@~Two AGT reviews again this issue. From Linda Turnham comes an
@~ST-only game called Reporter and from me a PC-only one called
@~CosmoServe.

            REPORTER ( or anything for a story )
        BY THE ADVENTURE GAME JOCKEY on SynTax PD 690

            ST only, reviewed by Linda Turnham

It is dusk and the stars are just appearing, your editor told you
to get down to this small town and check out a report of UFO
sightings made by several farmers. In your haste for a good story
you forgot that your car badly needed a service as it has been
giving you trouble so about an hour ago the engine just died and
all your efforts to restart it have now drained the battery. You
have decided to walk and hope to hitch a lift but so far no luck,
as it gets darker you stroll down a lonely road carrying your
overnight case containing a change of clothes and your laptop
computer which you are never without when chasing a scoop.
Suddenly a blinding light fills the sky and an unseen force topples
you straight into the nearest ditch. You start the game lying on
your back in the ditch, your case beside you and the bright light
above.

Take any possible direction and after a molecular disrupting
experience you find yourself in a huge golden octagonal chamber
which has a number on the floor, the only exit is firmly shut but
down a few steps in front of you is a console flashing with lights.
You might suppose that your immediate problem would be how the hell
to get out of here but finding a way to avoid a fatal reaction to
the dust you picked up in the ditch is more important right now.
Having dealt with that, work out what to do at the console and your
situation becomes clearer, yes you've guessed it, you have been
kidnapped by Aliens and are presently on their Intergalactic Drone
vehicle. The Aliens have sent this vehicle to Earth to evaluate the
intelligence of any residents and you have been randomly selected
for this purpose, good job they didn't pick Britain or they might
have captured a Sun reporter.


Your test is to work out an input code which will allow you to be
transported home from clues which can be obtained by accessing your
captors' memory banks at various places on the ship, this process
also opens the doors so that you can move to different rooms. You
are also informed that certain problems must be solved as well,
that you have only 360 Earth minutes to complete this task, must
carry certain items with you at all times and ( gulp ) your failure
will result in the total destruction of your planet and its
inhabitants.

As you wander about collecting items and information you get the
impression that your kidnappers are some sort of gigantic bee who
use metal as a construction material and that they are very keen on
maths, even tasting their 'honey' results in a mental impression of
a number.  They keep making you lose track of what you are doing by
reminding you of how much time you have left and any small
deviation from their instructions results in instant vaporisation.
They must also be able to read at very high speeds judging by the
extremely short time that some of the required information remains
on screen.

The problems to be solved consist of finding the correct object in
each case which can be inserted into various slots or recesses,
this activity does not seem to help much at first but after
completing the last puzzle you will be given a vital mental clue.
The information to be gained is mainly in the form of numbers =
letters equations which together with a rhyme and the last clue is
supposed to allow you to work out a number which when entered at
the console where you first boarded the ship will allow you to be
transported home.  Here is where I gave up I'm afraid, the theory
was fine but I don't like number puzzles in any case and this
looked far too complicated for me to solve even on a good day.
However, the complete adventure is actually Shareware and all you
have here is about a third of the total game which might mean that
not all of the information needed is available, that's my excuse
anyway.

As well as all the standard AGT features, this game allows you to
use a RAM disk for extra speed and you can also change the text
colours.  However after a promising start I found this adventure
extremely boring. Every time you enter a room with a receptacle the
same series of commands must be typed in to gain information which
is very tedious and then you must remember to unplug two items
every time before moving to the next room to avoid getting killed.
Some of the equations are on the screen for such a short time that
in order to write them down I found it necessary to repeat the
access commands several times.  I didn't find working out which of
a variety of similarly shaped objects fitted in each slot very
exciting either. However the concept of obtaining the exit code was
certainly imaginative so perhaps anyone who likes numerical type
problems would enjoy this particular challenge.
------------------------------------------------------------------
     CosmoServe - Judith Pintar/AGT On SynTax PD Disk 327
        PC only, provided ARCed on both size disks.

