Top Ten Adventures @~To register your votes, just send in your choices, number them @~1st to 10th and preferably give brief comments on why you voted @~for each game. 10 points are awarded for 1st place down to 1 @~point for 10th place. @~Three Top Tens this issue, two revised ones from David Stocks @~and James Judge, and a new one from Paul Vincent. @~Who's going to be next to send in his/her votes? ------------------------------------------------------------------ David Stocks' (revised) Top Ten 1. Dungeon Master - still the best RPG I have played - I even got it for the PC and am still ambling through it. 2. Chaos Strikes Back - not as good as DM but still inspired late night play. 3. Eye of the Beholder II - great game, much more rounded than EOB I. I have just started EOB III so am not sure how it will compare - even though EOB III does not like DOS 6.2 and I had to install it at work and use BACKUP to use it at home. 4. Monkey Island - great humour and interface. Also it made a change not getting killed at every wrong action. 5. Drakkhen - good hack and bash RPG with reasonable problems to solve. 6. Hammer of Grimmold - still hanging in there - one of the few non-RPGs I still play at times. 7. Wizard's Crown - one of the first SSI games I got - have now a few, especially since moving to the PC. 8. Trinity - about the best of the Infocom ones. 9. Return to Zork - amazing graphics and speech on CD and a good, rounded game. 10. Larry 2 - great fun. ------------------------------------------------------------------ James Judge's Top Ten #3! Well, as Sue has thrown away the old scores, I thought I'd better throw in a few new ones. Before I start, I just hope that neither Dungeon Master or Chaos Strikes back make an appearance this time - there MUST be better games than those two now. OK, my top ten adventure/strategy games. 1) Elite 2 - Gametek A very recent release this one. Far better than the original with great gameplay and a huge sense of freedom. Choose from over 720 missions or you can become a peaceful trader, a pirate, bounty hunter or even an assassin. On one disk that is a tribute to David Braben's programming the ST version lacks the bugs of the Amiga version which makes it the best version out at the moment. Works better on TTs or Megas but still acceptable on a 1040 STe. 2) Civilisation - MicroProse After a lot of harassment from ST Format readers, MicroProse (THE simulation masters) finally converted this classic. And well worth it it was - despite the couple of bugs. A game where you must control a civilisation from stone age man right up to the space age, great fun! 3) Railroad Tycoon - MicroProse Yes, I do like MicroProse software. This time you are controlling a railroad in a number of different scenarios. Basic presentation, but huge gameplay. 4) Legend - Mindscape This is the best Trazere adventure there is. Progressing from the first person view we are treated to 3D isometric graphics, great sound and wonderful puzzles. Plenty of things out of the dungeon to keep you happy and more than enough to keep you happy in the dungeons. 5) Lemmings 2 - Psygnosis I'm gradually going off this game although it is still great fun for the odd hour or two. With improved sound, graphics and gameplay this is a HUGE improvement from the original. Oh, and Sue, it IS available for the ST . @~You're not going to let me forget that, are you? :) 6) Obscure Naturalist - Peter Hague This text adventure is still holding its own amongst the big games, great. And with a monthly newsletter to go with it, it is a very good game. I can't wait to see the sequel. 7) Captive - Mindscape Love it. A great RPG that will have you going until the day you die - literally! It oozes atmosphere and with the STe stereo capabilities, the game gets even better. A game that won't be packed away for quite a while to come. 8) Excuse Me Do You Have The Time AND What You See Is What You Get - Jean Childs Another two adventures in my top ten, oh dear, I am becoming an adventurer. These two tie as they are both great with WYSIWYG probably being the better of the two, but only by a little (also playtesting it spoilt the enjoyment slightly). Well done, Jean, we want more! 9) Chaos (1 Meg version) - Martin Brownlow The best PD strategy game