The Lord Of The Isle (1040 version) - author Peter Hague
            (Computerized board game for ST only)

              Reviewed by James Judge on an STe

After receiving The Obscure Naturalist I was instantly struck by
the quality of the game so I rushed a five pound PO off to Peter
Hague for part 2 (if I ever complete part 1) and, three days
later, I received part 2 and a couple of other programs.

One of them was an astronomy program which didn't catch my
attention. The other was Insecticide; a shoot-'em-up where you
play a ladybird and the objective is to survive for as long as
pos. With nice graphics, so-so sound (that wasn't a stutter) and
good gameplay I, once again, rushed a fiver off to Peter.

This time, for my contribution to his piggy bank, I received Lord
Of The Isle; a board game with a few interesting features added
in.

Now then, we've all played the 'throw the dice and move that
number of squares' type board game with all the pitfalls (move
back two spaces) and perils (miss a turn) that are associated with
them.  LOTI is just one of these which is trickier, far trickier,
than it seems.

The object of the game is simple. You assume the character of one
of three retired sea captains and challenge Mr Quimby (a nasty
piece of work) in a ritual bottle race around an island,
controlling the voyage using magical spells and summoning help.
Whoever brings his bottle back first is 'Lord Of The Isle'.

So, what's so great about this board game except that you don't
lose the counters and die? Well, to begin with the graphics are
GOOD (what do you expect from a freelance graphic designer?), the
sound is 'enjoyable' and the gameplay is infuriating.

Whichever character you take on they all have three attributes;
Power, Luck and Level.  Power influences what spells you can use,
Luck influences your dice roll and Level is like Power but it
isn't drained every time you cast a spell.

The board takes up the screen with a piccy of the isle in the
middle of the screen with the squares you move on around it. To
the top of the screen is a little text bar that gives you a
running commentary on the game ie "It is your go now, Mr Dobbs",
"You are in a storm, Mr Quimby". In the middle of the isle is the
menu box where you select your spells etc. and just off the top
left hand corner of this are two TV (!?) screens. The left screen
has a portrait of whoever's turn it is and the right shows you
what, if any, problem you've got yourself stuck in now.  Below
these screens are three gauges which represent the three
attributes.

You move around the board by rolling a die but, to hinder your
progress, there are certain 'natural' barriers such as no wind
(use a wind spell to get out of it (ready the vindaloo and
beans)), rocks (use a shield spell) and reefs which can be
overcome by using a tide spell.

As well as these problems, Mr Quimby can also cast storms and
other things to chip away at your power level so, when you do come
across a bona fide barrier, you won't have enough power to pass it.
Other spells he has up his cavernous sleeve are Drain; which
depletes your power and tops up his, Slip Up; without full luck
you can't move and the dreaded Squid who will sink your bottle and
make you start again.

Luckily, you, too, have access to all these.

As I said the graphics are good with minimal animation and quite
good samples and a small chip ditty at the start and end.

The game is a nice thing to have in your collection so, if you're
stuck in an adventure, you can have a bit of light relief.

I'm now craving (no, I'm not pregnant) for Peter's next release.
Hopefully he'll continue with the follow up of The Obscure
Naturalist so support him and he probably will.

How do you get this wonder program? If you've got Insecticide,
register it. If not, write to Peter Hague (32 Chancet Wood Drive,
Meadow Head, Sheffield, S8 7TR) and send œ5 (PO or cheque made
payable to Peter Hague) and ask for Insecticide plus Lord of the
Isle. Remember to state whether you've got a 512 or 1040 machine
as there are two versions of LOTI (the 1040 has less disk
accessing).