This is the life! You stretch back in your chair, and survey your
office. R.J.  Wright, self-employed computer consultant (and
plumber!). Working from home is the best idea you've had for a long
time. No commuting. No expensive office to rent. No boss to push you
around. Instead, you've set up an office in your living room. Much
cheaper and more convenient. There are a few problems though.  You
don't have a secretary or cleaner so the place is in rather a mess
(to put it mildly). You work all the hours available, including
weekends, and because you're working completely alone, your only
contact with other people is through your computer, an Orfland
786SX, using electronic mail by logging onto bulletin boards (BBS),
especially your favourite board, CosmoServe.

It has lots of useful sections to interest you. There's a section
for plumbers where you can pick up useful tips. Other programmers
are often on line to give you advice if your latest program goes
wrong - which is the situation you're in now. Your current project
is crashing and you don't know why, so you hope there'll be an
answer waiting from the Orfland Sysop when you next log on.

There is one other major section that intrigues you ... the Virtual
Reality area. The facilities on BBS have really improved by the year
2001. If only you had enough money to buy the add-ons needed to
enable you to enter that section, you could REALLY meet your
friends, and take part in interesting and unusual activities,
including naked sky-diving!  Unfortunately your American Impress
credit card is almost at its limit.

Still, it's time to switch on your computer and check your
electronic mail.  Will there be an answer to your programming query?
You certainly hope so - the program has to be finished early
tomorrow and it's already 3:30pm.  While you're there you can also
check out the plumbing section and see who has won the competition
that was held on there recently. Though you say so yourself, your
essay was pretty good and should have impressed the judges.

Oops - where have you put your new password? You can't log on
without it ...

When I was one of the judges for the 1991 AGT Adventure Writing
Contest, CosmoServe was the game I picked, without hesitation, for
first place and for various reasons. I was very pleased to see that
I wasn't alone in my high regard for the game as it won joint first
prize.

Firstly, the scenario. It's hard for an author to devise one that's
really different. CosmoServe is one of the most original ideas I've
come across for a long time because about 85% of the game takes
place while you're using the computer, either running programs or
using the BBS. If you haven't had much (or any) experience with BBS,
don't let that put you off trying the game.  It is easy to find your
way around the system, much as it is in a real BBS where everything
is menu-driven, using numbers (1. Messages 2. Library 3.
Conferences) or keywords such as GO PLUMB or GO DEBTS. The initial
stages of the game, and some intermediate ones, take place in your
small but cluttered flat using standard adventure commands and
well-implemented puzzles.  The final stages take place within the
virtual reality section and are, again, played like a standard text
adventure.

Secondly, the realism of the game. The author has not only
re-created the atmosphere of the BBS so that you really feel you're
on-line to one, she's also managed to introduce suitable screen
displays and sound effects for using the computer. 'Switch on' your
computer and you'll be greeted by a typical PC display, memory check
and sound of the fan whirring. You can use standard DOS commands
such as DIR and CHKDSK and run programs. In your flat you can use
the microwave and hear it 'ping' when your supper is ready!

Logging on to CosmoServe will give the usual telephone effects such
as the sound of the carrier. Once on-line you can move round the
system as if it were real, using all the normal commands, reading
messages, answering them if you choose, entering conference areas,
getting messages from the Sysop and downloading software (which
takes a realistic amount of game time according to the size of the
program). You'll encounter hackers, hard disk errors and if you're
very unlucky, your system can get infected with a virus, complete
with great sound effects and screen display.  Since time on-line
costs money (again, as in real life), you have to keep an eye on the
amount of time you've been logged on so that you don't run out of
money in your account.

Thirdly, the programming of the game. This is the biggest game
written (so far!) using AGT and Judith Pintar customized the source
code to make it do exactly what she wanted. Clearly a lot of time
and work has gone into this adventure. There aren't many locations,
under 90, but the game seems a lot larger because of the way it has
been designed. Messages are lengthy without being tedious. The
atmosphere of both the electronic mail and conference sections are
especially realistic.

Fourth, the puzzles. These aren't too challenging in the early
stages before you enter the game proper. But in the virtual reality
area, you will meet some tricky problems as you enter another world,
or two.

All in all, an excellent game and a worthy joint winner of the 1991
contest.  Because of its size, it is provided ARCed and needs to be
run from a hard disk or high density floppy. The style of the game
means you effectively get two games for the price of one - a true
text adventure and a simulation of a bulletin board.  Great fun,
very addictive and it has an excellent ending.


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