around in my (and Jean's) opinion. With a whole bunch of samples to add humour to this old Spectrum classic you can't go wrong for an hour's fun. The multi-player option adds a whole new dimension too. 10) Ishar 2 - Silmarils Slow and sluggish this game is, but far better than Ishar 1. It has got lots more to do and with 32 colours on an ST it looks good too. With six times as much playing area, 100 times more things to do and no fee for saving games, this is a great romp around Kendoria. So, that is my top ten FOR the moment. I can't think of any coming releases that may top Elite 2 or Civilisation. @~As James tied Jean's two games, I have given both of those 3 @~points, Chaos 1 point, and given Ishar 2 an honourable mention. @~James has recently upgraded to a PC so I don't think it'll be @~long before we see his fourth Top Ten ... ------------------------------------------------------------------ Top Ten Adventures/RPGs by Paul Vincent All the game here are (or were) available for the Amiga. Some of the older ones were played on an A500, the rest on an A500+. Don't ask me about A600 / A1200 / A2000 / A3000 compatibility though. 1. Eye of the Beholder 2 Far and away the better of the two EOTB instalments - and the last to be converted for the Amiga (curses!). More spells, more sub-plots, and more atmosphere than any other RPG on the market and it plays like a dream - well, like a nightmare, actually, but that's the whole point of such games. What really gives it the edge are the well thought-out, difficult but logical puzzles. 2. Simon the Sorcerer No surprise to see this one here, after the glowing review I have given it. Two main reasons for its high placing: it's the nearest thing yet to a text adventure come to full technicolour life, and it has a sense of humour like a cross between Monty Python and Terry Pratchett. The future of graphic adventures - I hope. 3. Cadaver A real oddity from the Bitmap Brothers. The mechanics are like one of those old 3D isometric games we used to play on our Spectrums and C64s, but the enormous number of interlocking puzzles which have to be solved to complete each level put this firmly into the Adventure category. Five enormous levels - each a large adventure in its own right - make it generous value for money, too. Perhaps its only flaw is that some arcade reflexes are needed in places, but that's a minor niggle. All it needs now is for the Bitmaps to release, as promised long ago, the "development engine" software, which would allow Cadaver fans to create their own scenarios - HINT, HINT! 4. Dungeon Adventure This Level 9 oldie is one I actually started playing on my Spectrum. I found it a revelation, it being by far the largest text adventure I'd ever played. It also introduced me to the idea that adventures could use humour - particularly awful puns (e.g. you stop a large stone from rolling and it instantly gathers all the moss from the walls, revealing a hidden door. Ouch!). Available on the Amiga as one-third of the "Jewels of Darkness" trilogy. 5. The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy Being a long-time fan of both text adventures and Douglas Adams's interplanetary trilogy, it was love at first Load when I acquired this game. For several weeks my work lunchbreaks were spent in frustrated mirth as I wrestled with the likes of the notorious Babel Fish puzzle, and looked up all those ridiculous footnotes! A classic example of teamwork between writers of books and of software. 6. Black Crypt Another DM-inspired RPG and an excellent example of the genre. Digitised sound effects, spectacular fireworks to accompany spellcasting, and perhaps a bit too difficult for novice RPGers. Innovations include invisible monsters and an underwater level where dwindling oxygen supplies keep the pressure on. After DM itself, only the second game to be too scary to play late at night! 7. Dungeon Master The game that made me realise I HAD TO buy an Amiga. It's looking a bit long in the tooth now, and its spellcasting system seems hopelessly clumsy in retrospect, but hey! you had to be there at the time. The way the stereo effects let you know which way the monsters lay still sends shivers up my spine, to this day. 8. Faery Tale Adventure The other game that made the Amiga an essential purchase. It's like directing a fantasy movie from a helicopter. The controls were responsive, the puzzles and quests were varied and imaginative, and it boasted the most atmospheric music yet to grace an adventure game. An often-forgotten cult classic. 