QUEST FOR GLORY 4:SHADES OF DARKNESS - SIERRA RRP œ39.99
               (Graphic adventure for PC)

     PLAYED AS A FIGHTER (ON STRATEGY/LOW SKILL LEVEL)
                     by JOHN MOORE

A FEW NEW BELLS AND WHISTLES HAVE BEEN ADDED TO QUEST 4. YOU CAN
CHOOSE FROM THE CONTROL PANEL TO PLAY THE GAME IN ARCADE OR
STRATEGY MODE. HACK AND SLASH OR ADVENTURE MODE TO YOU. THERE IS
ALSO AN AUTO SAVE BUTTON WHICH WILL SAVE THE GAME BEFORE YOU GET
INTO SERIOUS DANGER AND THE SKILL LEVEL CAN BE UPPED OR DOWNED
ACCORDING TO HOW HARD YOU WANT THE PUZZLES TO BE.

I IMPORTED MY CHARACTER "ARNIE" FROM QUEST 3 SO I HAD A GOOD BASE
TO START FROM.

THE STORY BEGINS WHERE QUEST 3 LEFT OFF, YOU HAVE BEEN MAGICALLY
TRANSPORTED TO ANOTHER LAND AND WAKE UP IN A GRUESOME CAVE WITH
SKELETONS AND NASTY STUFF ALL AROUND, NOT HAVING A CLUE WHERE YOU
ARE OR WHY YOU ARE THERE, ALSO YOUR EQUIPMENT HAS NOT MADE THE
JOURNEY WITH YOU. OBVIOUSLY YOU CAME ON A CHEAPIE CHARTER FLIGHT.
ON SEARCHING AROUND YOU FIND ENOUGH KIT TO ENABLE YOU TO EXIT THE
CAVE AND EVENTUALLY FIGHT YOUR WAY OUTSIDE. A BEAUTIFUL YOUNG LADY
LURKS OUTSIDE AND GIVES YOU A CLUE AS TO WHERE TO BEGIN THE YET
UNKNOWN QUEST.

IT BECOMES APPARENT THAT YOU HAVE BEEN DUMPED IN VAMPIRE LAND AND
TALKING TO ALL THE CHARACTERS YOU MEET YIELDS LOTS OF VALUABLE
INFORMATION AND LOCATIONS OF THE VARIOUS PLACES YOU NEED TO VISIT.
THE CASTLE IS FULL OF VAMPIRES, THE FOREST BY DAY LOTS OF
MONSTERS SUCH AS VORPAL BUNNY RABBITS, WYVERNS AND NECROTAURS AND
BY NIGHT WRAITHS, ZOMBIES AND VAMPIRE BATS. ALONG THE WAY YOU
GLEAN THE FACTS THAT VARIOUS CHARACTERS NEED HELP AND YOU ARE THE
DUTY HERO.

SOLVING OTHER PEOPLE'S PROBLEMS EVENTUALLY LEADS YOU TO THE BIG
ONE,.A NASTY DEMON WHO GOES BY THE UNORIGINAL NAME OF "THE DARK
ONE" WILL SOON COME THROUGH A MAGIC PORTAL AND GUESS WHO IS GOING
TO STOP HIM.

HUMOUR ABOUNDS WITH THE CLASSIC GRAVEDIGGER IGOR BUT THIS WEARS
OFF AFTER A WHILE. THE MUSIC IS FABULOUS AND ATMOSPHERIC
ESPECIALLY IN THE SWAMP AND IN DOCTOR CRANIUM'S LABORATORY.
ANOTHER NEW TWIST IS THE PUZZLES YOU HAVE TO SOLVE TO GET THINGS
DONE SUCH AS THE SELF ANSWERING DOORBELL AND MAKE YOUR OWN KEYHOLE
IN THE LAB. ALL IN ALL A VERY GOOD GAME AND AS USUAL IT COMES
COMPLETE WITH BUGS.

IN SOME LOCATIONS TRYING TO TURN RIGHT CAUSED THE GAME TO CRASH OR
ARNIE STARTS WALKING UP THE SCREEN INTO THE SKY, RESTORING SAVED
GAMES LATER ON TAKES FOREVER BUT ALL THIS IS MINOR COMPARED TO
SLACK PROGRAMMING WHEREBY HAVING SAVED A SMALL CHILD VAMPIRE AND
BY MEANS OF THE MAGIC RITES RESTORED HER TO NORMAL AND RETURNED
HER TO HER PARENTS YOU GO BACK TO THE CASTLE ANOTHER TIME AND ON
ENTERING THE BEDROOM THERE THEY ARE AGAIN, MONSTER AND CHILD. I
WENT THROUGH THE MOTIONS AGAIN BUT BECAUSE I HAD ALREADY DONE IT
ONCE I WAS FROZEN IN THE GAME AND HAD TO SOFT RESET TO START
AGAIN. THERE WERE MORE BUGS MORE IRRITATING THAN FATAL BUT I FEEL
THAT A COMPANY LIKE SIERRA SHOULD PLAYTEST THE GAMES THE SAME WAY
THAT WE POOR SLOBS DO.

MY VERSION WAS VER 1.00, MAYBE THE BUGS HAD BEEN FIXED IN LATER
VERSIONS OR A PATCH DISK RELEASED.

BUGS AND ALL, I LOVED THE GRAPHICS AND SOUND, THE PUZZLES AT THE
LEVEL I SET WERE NOT TOO TAXING (THANKS SUE FOR THE HELP ON THE
HAT). I EAGERLY AWAIT QUEST 5 AND HAVE SAVED ARNIE IN
ANTICIPATION.











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