@~This issue we have two reviews of Peter Hague's Obscure @~Naturalist, from Jean Childs and "Shebo". The Obscure Naturalist - Author Peter Hague (PD503 Shareware - Part One of a illustrated 570K STAC adventure for the ST - register for Part Two) ------------------------------------------------------------------ (1) Reviewed by Jean Childs In an article on reviewing, by Sue in a previous issue of Syntax, one suggestion was `make clear how far you've got into the game'. After a few days of playing the game (actually that's not quite true, I had to take a back seat to start with and watch my daughter play it) I phoned Sue and told her it was a great game and that I'd like to get Part Two and do a review of the full game. This would mean missing the next issue of Syntax, but Sue said that was okay and it could go into the following issue. Well folks, this is the following issue (if I made it in time) and Part Two is still sitting on the shelf and we're still playing our way through Part One. I must just add here that when I received Part One my daughter was studying for her mock A-levels, and to break off after hours of revision and indulge in a good adventure game is a tonic to be recommended. When I wrote to Peter Hague to register for Part Two (and sent my œ5) I explained that I was reviewing the game and asked for additional help to the hints and tips sheets that he sends with Part Two. In the letter I received from Peter, he says "I have enclosed the second part of the adventure and the hints and tips. These cover the hardest bits, but it is tricky when writing such a game to know just how difficult it is becoming. I tried to pitch it at various levels so that there are simple and amusing solutions and also some very hard ones. I don't expect anyone to finish soon, though. It was written for reasonably long-term fun - a problem for reviewers". He's not kidding. So I'm only reviewing what I have played so far, and can then continue to play the game at my leisure which is how a game as good as this should be played. The letter continues "One thing to bear in mind is that although it flows like a river from beginning to end, Part One has various eddies and undercurrents which have to be bypassed and returned to later. In other words, do not be dismayed if you cannot solve a particular riddle, each is part of a whole and sometimes you simply cannot solve one until you have solved another. The best tip for Part One is to get to know it as well as possible. You will soon realise it is one big, interlocked `jigsaw' puzzle". I'm cheating here, I'm letting Peter do his own review. Seriously though, I had to include that as it is a good description of the game and I could not have put it better. That is exactly how the game plays. But now to the story. You are an obscure naturalist and have come here to observe the birds on the water and in the nearby woods. - 'Obscure' in my dictionary is 'unknown to fame'. It also says 'enveloped in darkness' and that is a good description of the hints and tips sheet, which is not a solution but a cryptic aid to the player who wants to move on. (Don't use it too much - you'll spoil the fun.) - Suddenly, you hear a swoosh in the air above your head, and looking up, see a large and very rare Heron gliding in the sky. - (No dragons, elves or goblins in this game.) - Excited, you use your binoculars and see it has a nest and young chicks. If you could get a close-up photograph of them, you would become world famous. But first there is the small problem of getting to the island.... The game is programmed with STAC and the graphics are amazing, full of detail and a pleasure to look at. The text is a pale blue on a darker blue background and is clear and legible. An interesting technique used here is where the text background darkens when you enter darker places such as under a bridge or into a dark passage. Another nice touch is shown when you try to go in a wrong direction. Instead of saying "You can't do that" or "You can't go in that direction", you get "Just bushes that way" or "Mind the fence!" and is more personal and user-friendly. I haven't had much trouble so far with inputs, most having been accepted. If you try to do something wrong, it doesn't say "You can't do that!" it says "There are good reasons why you can't do that". To that my initial response is "Name one", but it doesn't understand that. The room descriptions are very welI written and it is important to read them carefully as some of the exits are casually but cleverly 'dropped' in. (I almost used 'obscure' again then). There are a lot of humorous responses throughout the game. One in particular occurs if you sit or kneel or bend down for some reason, and then try to move in a direction. It says "You're wearing your knees out like this" and after a couple of times of this happening you tend to shout at the computer "Okay so I forgot to stand." The puzzles are original and many are of the 'kick-yourself-when-you-cheat-and-ask' kind. (I've only asked Peter twice, honestly.) The main thing about this game is its size and the fact that there is so much to look at in both the graphics and the text. Another thing to look at on the disk containing Part One is the Read Me file. Peter has strong views on the large software houses and, although he is serious about this, it is amusing to read. This game has taken him three years to write and he says "You will certainly not find better in the shops". I agree, it really is professionally produced, and it's getting to the point where you can hardly get anything in the shops for the ST adventurer, and certainly not for this price. Peter also writes in his Read Me file "please support my time and buy the second half" and "I have other games I am willing to release into the public domain too if I get enough support. It's up to you". Well, all I can end with is, if you have an ST and you don't have a copy of The Obscure Naturalist - YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE MISSING! ------------------------------------------------------------------ (2) A review by "Shebo" on an STe What a pleasant change to sit down and play a game that has NO magic spells or monsters. At first I thought it was going to be one of those games with a few logical puzzles and a lot of boring moves but no, I was highly delighted. The aim of the game is to become a famous naturalist by getting to an island in the middle of a lake and photographing some baby herons. Aah! As with all adventure games you really need to draw a map. There is a lot to think about in this game and each location has something to offer and because of this I didn't like to take my eyes from the screen and look at the map. Some of the puzzles, although quite logical, were a nice surprise. For example: after trundling around the countryside, tearing my clothes, nearly drowning (I can't swim), falling down holes, off trees and getting stung by nettles (thank goodness for the dock leaf) I picked up a can of fly spray. "GREAT" I thought this will obviously let me go down a path covered in flesh munching flies - "Spray 'em and kill 'em dead" I thought. IT DIDN'T WORK! Here we go, I thought I would have to do something quite illogical to get rid of the flies but no. I had a net so I wore it because, if it works for bees, it should work for flies. Eureka, walk down the path with a smile on your face. This game is in two parts. You can't start the second part without completing the first and you're not allowed to walk down the final path to the second part of the game until you've got some vital items. There is a riddle, written on a map, that gives you clues as to what you need. I must admit, I haven't completed the first part although I feel I'm pretty close. I can't wait to get to part two. You can have a chat with various characters in the game and the conversations are amusing. In fact the game is quite funny in places itself. The text is very well written and is easy to read. Items found in each location are shown in a different colour so you can instantly see you have found something and jump around the room accordingly. You must think and act as a true country lover and follow the country code because if you don't you lose points. After all in every day life it is unlawful to drop litter - get my drift, nudge, nudge, say no more. The graphics are excellent, a touch of class. I haven't found any spelling mistakes or bugs. The game recognises most of the inputs. You will not need a thesaurus to help you with finding verbs, nouns etc. You can play the game with the knowledge that there are no silly errors that will spoil the flow of the game. You can only blame yourself if you can't do what you have to do. There is a RAMSAVE and OOPS facility. I recommend this game to all. Buy it, you'll not be disappointed. You can get part one from Syntax for œ2.50. For the whole game send a fiver to Peter Hague, 32 Chancet Wood Drive, Meadow Head, Sheffield, S8 7TR.