News El-Fish/SimFarm: Maxis' next two releases will be El-Fish and ... --------------- wait for it ... SimFarm! El-Fish has been mentioned here before but, basically, you populate an electronic fish tank with fish that you've 'bred' yourself. (Thinks, do electronic fish also float to the top of the tank when they die, like my guppies?) SimFarm, apparently, will feature crop harvesting, animal breeding and rodeos, with disasters like pests, floods and drought, much like an agricultural SimCity. Sierra News: Through a new King's Quest title isn't planned for ----------- 1993, several other games are in the pipeline. Roberta Williams is working on a horror game; as a change of pace, the company are planning to release a strategy game; Willy Beamish II will be out in '93; two sports games are also planned, one will feature baseball (Front Page Sports Game) and another soccer, to link with the '94 World Cup. Inca: Also on the way from Sierra comes Inca, a mystic mission ---- across time and space with puzzles, role-playing and outer space battle simulation. As the champion of the lost Inca empire, you'll take your battle against the Conquistadors into space. Ringworld: This adventure, based on Larry Niven's excellent --------- book, will now be released by a new company called Tsunami Media. The company has been set up by the programmers who originally came from Sierra and Lucasarts. Eric the Unready: Having impaled his instructor during jousting ---------------- class, Eric sounds an unlikely hero. But when Princess Lorealee the Worthy is kidnapped, it's Eric who sets out to rescue her. This latest game from Legend features a new menu-driven system for conversation, 256-colour VGA artwork and a mix of interfaces. AD&D Unlimited Adventures: If you fancy driving your friends crazy ------------------------- with an RPG you have designed yourself, and you don't want to use the Bard's Tale Construction Kit, look out for this package from MicroMagic/SSI. You, the designer, will be able to control the maps, events, characters and art - everything that goes to make a good RPG, in fact. There will be a map editor using a menu-driven system, you can set times when certain establishments are open (eg Guilds), patterns for wandering monsters and much more. Artwork has been imported from the SSI Gold Box range of RPGs but new artwork can be added by the designer. A tutorial adventure and a mini-adventure will also be included. The final games will be able to be distributed however you wish; this could really liven up the PC RPG shareware/PD scene. Caesar: As a governor of a province of the Roman Empire, you must ------ build cities for the good of your people in this strategy game from Impressions. Build amphitheatres, forums, temples, aqueducts, roads, baths, workshops and much, much more. Fortify your cities with walls and towers, then if your defences fail, defend your city against hostile barbarians. Eventually you may get promoted to Caesar! Discovery - in the Steps of Columbus: This is also from ------------------------------------ Impressions. As a master explorer and adventurer, you must set sail to discover new lands, explore new worlds, do battle with pirates, create cities, trade to get new ships and fight opposing nations. It uses a point and click interface, 5 competing nations, 6 new worlds to discover, 8 ship types ... Challenge of the Five Realms: The evil lord Grimnoth (boo, hiss) ---------------------------- demands the crown of Alonia. Fail to deliver the crown and the world faces certain destruction. As Prince of Alonia, you have just 100 days to foil Grimnoth's plans, travelling through the Five Realms of Nhagardia, completing challenges and overcoming inevitable obstacles. Produced by MicroProse, this RPG should be released soon. Recent Releases --------------- (1) Software Eric the Unready - Legend (PC, œ35) Grail Quest (re-release of Artworx text/graphics adventure) - CDS (PC, œ30) History Line 1914-1918 - Blue Byte (Amiga, œ35) Legends of Valour - US Gold (Amiga joins PC, œ40) Lemmings Tribes - Psygnosis (Amiga, œ30) Magic Candle III - Mindcraft (PC, œ40) Shadow President - Empire/DC True (PC, œ45) Space Quest V:The Next Mutation - Sierra (PC, œ40) Ultima Underworld II - Origin (PC, œ40) Veil of Darkness - SSI (PC, œ36) Waxworks - Accolade (Amiga joins PC, œ35)