New Arrival - Zenobi Licenceware/SynTax œ2.99
              (Text/graphics adventure for ST)

There aren't any instructions provided with New Arrival so when
you start the game in a small room, it's up to you to work out
what's going on. As things turn out, not having any instructions
is pretty appropriate, but I digress ....

So here you are in your small room. It's number 479 and a quick
look outside will show you a long walkway with lots of similar
doors leading off, so it's clearly one of many. Back into your
room for a quick look around. Hmm, it's nothing special, just a
bed, a small cabinet and illuminated panels in the ceiling. There
aren't many of your personal possessions about either so you
collect what you can and get dressed.

There are many uniformed men on the walkway outside. They're armed
and look purposeful. Keeping out of their way, you follow the
walkway west. At the end of the corridor is a viewing room with a
large window looking out over the countryside. Nearby is a
computer room and on the screen it says "NW Mining". You check
your overalls and see you are a "Minor Class A" - could this refer
to your job or stature, you wonder? Thinking maybe the operations
manager could give you more information you duck into his office
but despite talking to him for a while, you're not much the wiser.
And who is the man locked up in a small room nearby? What has he
done wrong?

Eventually you'll find the entrance to the mine, though actually
getting inside isn't so easy because you'll need the correct
equipment. Once you're wearing the right gear, you'll find out
there is something very odd going on at New World Mining.
After a bit more investigation you'll start to have doubts about
your own existence and identity too!

It's time to take matters into your own hands. Be careless and you
may find yourself incarcerated in the room you saw earlier, or
worse, dead. But do things correctly and you'll be on your way to
another planet - seemingly a peaceful place with trees, shrubs, a
lake and a small summerhouse. As you've learnt so far, though,
things are not always what they seem and as the game progresses,
life will get more confusing as one double-cross follows another
as a band of rebels seek to overthrow a violent government.

The game is amply illustrated with graphics, either for individual
locations or for objects when you examine them. The graphics are
excellent, by far the best I have seen in an independently
produced adventure. The game itself isn't flawless as it has a few
conflicting messages along the lines of "You open the box. You
can't do that yet." However, everything seems to work alright
despite this confusion. The puzzles are neatly constructed and
though there may be an occasional spell where you have to hunt for
the right phrase, things progress fairly smoothly ....

.... Up to 67%, anyway, which is as far as I got while doing this
review and I think I'm looking for the right words again. I
haven't given up hope but I have run out of time! A neat adventure
and one that I'm sure will have a few more twists in the story
before it's finished.
                                                  Sue