where Cassima is being held in solitude.

Wait a second. This sounds eerily familiar. Perhaps…yes, perhaps it’s because this is the exact same plot lifted from King’s Quest II: Romancing the Throne. Thankfully, Mrs. Williams must have realized her abysmal failure the first time around and decided to give it another shot.

The opening animation sequence is beautifully done. It also manages to be quite long without giving away the game’s plot in its entirety. The plot does move along during play, though barely, and during cut scenes like in King’s Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella. While not original, the King’s Quest series was never known for its plot. Rather, environment, mysticism, and puzzles (well, sometimes) helped sell the series. For the most part, they’re all here.

Yet I have a love/hate relationship with this game. I would have enjoyed it more with a typing interface. Then, some of the neat puzzles might have been hard. Unfortunately, many are very easy. Too many of the puzzles require “triggers” to activate them (breaking mimesis), and there is one very not obvious way to become walking dead for a very long time. If you don’t converse with a particular character at the beginning of the game, you will put the game in an unwinnable situation depending on which plot branch you take. Worse yet, you will not know you have done as such until the game is almost over. There is no excuse for such sloppy game design. Also, an extensive part of the game involving the Cliffs of Logic and the Catacombs is one huge copyright protection. The only way to solve the puzzles is to have the “Guidebook” that comes with the game. Instead of creating fun and intuitive puzzles, the designers simply became lazy.

On the bright side, most of the characters are developed well. The shopkeepers of the pawn shoppe and the library have captivating voices and wonderful personalities. In fact, everyone human that you meet is fun to interact with. However, many of the mythological and cartoon characters become rather annoying and have little pleasantness about them (except Hole in the Wall!). The main characters are so stereotypical that one wonders if Disney had a role in character development. Alexander will never do anything that is improper or not fit for a prince, unless of course he needs to do so to advance in his quest. And Cassima’s undying love for Alexander is groundless, but it does fit her undynamic personality. At least the corniness is good for a few chuckles.

The graphics are nothing spectacular and not much of an improvement over the last game in the series. Everything is very colorful, but much of it is too cartoonish. The sound effects are pretty good, however, and the end game song is a treat.

Most of the game is pleasant, and the advent of five unique islands to explore, a plot branch, and two endings with one giving you more points than the other (and a much longer, satisfying game) are great ideas and I applaud Sierra. Also, magic is used almost as extensively as it was in King’s Quest III: To Heir Is Human, an idea this series should have implemented more often.

Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow is a relatively easy adventure with poor plot development and some annoying puzzles.  So why do I like it so much? Perhaps it’s sentiment.  Perhaps because it’s predecessor was abominable.  Or perhaps it’s all of the charm.  And the things this game does well, it does really well.

Contemporary Rating: Medium. Highly intuitive gameplay, but making an hour’s worth of puzzles a copyright protection is unforgivable.

Cruelty Rating:  Cruel. You can die frequently, and it’s not always obvious.  Only one walking dead situation, but it’s still very cruel.

PC Games

Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh

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Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Sierra
Year: 1996
Platform: DOS, Windows

Review: About the only thing that the second installment of this “series” has in common with the original is full motion video.. Otherwise, near everything else, including the writer, director, actors, and genre have changed.

Exit Roberta Williams, enter Lorelei Shannon. Both were involved directly in the making of King’s Quest 7, one of the worst adventure games of all time. I have forgiven Lorelei after doing this project.

Unlike the first game, this is not horror. Shannon’s script has some tense moments, and there’s plenty of gore, but Puzzle of Flesh is more of a sci-fi thriller. And the tense moments that exist become so predictable that they could hardly cause a fright. What this script does have that its predecessor does not is an original plot and character development. During the game the player gets a good feel for nearly a dozen characters.

Curtis Craig, played by Paul Morgan Stetler, is the protagonist, an attractive single introvert who works in a cubicle for a pharmaceutical company as an editor. He’s at the low end of the totem-pole but appears content with his simple life. He’s dating one of his co-workers, but his true love is his pet rat Blob. No one really knows much about him; in fact, Curtis doesn’t know that much about himself either. Of course, some really bizarre, seemingly supernatural things begin happening to Curtis and those around him and he spends the entire game trying to figure out who, or what, is behind these events. Flashbacks are used extensively, giving Craig and the player information, little by little, about what might be going on.

