LEGEND GETS IT WRONG

             Reviews by Dave Stone on a 386 PC

An obituary to the text adventures of Legend, disguised as a
review of the Companions of Xanth, with excessive praise heaped on
the (probably) undeserving and highly sexist Spellcasting series.

Legend were possibly the last major commercial software company to
produce text adventures with pictures. As PCs got more powerful
the graphics got prettier, but the basic text adventure remained.

From Spellcasting to Gateway
----------------------------

Spellcasting 101 features 16 colour pictures and a trainee
spellcaster who traversed the oceans on a supercharged surfboard,
accompanied by a chirpily catchy tune. Featuring grumpy Gods,
fashionable restaurants and seductive wives combined with
challenging (but reasonably logical puzzles) it benefits from a
menu system which displays all available verbs and nouns, and can
be entirely mouse controlled.

Spellcasting 201 is similar, with an opening puzzle so witty that
it has been replayed several times.

Spellcasting 301 has high quality, 256 colour pictures of young
ladies in swimsuits (and an adventure game).

Re-released on CD they are highly recommended. (10/10)

Gateway uses a similar interface to tell an intriguing SF story
based on a Space Station. The plot is unusual and unfolds slowly
as the not too demanding puzzles are solved. The game plays like a
novel and you are drawn towards the highly imaginative final
sections by a desire to find out what happens next.

Two minor niggles - the lack of originality of the Rainbow puzzle
(pretty picture though), and the number of mechanical construction
problems. (Both have been found in earlier Infocom titles). A
sequel - Gateway 2 is available, and is currently heavily
discounted - snap it up!!  (9/10)

No More Typing
--------------

Now to the main review. Companions of Xanth does not allow any
text input at all. Yes, it's a Monkey Island style click - verb -
object, with multiple choice conversations.  And while highly
enjoyable it does not quite work.

First the plot. You become a pawn in a duel played by two Gods.
Find the prize and Magic survives, fail and it will be a wet
Sunday afternoon.

Aided only by a half human serpent princess and a wagon load of
appalling puns you seek clues as to the whereabouts of the prize,
and gradually approach it. Many of the puzzles involve dreadful
puns, some are funny but others reek of tired old Music Hall
routines.

Good points include an Automap (optional), some quite pleasant
music and generally well drawn graphics. Puzzles are generally
simple and the game should not be too challenging once the style
of the puns is appreciated. Nada, your companion, provides
constant help, but those who wish to play unaided will find that
she is essential for solving some puzzles.

There is no 'Death'. Fail and you are sent home feeling miserable
with a good telling off - much nicer than being hacked to pieces
in a Vat of Acid!

The game contains some digitised video (the CD version is likely
to contain more). This is low quality stuff and adds little to the
game.

Annoying is the sticky mouse response and an interpreter which
comes up with such gems as 'put mountain in stream' as the cursor
flickers slowly across the screen. It then takes its time to say
you cannot do that.

Final gripes. Well it's too linear, need an object to solve a
puzzle - it will be in the next room and you won't get far if you
don't find it. The control interface is less than wonderful and
can be infuriating (I know it is trying to be helpful, but it does
not succeed). This is not just a plea for a text interface, Sierra
and Lucas Arts systems work much better. Finally, in the
complaints department - the conversations. You cannot avoid them
and some are distinctly tedious - if only they all had a 'sorry
must rush' escape line.

And now the score, despite its faults more than 5 but less than 9.
Go on, 7/10, and, yes, I am looking forward to Steve Meretzky's
next game. (He wrote the above much praised Spellcasting titles,
he also wrote Leather Goddesses of Phobos 2 on an off day, but
I've almost forgiven him).



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