9. Golden Fleece The first, and for my money the best, text adventure from Scotland's one-man shareware answer to Infocom, Jim MacBrayne. Some of the most warped-yet-logical puzzles ever to face adventuredom, and every artefact stamped with the ACME Manufacturer's mark! 10. Space Quest 2 Last but not least, I rate this the best of Sierra's graphic adventures featuring Super-Janitor Roger Wilco. The sub-quests are more varied than in SQ1 whilst the puzzle-solving elements were still paramount, which was not the case in the relatively disappointing sequel SQ3. ----------------------------------------------------------------- @~The running total for 1994 is: 43 pts Dungeon Master 21 pts Chaos Strikes Back 17 pts Eye of the Beholder II, Civilisation 15 pts Monkey Island I 12 pts Uninvited 10 pts Elite 2, Ultima V, World of Xeen (Clouds and Darkside) 9 pts Simon the Sorcerer, Lemmings 2, Monkey Island, Amberstar, Ishar 8 pts Railroad Tycoon, Eye of the Beholder, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Cadaver 7 pts Legend, Bard's Tale 1, Journey, Dungeon Adventure 6 pts Drakkhen, Space Quest 3, Xenomorph, Hitchhiker's Guide Faery Tale Adventure 5 pts Captive, Obscure Naturalist, Hammer of Grimmold, Operation Stealth, BAT II, Shadowgate, Pool of Darkness, Black Crypt 4 pts Wizard's Crown, Knightmare, Deja Vu, Abandoned Places 3 pts Excuse Me ..., WYSIWYG, Trinity, Betrayal at Krondor, Bloodwych 2 pts Return to Zork, Future Wars, Eye of the Beholder III, Deja Vu II, Space Quest, Golden Fleece 1 pt Chaos (PD, 1 meg) Larry 2, Another World, Larry 1, Pirates, Space Quest 2 (Votes so far by Alex van Kaam, Greg Lord, Brian Burke, BMK, David Stocks, James Judge and Paul Vincent) Dungeon Master forges ahead - sorry, J! ------------------------------------------------------------------ @~The all-time SynTax Polls, which are updated each issue as new @~votes come in, or readers amend their votes, are as follows: 123 pts Dungeon Master 48 pts Chaos Strikes Back 41 pts Lurking Horror 39 pts Enchanter 33 pts Wishbringer 32 pts Trinity 31 pts Secret of Monkey Island 1 29 pts Lemmings 2 28 pts Leather Goddesses, Hitchhiker's Guide 25 pts Loom 22 pts Guild of Thieves 21 pts Beyond Zork 20 pts Sorcerer, Planetfall, Bard's Tale 1 18 pts Demon's Winter, Eye of the Beholder I 17 pts Eye of the Beholder II, Jinxter, Civilization 16 pts Captive, Ultima IV, Secret of Monkey Island 2 15 pts Fish!, Stationfall 13 pts Xenomorph, Infidel, Journey 12 pts Zork II, Larry 3, Uninvited, Bloodwych 11 pts Phantasie III, Spellbreaker, Manhunter San Francisco, Knightmare, Eye of the Beholder III, Legend 10 pts Crusaders of the Dark Savant, Lords of Chaos, Lords of Time, Ultima V, World of Xeen (Clouds and Darkside), Elite 2 9 pts Drakkhen, Red Moon, Ishar 1, Amberstar, Simon the Sorcerer, Pirates 8 pts Zak McKracken, Bard's Tale III, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Railroad Tycoon, Cadaver, Dungeon Adventure 7 pts Corruption, Humbug, Price of Magik, Sorcerer, Ingrid's Back, Deja Vu 1, Operation Stealth 6 pts Ultima VII:Black Gate, Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes, Four Symbols, Space Quest 3, Faery Tale Adventure, Larry 2 5 pts Obscure Naturalist, Ultima Underworld 2, Darkseed, Ultima Underworld 1, Manhunter New York, Jacaranda Jim, Dragonflight, Sleeping Gods Lie, Hammer of Grimmold, Bard's Tale 2, Suspect, Shadowgate, BAT 2, Pool of Darkness, Black Crypt, Space Quest 1 4 pts Might and Magic III, The Maze, Wonderland, Rigel's Revenge, Zork Zero, Abandoned Places, Wizard's Crown 3 pts Fool's Errand, Mortville Manor, Cortizone, Ballyhoo, Jade Stone, Witness, Excuse Me, WYSIWYG, Betrayal at Krondor, Future Wars 2 pts Zork 1, Keys of the Wizard, Spellcasting 101, Infestation, Legend of the Sword, Camelot, Bureaucracy, Mega-lo-Mania, Deja Vu 2, Return to Zork, Golden Fleece 1 pt Colossal (Level 9), Plundered Hearts, Wizard's Tower, Jade Stone, Football Director II, Exile, Larry 1, Chaos (PD, 1 meg), Another World, Space Quest 2 - o -