Stetler is fantastic. He rarely overacts, and his non-verbal reactions are often right on target. His gay friend Trevor, played by Paul Mitri, is also very good. He makes a good contrast to Stetler’s character, and his acting appears very natural when he’s being funny (and junior high-like when he’s asked to do drama). Monique Parent, Cinemax soft-porn star, has a similar role here and does well enough for that role. Most of the supporting actors are sufficient, especially Michael Taylor Donovan as Stetler’s supervisor.

The real standout is Ragna Sigrun, who spends most of the game trying to seduce Stetler. Her range is evident throughout, and like Stetler, I found myself unwillingly attracted to her immediately.

The game’s main faults lie within the nature of the beast of FMV games. Continuity is very difficult to achieve, as the switch from still screens to video sequences tends to break atmosphere. Also, characters oftentimes seem to react inappropriately in situations because the player decided to do things in a slightly different order than the author had intended. Ultimately, though, there is very little freedom, as the days do not progress unless the character triggers certain events. Mimesis is broken quite often.

And the plot does have several holes. However, they are minor enough that they will probably not be annoying if you find the script material interesting. I did, so I turned my brain off at times to enjoy the ride. My main gripe is with the end sequence, as it is overlong and requires the player to figure out a puzzle, seemingly for puzzle’s sake. All remnants of pace and tension are wiped out, and as the game ended, I was glad. The last thing I want in a game is to be glad it’s over.  However, I did appreciate the multiple endings.

This game is not for kids. It may not even be suitable for teenagers. Even with the censors on, the heavy adult themes present may be too much for some to handle. A significant portion of the game revolves around S&M, gender identity issues, and child abuse.  Throw on top of that murder, several sex scenes, and lots of blood, and you got something the whole family can enjoy!

Like the first game, it is very short and pretty easy. It took me two days, but I enjoyed myself most of the time. A game like this should probably be short, as the emphasis is on the interactive movie experience and not puzzles. Just put yourself in a dark room and escape from reality for a few hours, much like a good movie.

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Contemporary Rating: Medium. A little too much tedium at times, the story not advancing until you click everything that can be clicked.

Cruelty Rating:  Polite. A few points where you can die, but you’ll be saving regularly anyway.

PC Games

Sam & Max Hit the Road

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Publisher: LucasArts
Developer: LucasArts
Year: 1993
Platform: DOS, Windows, Macintosh

Review: A couple of the more popular heroes in the history of adventure games, Sam & Max, freelance police, spawned many rabid fans and eventually their own morning cartoon (that won an award, no less). Sam is a well-dressed, sarcastic canine that was pulled straight out of 40’s noir. Max is crude, narcissistic, and a self-proclaimed violent lagomorph. And they’re both dedicated to solving their client’s plights, as long as there is substantial monetary gain to be made.

The premise is yet another bulls-eye for LucasArts, and is apparent from the opening sequence, where Sam and Max rescue a damsel in distress from a mad scientist, by the simplest method available, a thorough butt-kicking. Shortly after, they make the following discovery:

Max: He’s not a real guy, Sam! Can I keep his head for a souvenir? Why do you suppose its ticking?
Sam: That’s no head, Max! It’s one damned ugly time bomb! Let’s leave this criminal cesspool pronto!
Max: Good idea, Sam. Maybe we can ditch the head somewhere while the credits are running. Mind if I drive?
Sam: Not if you don’t mind me clawing at the dash and shrieking like a cheerleader.

The exchange would be funny enough in an episode of Police Squad, but is classic coming from these furry creatures. Further, after the credits sequence finishes:

Sam: Well, that was a pleasantly understated credits sequence.
Max: I enjoyed the cheesy retro ambiance.
Sam: What the hell are you talking about, Max?

