Helvera:Mistress of the Park - author Bob Adams œ3.00
        (AGT text adventure game for ST, PC and Amiga)

           Reviewed by Jean Childs on an Atari ST

The introduction to any adventure game should be interesting,
informative and not too long (the player wants to get on with the
game). The introduction, or should I say "The Story so Far", to
Helvera was like something from Alfred Hitchcock.

Here is a my brief outline to the story, leaving out all the
descriptive bits.

While visiting a park you are trapped inside by an invisible
barrier.  You are then engulfed by fog, which prevents you from
breathing, and you pass out. You come round in a dungeon and there
come face to face with Helvera. She sends you (if she likes you)
on a mission to find the seven magical spheres and place them on
the Golden Altar, in order to lift a curse of darkness from her
and the house.

Although Helvera lets you out of the dungeon, you start the game
in a cell. I won't go into the details of how you get there, but
your first puzzle is - how to get out. You have to use some
equipment, and I must say it's not the sort of equipment I'd
expect to find in a cell. The solution to this puzzle is unusual
and it took me quite a while to work it out.

Some of the puzzles are very good and take quite a bit of thought.
Some can only be solved once you have died, then the reason given
for your death also gives a good hint to the solution. One puzzle
is very difficult and I offer two ways round this. The first is to
make sure you examine everything, and in this case twice. The
second is to do what I did, which was to ring Sue up and beg for
the answer as I knew she had completed the game.

Most of the descriptions of places and objects are short and to
the point. Whether this is good or bad is a matter of personal
opinion. I myself prefer a little more dressing-up than is offered
here. Where the description is more detailed, it usually contains
a hint to the solving of a problem. Most of the required input is
logical (and one place where it is definitely not) and
alternatives are fairly well covered.

There are 54 locations, connections are all logical and well
marked, and I found I didn't need to map. The total score is 500
some of which is gained by solving the main problems and some by
placing the seven spheres on the altar. I found the scoring a good
indication of my progress in the game.

I enjoyed playing this game which was quite addictive and would
give a playability score of 8 out of 10. I must point out that I
have not let the frustrating problem of saving AGT games on the ST
influence my opinion.

@~Helvera is available from Bob Adams at 81 Uplands, Welwyn
@~Garden City, Herts., AL8 7EH. Remember to say which version you
@~want!