Shadow of Yserbius - Sierra RRP œ45.95
                       (RPG for PC)

Through being a subscriber to two American magazines, QuestBusters
and Computer Gaming World, I hear about programs which are
released over there many months before they are available here ...
sometimes we never see them at all

One such game was Shadows of Yserbius. In America, it is played as
a multi-player on-line RPG. This fascinated me! Here was a game
which looked very much like a multi-character Dungeon Master or
Eye of the Beholder type RPG, but the characters on the screen
would each be played by a real person. A MUG with graphics!

Alan and I were on a shop-until-you-drop trip in Bromley one day
and, as usual, I dragged him into the computer shops 'just to see
what's there'. On the shelf in Virgin was Shadow of Yserbius, solo
version. At œ50. Gulp. Needless to say I wasn't willing to spend
that much, though I was very tempted.

The next time we were in Bromley, I dragged him into there again.
In the weeks in between, I had checked the ads and not seen anyone
advertising it. So this time I was VERY tempted to buy it. You
guessed it - it had gone.

The next day, I bought a mag and Premier were advertising Yserbius
for just œ26-odd. Actually ordering it was quite complicated as
when I rang, the guy said "Shadows of what? Never heard of it."
But after a few phonecalls and a couple of days wait, it arrived.
Installing it was quite a business as there were a lot of disks
and it turned out you got both the solo and multi-user versions in
the box, plus TWO games, Shadow of Yserbius itself, which I'd
expected, plus The Fates of Twinion. This review will concentrate
on Yserbius as I haven't even started Twinion and the two games
play the same, though you can't transfer characters from one to
the other.

The solo version of Yserbius is a standard forward-facing,
step-by-step movement RPG. The storyline is standard fare too,
involving a King (dead), wizard (ditto), treachery, greed, lust
for power and betrayal. Fill in the gaps yourself, you've heard it
all before in other RPGs. You explore the (dead) King's palace and
dungeons, finding quest items, collecting better weapons, armour,
magical bits and bobs, and treasure, battling it out with a
variety of monsters and searching for elusive keys and lockpicks
to open stubborn doors, translating runes on tapestries, falling
through trapdoors, meeting NPCs, collecting hints from friendly
ones and making your way ever deeper into unknown territory.

The game has an automapping system but I still mapped it (a)
because I enjoy mapping (yes, I like mazes too) and (b) to mark
traps, locked door, major encounters, items of use etc on them
because I soon realised I was going to be going through some
levels many, many times before I finished the game. The map is
gradually filled in as you explore.

The area to explore is made up of an unknown number of levels
(nope, I haven't finished it yet but I've found 5 levels), most of
which consist of, as far as I can tell, around 3 to 6 major
areas, each of which is named (Hall of Doors, The Mines, King
Cleowyn's Palace, The Rune Room, The Prison, The Vestibule etc)
and made up of 16 by 16 squares.  These are linked by doors,
transporters, stairways, elevators and trapdoors which will send
you up, down (sometimes several floors) and sideways, often into
an unknown new area the first time you use them. Many doors open
when you go through, others are locked, or can be opened by brute
force when you're strong enough.  Some need specific keys or one
of the coloured lockpicks which can be bought or won in a battle.
The colour affects how efficient the lockpick is.

When you meet monsters, both sides are arranged facing each other
and must slug it out to the death by weapons or magic. Many
monsters can also cast spells. You start with some spells and
skills and acquire more during play, as you rise through the
levels.

Your character can be of one of several races and classes and
the gallery allows you to change your appearance in subtle ways,
just like an identikit, even down to eye colour and shape of your
nose! There are six guilds (barbarian, knight, ranger, thief,
cleric or wizard) and two alignments (harmony or chaos). Your
race, guild and alignment affects the game in subtle ways.

I could go on, and on, about how much fun I'm having with Shadow
of Yserbius. Yet, if I showed it to someone, I am sure they'd
wonder what the attraction was. The graphics are adequate, the
monsters nicely varied with good animation, the storyline so-so.
But there's something about it that has grabbed me. Played as an
on-line game, I am sure it would really come into its own but even
as a solo game, I am thoroughly enjoying it.

                                                  Sue







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