This self-awareness remains throughout the adventure, with Sam and Max making comments to the player and to the game designers. In fact, how you feel about the game will rely heavily on your taste in humor, as you will be barraged with one joke after another, some subtle, some crass, and some intentionally lame.

As for the game itself, the plot is quite bizarre. Your case directs you to find a missing “Bigfoot” and a giraffe-necked girl that were kidnapped from a carnival by country-western star Conroy Bumpus. You’ll visit several quirky tourist traps, some based on real places, like the World’s Largest Ball of Twine in Minnesota, with exaggerated effect. The characters you meet are mostly human caricatures intended to dig at pop culture, country music, and Western civilization in general. The interface itself is point-and-click and very intuitive. The graphics are sharply detailed, and the soundtrack is adequate. There are no dead ends, timed puzzles, or other such annoyances for the beginning gamer. And the voice actors for Sam and Max are excellent, with the supporting case up to the task, including a Bigfoot who has seen too many James Stewart flicks.

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The puzzles are inventory-based, and few are of the lock and key variety. While you play the game as Sam, Max tags along causing trouble over the screen, but you can use him as an inventory item to solve any number of puzzles!  They usually involve gratuitously disgusting or violent acts, but not always. While nearly all of the puzzles are unique, they unfortunately require leaps of logic from the player on more than one occasion. They aren’t terrible, but slowed down the pace of the game considerably for me, which is the last thing I want in a comedy.

As typical for LucasArts, there are several amusing mini-games to play(including an entertaining variation of Battleship), Lucas films are spoofed (with a hilarious puzzle from Raiders Of The Lost Ark), and a few Easter eggs are present. I enjoyed many parts of Sam and Max, but was not satisfied on the whole. The characters seem more suited for a PG-13 or an R-rated audience, but their humour is necessarily toned down for the PG audience it was also aimed at. And while I laughed out loud a good half-dozen times, I feel as though their potential was never realized.

Thankfully, Sam & Max’s adventures didn’t end here.  They have three whole new adventures thanks to Telltale Games.  If I finished those, I am sure all three would hit the top fifty.  But despite enjoying them immensely, I sadly haven’t found the time to finish any of them.

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Contemporary Rating: High. While some of the puzzles are unfairly difficult, a quick trip to an on-line walk-through should eliminate most of the frustration.

Cruelty Rating:  Merciful. Like with most LucasArts games, you can’t even die, let alone get stuck.

PC Games

The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery

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Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Sierra
Year: 1995
Platform: DOS, Windows, Macintosh

Review: Sierra took a risk by taking a successful game (Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers) and completely changing the interface for its sequel. The second game in the Gabriel Knight series is strictly full-motion video, with real actors attempting to bring the story to life. Compared to other FMV games, The Beast Within is a rip-roaring success; but the nature of the beast unnecessarily hurts the series.

This time, the game takes place entirely in Germany. The local town is need of Gabriel’s “powers” to help rid themselves of what they believe are werewolves. As he is once again experiencing writer’s block (after his successful book based on the last game!), Gabriel reluctantly agrees. What follows is a six-chapter series that slowly dishes out an engaging plot, only a little more predictably than before. This time around, the player alternates between playing Gabriel and Grace (his employee from the first game), as they both must research the problem and risk their lives to fulfill their destinies.

The game is fairly easy, with a faithful dose of hotspot clicking to advance the plot. However, there are still many inventory puzzles, and quite a few are entertaining to solve, including one that involves splicing tape recordings. What really holds the game back is the same problem with its predecessor, multiplied threefold. At more than one occasion, Grace must nail every hotspot in a handful of rooms, merely for information gathering, with no indication that it is necessary.

The other disappointment, frankly, is the acting, especially that of the two main characters. In Sins Of The Fathers, Gabriel was a hunk and a cocky sonofabitch, with layers of depth and sensitivity buried underneath the tough exterior. Here, he is pretty much a wuss, and not at all attractive. Grace is not any better, overreacting to nearly every situation while being passive-aggressive with everyone she meets (again, unlike the previous game, where Grace is cool, with a cutting wit). Thankfully, the supporting cast puts in top-notch performances, especially Peter Lucas, Wolf Muser, and Fredrich Solms.

