Top Ten Adventures

This issue we have a Top Ten from Matthew Pegg of Labyrinth
Software which covers various formats.

1. SORCERER
The first adventure I played (on a PCW).  Great magic system,
wonderful atmosphere and pitched just right for a beginner.  I
finished it without help as well!

2. DUNGEON MASTER
Yawn yawn! Yes I know it's in everyone's top ten but I still have
to include it.  A real sense of "being there" and a truly
intuitive interface make it great.

3. BARD'S TALE III
Wonderful on the C64.  (Can we have an ST version please?) A bit
long in the tooth but still compulsive.  Good spells and different
types of magic users.  Introduces ranged combat and a gruesome
bunch of monsters.

4. ENCHANTER
Not as much fun as Sorcerer but still really good, despite the odd
lapse in the parser (you can only "reach into" the hole in the
library: search, etc, doesn't work) Atmosphere closer to Zork, the
series not yet having developed its own style, but with a darker
plot.

5. WISHBRINGER
Easy-peasy and a bit whimsical but an interesting atmosphere. It's
quite nice to play a game you can actually finish.

6. LURKING HORROR
I think it's too difficult and some puzzles aren't logical:  how
do you know the urchin has the bolt cutter and how do you know the
hand will do the trick?  But still completely wonderful and
genuinely chilling.

7. RIGEL'S REVENGE
On the C64 this was a great budget science fiction game which
rivalled an Infocom game for atmosphere, and only cost a couple of
quid.

8. LEATHER GODDESSES OF PHOBOS
Very funny scratch and sniff sci-fi romp.

9. CAMELOT
I like this because I wrote it! ( Well if Jeff Minter can include
his own games in his Top 20 so can I!) I must have played it more
than any other game while I was testing it.  Illustrated version
with digitised graphics and more text coming soon!

10. THE JADE STONE
This is a great home grown game with a female central character.
It has given me some good ideas about how to customise the look of
STAC games....

11. MARS SAGA
(I know you shouldn't have eleven things in a Top Ten but I've
just remembered this one, so there!) A good science fiction RPG
with an excellent tactical combat system.  It even has a moral
dimension!  In one city, if you go around attacking everyone as
you can in most places you suddenly find yourself gunning down
women and children rather than the mercenaries and thugs you find
elsewhere!  C64 and PC, but it's called something else on the PC
just to confuse you.

@~If you haven't yet sent in your Top Ten, why not send it now?
@~The scoring is 10 pts for 1st place down to 1 pt for 10th place.

83 pts   Dungeon Master
39 pts   Chaos Strikes Back
38 pts   Lurking Horror
28 pts   Enchanter, Leather Goddesses
26 pts   Trinity
19 pts   Beyond Zork
18 pts   Wishbringer
17 pts   Sorcerer, Planetfall
15 pts   Stationfall, Xenomorph
14 pts   Guild of Thieves
12 pts   Time and Magik, Ultima IV, Demon's Winter
11 pts   Phantasie III, Spellbreaker, Zork II, Manhunter San
         Francisco
9 pts    Drakkhen, Fish, Jinxter
8 pts    Pirates, Zak McKracken, Bard's Tale I, Bard's Tale III
7 pts    Ultima V, Sorcerer, Loom, Ingrid's Back
6 pts    Infidel, Phantasie I, Captive, Corruption
5 pts    Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Manhunter New York,
         Jacaranda Jim, Dragonflight, Sleeping Gods Lie, Hammer of
         Grimmold
4 pts    Rigel's Revenge
3 pts    Mortville Manor, Cortizone, Ballyhoo, Deja Vu, Jade
         Stone, Witness, Wizard's Crown
2 pts    Phantasie II, Infestation, Legend of the Sword, Camelot
1 pt     Plundered Hearts, Future Wars, Wizard's Tower,
         Football Director II, Jade Stone
1/2 pt   Zork I, Zork III

Honorable mention - Mars Saga