Dune - Virgin Games RRP œ30.99-œ35.99
           (Adventure/strategy for PC, Amiga, ST)

                Reviewed on PC by Roy Sims

Dune is a masterpiece of science fiction which was written by the
then relatively unknown 45 year old author Frank Herbert. Its 605
pages were originally published in 1965 and since then it has
spawned at least five sequels.

Throughout the 1970s many attempts were made to turn this epic
novel into a film. The film producer Dino De Laurentiis acquired
the rights in 1976 and it took him eight years and various
producers, designers, directors and screenplays before it finally
reached the celluloid screen as a film written and directed by
David Lynch in 1984.

Now, eight years on and the computer game based on the original
novel has finally arrived thanks to Virgin Games and Cryo. Being a
big fan of both the book and the film I wasn't sure how it would
translate into a game, but it has to be said that they've done a
good job.

Dune the novel is a complex mixture of futuristic politics, war,
and religion. Arrakis (also known as Dune) is a giant desert
world, third planet in the Canopus system. Rain never falls on
Dune so water is a very precious substance to the local
inhabitants. However, to the rest of the galaxy Dune's most sought
after commodity is the spice Melange. Not only is it mildly
addictive, but to the Spacing Guild it is the secret of space
travel as they use it to mutate themselves into beings that can
literally fold space - travel to anywhere in the galaxy without
moving.

The local inhabitants are humanoids known as Fremen. They appear
to be nomadic in lifestyle and it is believed that they are more
numerous than even the Emperor suspects. The other indigenous
lifeform on Dune are the giant sand worms, that attack any
rhythmic vibrations. For this reason they often attack spice
mining vehicles unless otherwise distracted.

Dune the game begins with the arrival on Arrakis of the House of
Atreides, led by Duke Leto, his concubine Jessica and their son,
Paul. They are there by order of the Padishah Emperor, Shaddam IV
(who is Emperor of the known galaxy) to mine the spice.
Unfortunately, their sworn enemy - the House Harkonnen - are also
present on the planet.

You take on the role of Paul Atreides, and your ultimate goal at
the start of the game appears to be to mine the spice and keep the
Harkonnens at bay. However, as the game progresses events will
change and the aim of the game will change with it.

To complicate matters further, Jessica is a member of the Bene
Gesserit order, a group dedicated to mental and physical studies
dominated solely by women recruits. They have a strict code that
says that members must only bear female children. This is because
they have a prophecy that says that one will come among them
(known as the Kwisatz Haderach) who will be able to look in the
areas of the mind where they dare not go. Being male, Paul could
be that person - but there are many tests that he must endure
before they can prove it one way or the other.

The Fremen also have a prophecy that a stranger would come who
would know their ways as if they were his own, and who would help
them turn Dune into a proper vegetated planet. Jessica believes
that Paul is indeed the one, and that his experiences on Arrakis
will awaken the sleeper within him. She suspects that the spice
will have an important role in his destiny.

To be honest, the summary of the background to Dune doesn't really
do the book, the film or the game justice but it will have to
suffice here. Needless to say, the plot is intricate and complex.

So what sort of game is Dune? Well, it starts off as a sort of
adventure game that gently leads you by the hand into the
progression of the story. You can visit locations and select the
options given to you to talk to people and elicit help or
information from them. You are given orders by Paul's father Leto
and Jessica at the start to get you going and each new character
that you meet drops the odd hint as to where to go or what to do
next. Before you know where you are, you are deeply involved in
recruiting the Fremen to your side and trying to set up spice
mining to appease the Emperor.

The main display shows the top three quarters of the screen
dominated by the location graphic. Any people who aren't presently
with you are shown in the location. You can move in any of the
indicated directions on a compass in the panel beneath the main
display window. Your options for what to do next are displayed in
the middle of this panel, and those characters who are presently
travelling with you are shown in another window in the bottom left
hand corner of the panel. A book above this window can be referred
to throughout the game. Its pages are filled in automatically
whenever you are given vital information about the planet or the
spice etc. It becomes an encyclopaedia of info and saves you
making notes about the weird world you are in.

Map options are available and can show you close up where you are
on the planet and on a global scale it shows how much of the
planet is controlled by House Atreides and how much is under the
rule of the Harkonnens. It can also show the number of men you
have, the level of spice production and your current charisma
level which is vital to your leadership capabilities.

Later on in the game you can use a spice density map which shows
you where the highest level of spice can be mined.  Initially you
can only get recruited Fremen to mine spice. Some can't even do
that until the land has been prospected, so you must find some
willing prospectors to survey the land first.  Later you will be
able to get the Fremen to train as fighters, or specialise in
ecology (in an attempt to turn Dune into a vegetated world).
Mining is vastly improved by having the right equipment.
Ornithopters are needed so that they can spot attacking worms in
advance before they strike. You yourself have to use an Orni to
travel around the planet, discovering the Fremen Sietchs and
giving orders to the troops. Mining won't be very successful
unless they own a harvester. These can be found at certain
locations on the planet or bought from smugglers, but only if you
can find them first!

You can only get the Fremen to fight once you have completely
gained their trust. Even then you must find a way of training them
efficiently. Leaving them to it is one option, but you might just
discover another way later on.

If you fail to deliver the spice that the Emperor requests then
the game can end prematurely. If the Emperor is delivered spice
below the required amount twice in a row then he sends in a legion
of his best Sardaukar soldiers to take over the planet and you are
killed. Spice production is therefore important if you are to
survive long enough to gather an army together.

As I mentioned earlier, you are led by the hand by the game at the
start, ensuring that you meet the right people and discover the
right things at the right time. However, gradually this begins to
tail off until you are left in a situation where the game has
changed from an adventure into a strategy game. Now you must
juggle your resources and plan to destroy the Harkonnens.  Whilst
this is going on, you also begin to fulfil the destinies of both
the Bene Gesserit and the Fremen. The spice begins to affect you
and give you powers. You will also discover the secrets of the
planet...

The game runs on a PC with 256 colour VGA or monochrome VGA
graphics. The music through a soundblaster is excellent. It has
just the right alien ethnic feel that goes well with the game.
The graphics are colourful and have a style all of their own.

I have to admit that at the start I couldn't see how the game
could even come close to the spirit of the book or even the film
but somehow it has managed it. It seems simple and linear at the
beginning but once you're into it it is very difficult to reach
for the 'off' switch and things become a lot more involved. It has
to be said that knowing what's coming is an advantage, so fans of
the book or film will have the edge over those who don't know a
Sardaukar from a Sietch!

There are a number of characters from the book who don't make an
appearance in the game. These include the Shadout Mapes, Doctor
Yueh and the Harkonnen Mentat Piter. They were all important
characters in the book but their roles have presumably been
discarded in favour of gameplay over sticking rigidly to the plot.

If there was one criticism of the game, it would have to be that
for the first two thirds of the game there isn't an enormous
amount of pressure on the player. Balancing the recruitment drive
and reacting whenever a new event occurs is sometimes a little too
laid back. The pressure only really hits when your troops are
closing in for the kill on the Harkonnen fortresses.

I've had to miss out a lot of the finer details of the game, as a
lot is left for you to discover when you play it. My conclusion
(having successfully beaten the Harkonnens and finished the game)
is that if you like something a little different which requires
greater strategic thinking the longer the game goes on then you
should go out and get this now. If you are a fan of the book or
film and also enjoy a gentle strategy cum adventure then this is a
must. The fact that another game is in the pipeline is something
to look forward to. Dune the game deserves to do well.