While the writing at times leaves a bit to be desired (including humor, which is almost non-existent), the story and characters are enough to draw the player in through to the end, which like the previous game, is well-developed and thoroughly intense. The only major beef I had with the plot was that even though I discovered who the antagonist was well before game’s end, I couldn’t do anything about it because Gabriel didn’t know (and he should have). Instead of simply implementing mutliple endings and/or plot branches, I was squeezed through a painfully linear endgame.  Thankfully, the final puzzle is pretty damn good, leading to a satisfying ending.

Overall, this game was a success, widely considered the adventure game of the year. It is a worthy play, but probably only to fans of the series.

Contemporary Rating: Medium. Very easy to play, but the insane amount of pixel-hunting at times would drive modern gamers batty.

Cruelty Rating:  Polite. There are a couple of situations where you can die and must save before hand just in case, but the situations are very obvious.

PC Games

Rise of the Dragon

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Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Dynamix
Year: 1990
Platform: DOS, Amiga, Macintosh, SEGA CD

Review: Dynamix introduced their first game in the adventure genre in 1990, and while it suffered a little from the inexperience of the game designers, it still soared high and above most of its competition.

You play Blade, a former cop who didn’t work within the system and is now a private dick. The mayor’s daughter, an addict, has been killed by a mysterious drug. The mayor has hired you to not only investigate her murder, but the organization that is behind everything. The setting is in Los Angeles in the near bleak future, and most of the game revolves in and around Chinatown; however, there are very few locations to visit in the game.

The locations therein are well realized and the digitized graphics are sufficient if not a tad bit grainy. The sound does a superb job of staying in the background, hardly noticeable but still reflecting the appropriate mood. The icon interface is very intuitive, with most commands executable with one click of the mouse, while not being too insulting. Items can be dragged to and from the inventory and combined with ease. There are enough subtle hints, background imagery, and red herrings in the game to make the point’n’clickin’ meaningful.

Where Rise of the Dragon really stands out is the pacing of the game. Though it doesn’t get mentioned often, the pace of a game can easily make or break the player’s enjoyment. Blade lives in real-time. The world moves on with or without him.  More importantly, characters respond appropriately to Blade’s actions and remember them as well. Piss off an informant?  Forget about getting anywhere on that lead. Apologize to your girl?  She’ll remember your sincerity later. Talking with characters prompts conversation trees that can wind out to several different outcomes. While the game can never be put in an unwinnable state, the more you screw up, the less likely you’ll be able to deduce what’s going on around you.

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Though there is a time limit, in the game and in some sequences, it is not too constricting.  You are allowed extensive exploration as well as the “restore” command to beat the clock. One of the game’s treats is the numerous ways you can creatively kill yourself. After I won the game, I spent a good amount of time searching for all of the possible death scenes and the four alternate endings.

Ultimately, the game’s biggest disappointment is its brevity. Perhaps I’ve just played too many games, but I was able to complete this one in about three hours. The puzzles are none too difficult, and there simply isn’t extensive enough character or plot development. There are also two arcade sequences involving using your weapon of choice. The first one is implemented seamlessly and is simple enough, while the second is very clunky and abruptly ruins the flow of the game near the end. While you can skip them if you so choose, continuity is sacrificed.

Despite it faults, Rise of the Dragon should please most adventure gamers as it does a wonderful job of creating a realistic, non-linear environment without ever forcing the player to read the authors’ minds by solving obtuse puzzles. Certainly worth an afternoon.

Contemporary Rating: Medium.  The game’s time limit combined with the pointless arcade sequences could scare some people off.  However, if the game intrigues you it shouldn’t be too much a barrier.

Cruelty Rating:  Polite.  You need to save the game regularly, but you can’t get stuck and dangerous situations are apparent.

PC Games

The Dark Eye

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Publisher: Expert Software
Developer: Inscape
Year: 1995
Platform: Windows, Macintosh

Review: If I scored games on originality, The Dark Eye would probably have the highest score. One of the few adventures that has no inventory, the player weaves through three Edgar Allen Poe stories, as well as one original, haunting tale in true Poe fashion.

