The Elf's Adventure - Bruce McKay and Marlene Abriel
     (AGT text game for PC or ST on PD disks 268 and 269)

If you want an appropriate game to play for the Christmas season,
you couldn't pick a better one than The Elf's Adventure aka God
Bless Frosty the Snowman. Written with AGT, it is one of the older
games produced with that utility.

You play the elf of the title, called out of retirement by Santa.
Whenever a disaster threatens Christmas, the oldest and wisest elf
is summoned using the magic mirror to put things straight. Even
now you can remember when YOU were just a young elf and the
oldest elf was called to the North Pole by this dodgy method of
transportation, developed by Baron Justus Von Leibig - the mirror
in the Great Christmas Hall cracked as a result and still hasn't
been mended. Just what disaster could be threatening the delivery
of Santa's toys?

As soon as you arrive, you start to get an inkling. For one thing
the weather is unseasonably warm, there's hardly any snow to be
found, not even at the Pole itself. Santa is running round in a
flap because he's lost his belt and can't find anything to hold up
his trousers. But worst of all, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer's
nose has lost its glow and you must restore it to its "natural"
state.

A bit of digging about will turn up a useful diary that had
belonged to the wise elf, Egbert. It's full of the secrets of
Christmas and if you read it fully you'll get some pointers to
set you on your quest for the magical elixir, No Doze Noze Gloze,
which is needed to make Rudolph 100% again. No wonder the poor
beast is hanging his head in shame in the reindeer corral!
There's no sadder sight than a red-nosed reindeer whose nose isn't
the right colour.

On your travels you'll visit the Penguin Colony at the Antarctic.
Well, it isn't really a colony as you'll only meet one penguin,
Percival by name, who turns out to be a bit of a feathered
kleptomaniac if you are carrying a certain item. If you can find

your way around the dangerous ice floes that the colony is built
on, you'll be well on your way to saving Christmas.

The Elf's Adventure is one of the best AGT games I have played
so far, being near enough free from bugs and spelling mistakes.
Anyone who has played AGT adventures will know these are usually
the things that let the games down. There are some neat twists to
the plot which will have you racking your brain and then groaning
when the answer becomes clear. There are some excellent
descriptions and long sections of text which show the authors
haven't just rattled the game out in an odd moment but have put
time and effort into getting it just right.

There are two mazes though, one very small and completely
pointless but the other is a swine. It's the Penguin Colony and
even though you can find a map for it fairly easily, it isn't a
great deal of help. Take the wrong route, which is sadly all too
easy to do, and you'll die a watery and extremely cold death in
the Antarctic waters. I think the maze took me twice as long to

complete as the rest of the game. The old "save often" adage
applies more than usual for this section of the game.

The other tricky bit is the timing for the last part of the game.
Get it wrong and certain things will happen and you'll lose
points. Completing the game with a full score is quite hard and
means you have to work out your last few moves very carefully
indeed.

However, the ending of the game is great and well worth any early
hassles. The Elf's Adventure will appeal to all ages, both the
young and the young-at-heart. Where does Frosty the Snowman come
into all this? You'll have to play the game and find out for
yourself!
                                Sue