Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers - Sierra RRP œ39.99
       (Icon-driven graphic adventure for PC and Amiga)

                  Reviewed by Joan Dunn

There is a very long introduction to this game with colourful screen
shots and good animation. It tells how Roger, returning to his home
in Xenon, decides to stop over at Magmethene for a little
relaxation.  He is quite unaware that he is being followed by two of
Vohaul's men. You see the superimposed face of Vohaul saying that
Roger must die. In the nick of time he is rescued by two space
travellers. They send him through a time rip, which appears as a
shimmering hole. He finds himself in Xenon, but the city has been
destroyed and the buildings wrecked. He is now in Space Quest XII
(Vohaul's Revenge) and must find his way back to his own time.  You
have the option of skipping this introduction and going straight
into the game.

There is a row of icons at the top of the screen. To move Roger you
click on the walk icon and can either use the mouse or the direction
keys.  The other windows show an eye for looking at your
surroundings or any object, a hand which positioned over an object
allows you to take it and you also use it when climbing ladders or
getting into space machines. There is a talk icon and one for smell
or taste.  Clicking on the case gives you your inventory and a
control panel allows you to save, restore or quit, and gives your
score. All quite simple and straightforward.

You start off standing in an open space and with 59 Buckazoids in
your pocket. After examining different locations and collecting a
few useful objects you need to go down into the sewer. Back at
street level again you can take a ride in a shuttle. On landing you
watch the arrival of a time pod and when the pilot leaves it you can
embark and fly to Estros. This I found very tricky as you need to
pick the right time to enter the pod and move quickly, otherwise
you've had it! I lost count of the number of times I did this
sequence before I got it right.

You make several journeys by time pod to Xenon, Ulence Flats and to
the Galaxy Galleria Mall, where you can get some money and also
spend some. There is an optional arcade sequence here, but if you
skip it you lose some points.

Make careful note of any numbers and codes that you find as they are
needed to get you around the game.

In the Mall you travel on a moving walkway which goes East and West
with cross-over points and you just step off to enter various shops.
It is quite a job avoiding the laser blasts of the Sequel Police.

The puzzles are not too difficult to solve. The main problem I found
was ... where do I go now and what do I do when I get there? I did
need a lot of help in parts or I would still be playing it.

However, I found it great fun and was sorry when it ended.

Thinking back to the earlier Space Quest games with the puppet-like
figure of Roger, the animation in this one is superb and his
movements are very lifelike. There is a clever fight sequence at the
end of the game, leading to the success of Roger and the defeat of
Vohaul ... but is he really defeated or will he be back again soon?
I HOPE SO!

@~Roger is back in Space Quest V:The Next Mutation, on the PC and
@~programmed by Mark Crowe, now the only guy from Andromeda.