The game begins with you arriving at your eccentric uncle’s mansion, simply on a trip to visit him, your brother, and your cousin. You learn quickly that your uncle disapproves of the relationship between your brother and cousin and a plot begins to develop, growing darker at every turn. However, to advance the plot you must enter the world of Poe’s stories.  The three works you explore are The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask Of Amontillado, and Berenice. You get to complete each story playing both the victim, and the victimizer, unable to change the course of the original story. The farther you advance, the more of the plot you see, until the last story is finished where the game’s end is revealed.

The characters are strictly claymation, in both the real world and in Poe’s stories. At first this may seem like a turn-off, but the brilliant acting (especially by William Burroughs) combined with the dark, ominous setting draws the player into their world. The only drawback in this department is character movement, which is very blocky and poorly rendered (perhaps intentionally, but not to my taste).

However, despite being an interactive story without puzzles, the gameplay mangles some of the tension. To trigger advancement in the story, one must click on various objects on the screen, which will trigger events or, at times, memories or voices. Many times this whittles down to a monotonous exercise in guess-and-check, creating more frustration than tension. Additionally, it is often difficult to discern what direction you are heading. There is at least one time during the game where I kept turning around in circles, pleading for an exit before I was felled by carpal tunnel.

Though the game can be played without having read any of Poe’s stories, I’ll guess that it is more enjoyable if one knows the material heading in. The story and the motivations of each character should make a little more sense. There’s also the foreknowledge of the tragic end, which being forced to endure satisfies any internal sadistic tendencies one may have.

Of course, if you don’t like Poe, you probably won’t enjoy this game. For those who do, I strongly suggest playing this fascinating, if imperfect, campaign. And while I found the final Easter egg to be overlong and dull, those who win the game get to hear Burroughs do a reading of Poe’s The Masque of Red Death.

Contemporary Rating: Medium. What is essentially an interactive movie is not made intuitive, which is amazing when you think about it.

Cruelty Rating:  Merciful.  You can’t win the game unless you die!

PC Games

Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon

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Publisher: Take-Two Interactive
Developer: Legend
Year: 1997
Platform: DOS

Review: Legend might have raised the bar with this game. They had to tap into many talents to make the game as good as it was. They certainly did not lounge around while this was in production. Inn fact, you could say they put more effort into this one more than any other. I’m even confident enough with that opinion to go pub-lic with it.

And if you could stomach that pun-filled synopsis, you might want to try Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon. Based off series of books by Spider Robinson, you fill the shoes of Jake Stonebender, a reserved man with a haunted past, witnessing and partaking in the strange goings-on in the titular tavern. You’ll run into many fascinating friends, ranging from vampires to aliens to talking dogs to time travelers and even some regular ol’ drunks, who all respect one another’s privacy and can’t go three sentences without starting an all-out pun war.

The overarching plot is that our universe is about to be eliminated by an intergalactic council because there is nothing unique about it, thus being labeled a tax on resources. The creator of our universe is allowed some time to make a defense for his project, and decides to head to Earth to see if anything pops up. Oblivious to the fact that end of the world is near, you (as Jake) must traipse through many other hurdles (such as preventing an alien species from sucking all the testosterone from Earth) and help out your friends (possibly by heading to the future to save a certain cacao plant from extinction) in order to pass the time. Meanwhile, the universe’s creator is keeping a close eye on your adventures.

The game starts with the player attempting to win a contest at the saloon by solving various riddles of a pun like nature. The theme for the night (which becomes soon obvious) is classic rock bands.  One clue is “Slender Projectiles + Legend.” In other words, “Arrows + Myth.” Thus, the answer for that riddle is Aerosmith! I absolutely love word puzzles, so this game hooked me immediately. The rest of the game is based less on word puzzles than on quirky inventory-based puzzles that make sense only in the bizarre environment you encounter through your adventures. On several of these adventures, you will have a partner (from the bar) who comments on your predicament and even helps out on occasion.

