Deep Space Drifter - author Mike Roberts
     (TADS adventure for ST (PD 178) and PC (PD 289))

       Reviewed by Richard Hunt, played on the PC
              Dedicated to James Judge.

@~This review was originally written for Red Herring where James
@~had written in about mazes ... he doesn't like them.

You are a lone space explorer, hoping to make your fortune out in
the stars.  Unfortunately, your ambitions have had to be shelved
for the moment.  Due to a slight navigational miscalculation you
have ended up in the middle of nowhere; running out of fuel and
air, tired and hungry. You just hope there's someone listening to
the distress channels. After fiddling about with the controls and
sending the distress signal you receive acknowledgement and
breathe (not very deeply) a sigh of relief.

The first part of the game proper is set in the space station from
where you received the aforementioned message. Once you've docked
there are about a dozen locations to explore and you get to play
with even more futuristic gadgets.  Yup, this is a button-pressers
paradise!

Unsurprisingly, this isn't the end of your troubles. As was hinted
at in the received message all is not well. It seems the guy who
jointly ran the place has had delusions of grandeur and wants to
rule the universe (yawn). Even if you're not the heroic
save-the-universe type you don't have much choice in the matter.
Very shortly you discover Lord Pinback (as he now calls himself)
is blasting away at the station with his big laser and pretty soon
your problems will be all over and you with them.

Wandering about (and outside of) the station you come across a
tram down to the surface. Handy, eh? Unfortunately it won't go.
Some repairs maybe? There's a convenient spacesuit but you won't
get far without any air and a broken light.  The solution to the
latter problem was fairly obvious but it took me ages to figure
out where to get another bulb!

Fortunately there's assistance in getting the tram running again
is the form of a handy trouble-shooting booklet to be found
elsewhere on the station. There are also some diary tapes which
can be played which give you some background and much needed
information.

Eventually, after many moves playing with the various machines and
getting the space-tram working, you leave the space station when
it conveniently explodes.  Good job you got out when it is, isn't
it?  Contrary to what you might have expected there is no move
counter here which is a bit of a shame. Instead, after each laser
hit you just drop everything which you must remember to pick up
again - very annoying.

Once down on the planet the game opens up, and I mean opens up.
For here is to be found the mother of all annoying and pointless
mazes.  It is set in an underground cave system which every half a
dozen moves is flushed out by some mysterious water source. This
washes you back to your starting place if you get caught in it. As
such, the problem is not how to find your way about but how to
find a route through, avoiding the regular torrent of water.
Doesn't sound much? This little maze has a mere 130 locations! And
all for a single lump of metal, you may indeed weep.

Also on the planet is a very, very fun underground shuttle system.
After you have explored its preset destinations and found a
method of manually controlling it you then take the helm to
discover another depot leading to ...

Another maze! There is a feeling of deja-vu about this one as you
previously had a dream about it (sleep comes into this game). Nay,
not a dream but a nightmare. This is only (relatively) 25
locations and again the problem is not how to map it - it is
straightforward enough, but how to flush a weasel out of the
maze needed to carry on with the adventure. This is done by
tickling an alien plant to free a balloon like creature in its
jaws. Said creature then sails through the air in a direction
according to the location and the spot tickled and gets caught
again. Got it so far? If it lands on the (rather vicious) weasel
the weasel runs in the opposite direction to where it was attacked
from.  It is at this point that I have to confess total bafflement
as to how to solve this puzzle. After several thousand moves I
have put the game to one side till I regain my sanity once more.
Anyone?

Being written in TADS, Deep Space Drifter is a very professional
looking game with a good parser. The only fault I can pick is with
one action which had me stuck for quite a while. Like most things
with adventures it is totally obvious in retrospect but I did
think it a bit unfair. The command to operate a remote control was
not TOUCH CONTROL but TOUCH PAD (which was on the front of the
control). Once this is figured though you do get used to this
level of detail.

I found the start of DSD very good indeed and was looking forward
to more of the same once I reached the planet. The mazes however
spoil this, for me anyway. I do not object to the odd maze, I even
enjoy small to middling sized ones - however twisty amd turny. The
130 location jobby here though could easily have been done in at
the most half the size. The second 'maze' was the last straw after
this although I do admire the idea immensely.  On the plus side,
the puzzles are logical and really quite neat as are the other
features. Overall, a nice sci-fi to add to your collection if
you're into that genre.















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