TALES OF HORROR - author John R. Olsen on PD 706
        (Three text adventures in a horror vein for PC)

                  Reviewed by Jean Childs

In 'Night of the Walking Dead' you are in an old rundown cemetery
at the edge of a Louisiana bayou. You have to find the grave of
your Aunt Bedilia and bring back her locket. The gates to the crypt
are locked, and it is not just a case of finding a key.  There
isn't one. I managed to work out how to open them fairly quickly,
but that was the least of my problems. Some of the puzzles were
quite hard, especially opening the coffin. But the real problem was
being in command of your progress, as the 'walking dead' impede
your actions.

In 'Frankenstein's Legacy' your mission is to bring Frankenstein's
creature to life. I didn't find the puzzles quite as hard in this
game, but one or two were a problem. At least there were no walking
dead in the graveyard here, but there was the problem of conserving
a light source. Quite a lot of detail is involved in restoring the
creature to life. Then you have another problem - the creature.

Of the three games 'The Sea Phantom' was the one I liked the best.
A ghost ship rides the waves, and you must board her and lift the
curse of Captain Thorne, and find his treasure. Again the puzzles
aren't quite as hard as in the first game, but this is due to
clues given to you in the game. These clues are probably the
reason why I preferred this game, as they are given to you at
various encounters with the ghost of the captain.

What I liked most about these games, apart from the clever puzzles,
was the atmosphere. Being in a graveyard at the dead of night is
well portrayed in 'Night of the Walking Dead', especially when you
come across a grave where "a hand is reaching out". In all three
games the room descriptions are concise but effective.  The number
of rooms in each game is small, but not the number of puzzles.

One thing that concerned me at first was the frequency of the 'you
see nothing unusual' phrase. However, as the games progressed with

their intricate puzzles, I found this helped in ruling out
possible solutions. Another thing that some players will not like,
is the limited number of objects that they can carry. It's very
limited, but that is due to the fact that John uses this as part
of the puzzle solving. Both of these would have earned a harsher
review from me had it not been for the fact that the puzzles and
atmosphere more than made up for it.  I'd recommend anyone to try
them. After all, that's what shareware is all about - try before
you buy. Registration is $20 for the three games, for which you
receive maps, hints, and a full solution to all three games.

Other selections of adventures by John Olsen are:-

NIGHTMARES FROM THE CRYPT - three text adventures, each a
horrifying nightmare.

In 'Rings for Bony Fingers' you are being buried alive. You must
escape your coffin of death and find the ten rings of Zoltan.

In 'Ghost Riders of El Diablo' you are being hung by the neck by a
group of ghost riders. You must escape the noose and lift the
Indian curse that forces the dead to ride at midnight.

'Dr. Death's House of Horrors' finds you in a medieval jail, where
stone walls are closing in to crush you. You must escape from the
jail and then find the keys to freedom hidden in a wax museum.

TALES OF MAGIC - three text adventures with a mystic slant.

In 'Merlin's Magic Forest' you have been magically transported
back to ancient England, where an evil sorceress has placed Merlin
under a magic spell.  You must search the magic forest for the
ingredients which will lift the spell and release Merlin from his
death-like trance.

In 'Merlin's Golden Trove' you must find a hoard of golden
treasures in Merlin's castle. Some are well hidden, and some are
guarded by trolls, gargoyles, and other creatures.

'Son of Ali Baba' finds you in old Baghdad, where you meet an evil
magician, a giant Roc, a seven headed serpent, and a living
skeleton. You can ride a magic carpet, sail the ship of Sinbad,
and find the hidden cave of your father, Ali Baba.

TALES OF TREASURE - three text adventures featuring a search for
treasure.

In 'Perils of Darkest Africa' you search for jewels in King
Solomon's mines.

In 'Revenge of the Moon Goddess' you are deep in the heart of the
South American jungles searching for the long lost City of the Sun
and its fabled golden idol.

In 'Eye of the Inca' you have found the long lost Incan Temple in a
jungle clearing, and must search for the world's largest diamond.

Registration for each of the selections is also $20.
                              - o -