Your enjoyment of the game will highly rely on your taste in humor, as the personalities and subsequent jokes by this crazy bunch of characters is the heart and soul of Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon. There are some logically satisfying puzzles, but many are contrived and feel like busy work. Meanwhile, the game includes responses (in full speech) for thousands upon thousands of actions. While this attention to detail is appreciated, most of the game is spent listening to the narrator drone on about various tangents. Some of the commentary is amusing, but it eventually feels like a chore. I zipped through the first half of the game, but the redundancy slowly bored me right up until the final chapter, when I was happy to see the plot finally moving along.

The other highlight here is the four solid folk songs interlaced throughout, written and sung by Spider Robinson himself. The Drunkard’s Song is fantastic, and the author has released a CD of his own.

I laughed out loud a couple dozen times during my playthrough, and was pleased to see many unique features (and gambles) taken by the developers. But when all was said and done, there were too many flaws to give this game a high ranking, though I would still recommend it to fans of the author, of Legend games, and puns.

Contemporary Rating: High.  Intuitive game, easy interface.  Though, if you’re not a native English speaker, the game would be difficult at times.

Cruelty Rating:  Merciful.  You can die, but there’s no need to save as you’ll get taken right back to where you were.

PC Games

Space Quest I: The Sarien Encounter

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Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Sierra
Year: 1986
Platform: DOS, Amiga, Apple II, Apple IIgs, Atari ST, Macintosh

Review: When I was young, my selection of adventure games was, for the most part, limited to shareware (mostly junk) and Sierra games. But while my parents invested in King’s Quest, Police Quest, Leisure Suit Larry, and Manhunter, Space Quest was left off the shopping lists. And even though I knew about this series and was intrigued, I never put it on my Christmas list either. So approximately sixteen years after this adventure was first released, I got my hands on a copy. It was well worth the wait.

The premise behind the game is about as sophisticated as your typical plot on the original Battlestar Gallactica. Possibly, this could be the point. You play Roger Wilco, a space janitor with no skills, or work ethic for that matter. When your ship is raided by the Sariens, you must escape and foil their plans to use the Star Generator for their own universe domination. What follows is less of a story but a piecing together of slapstick humor, crafty puzzles, and enough untimely deaths to make Wile E. Coyote blush.

It baffles me that so many adventurers hate dying. This never bothered me when I was a kid, and still doesn’t phase me. In fact, one of the primary reasons I get frustrated with current adventures is that there is usually no way to screw up. When you never have to worry about making a mistake or (gasp!) death, you can go head first into every task without so much as lifting a neuron. For me, that removes the innate challenge that a real puzzle presents. Not every problem in reality is guess-and-check. Sometimes you just have to guess and hope.

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With that said, Space Quest does such a marvelous job of finding creative, unexpected ways for Roger to die that I simply had to discover them all. Lucky for me, I found a document on the web that detailed every death, so instant gratification was ever-ready. And with the ‘save’ and ‘restore’ functions one keystroke away, I never became frustrated.  However, I was lucky.  There are two distinct ways to put the game in an unwinnable situation.  One I experienced only made me have to restore back about ten minutes or so.  The other, which I avoided, requires one to start the game over.  It’s unlikely that you’ll encounter it if you’re thorough, but it’s still there.

Other than that the game was very well designed. Not only are most puzzles logical and clever, there are often multiple solutions.  This offers a good deal of replay value and a way for different breeds of adventurers to hack away. The production values are adequate, though the parser is fairly poor when compared to its peers.

But what it all comes down to is comedy. The deluge of punchlines and silly antics never stops, so if your sense of humor is in line with the writers’, then you’ll like The Sarien Encounter.  If after fifteen minutes you don’t find yourself amused, then you’ll be hard pressed to enjoy the rest of the game.  Or the rest of the series, for that matter.

Contemporary Rating: Low.  The parser doesn’t always understand some reasonable commands, which would frustrate new players.

Cruelty Rating:  Cruel.  Having to play the entire game over again by missing something near the beginning is the main reason this scale exists.