THE STORY OF "LORD GREGORY" or, "HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING and LOVE COMPUTER GAMES" By Greg Lord After reading the latest issue of SynTax I felt inspired by an overwhelming desire to benefit my fellow man/woman/gamesplayer (and maybe earn a few 'brownie points' as well) with the story of how I came to enjoy computer games (real ones, that is - not Sonic the Plumber from the Nth Dimension, tho' they can be fun as well for a few seconds). It all started when I was just a little boy and my parents took me to a science fair. I remember having a go at a racing game and doing so well all the adults told me I'd end up in Formula One or something, but what I remember the most was just a few seconds on a text-only 'Lord of the Rings' type adventure: all I did was read a few descriptions about trolls and forests etc., then type N or S for where I wanted to go and read the new description. Though in those days it was probably the cutting edge of technology, it was very basic - just green text on a big black screen (this was back in the 60s after all, tho' I'm not sure I should admit that!), but it so fired my childish imagination that ever since then I regarded owning my own computer as the ultimate in home entertainment, something which in those days was impossible unless you were a millionaire and owned a large warehouse. The best my parents managed to buy me was the early (mono, of course) version of Breakout where you used your bat and ball to play squash or tennis, which I enjoyed but which wasn't quite the same thing! Life went on into High School and the 70s without much change - computers were really only associated with large businesses - except that I discovered and again had my imagination fired by J.R.R. Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings', which I still regard as by far the best book I've ever read and which I'm currently rereading and still enjoying. Anyway, I left High School (the way you do) and entered the wonderful world of work. At the time (the 80s) I think I was vaguely aware that home computers were around, but regarded my interest in them as part of my childhood and not relevant 'now that I had grown up'. I was certainly aware of Space Invaders and Galaxians arcade machines - I regarded them as nuisances from hell that assaulted the ear-drums and attracted swarms of annoying little kids and made it a pain in the neck every time you wanted a burger! (I have to admit tho' I was feeling very bored once when I was in an airport waiting for a flight, so when I made sure no-one was watching I had a go on a Space Invaders machine and have to admit I actually enjoyed it). I now have the Budgie version stashed away somewhere and I yank it out for a quick bash every now and then. (Resisting the temptation of a cheap gag I'll carry on...) 4 or 5 years ago, for one reason or another, I'd reached a stage in life where I decided I was just too damn serious, and needed to lighten up a little. So I set about going back to my roots (now you know where the PM got the idea from - yep, you can blame me!) and one of the first things I did was realise my boyhood ambition and buy my very own computer! What I got was an Atari 520STFM, and to this day it's still my one and only computer. I was so excited - I rushed out to the shops to see if I could find a Lord of the Rings type game like the one in the science fair, but not knowing then what I do now, the best I could get was 'War in Middle Earth', which was OK but not what I was looking for, besides being too easy. I also bought a game called 'The New Zealand Story' for the brilliant reason that that's where I was born, and promptly decided I'm not much good at platform games. I still haven't made it past level 3 (without cheating), and probably never will. It's Japanese, anyway - the cheek! Bundled with the machine were Neochrome, STOS, ST Basic and 4 games, 2 of which were brilliant and 2 of which, er...weren't. The 2 good ones were a 1st-person perspective shoot-em-up called 'Space Harrier' which I'm still enjoying today, and a 3D action/strategy affair called 'Carrier Command'. Through the enjoyment I got from playing these I realised the variety of different types of game that were available for home computers, and set about filling my shelf space with games of all descriptions. Those were good times - I had discovered a cornucopia of home entertainment that I had no idea existed. Those 2 games still rank very highly among my all-time favourites, especially Carrier Command as it's one of the few games I've finished completely - and without needing any help. A bit later I was reading a magazine called ACE (remember that?) and came across a review glowingly singing the praises of a game called Ultima 5. I am indebted to ACE as I don't remember reading such good reviews of Ultima in any other mag, (not to mention the fact that it was from ACE that I found out about SynTax). As I read a light bulb lit up on my head and I thought "bloody hell, it's hot in here!". Then I thought "it may not be called Lord of the Rings but it looks like just what I've been looking for!". By this time I'd wised up a bit and had realised it was cheaper to buy games by mail order, so I picked up the phone and in a week or so had been introduced to the wonderful world of the computer RPG. I was hooked from the start. Even by the standards of the day, the graphics were basic and it had virtually no sound, but with its immense depth and meticulous attention to detail it created a complete fantasy world which was true to its own inner laws (surely one of the marks of a good RPG/adventure) which I was drawn into and became engrossed by. I also had the added satisfaction of not getting stuck till towards the end. To this day it remains my all-time favourite computer game and probably will be till I play the rest of the series. Despite this, I felt the need for an RPG that was a bit more atmospheric, so after Ultima I played and finished Ishar (with the added satisfaction of not having to refer to a guide or solution). Though it has nothing like the depth or challenge of Ultima it has the best sound and graphics of any ST game I've yet seen - superb. Since then I've played and enjoyed Monkey Island (WHY ISN'T #2 COMING OUT ON THE ST?!!! I DON'T CARE IF IT HAS 7 DISKS!!), Bard's Tale and Uninvited among others, and have also enjoyed many other types of game, notably Midwinter 1 and 2, Populous, Sim City, F19 Stealth Fighter, Lemmings, Sensible Soccer, Super Hang-On, Hard Drivin' and that 3D space game with the Icarus craft that I can't remember the name of - Star Glider 2, I think. I must be unusual amongst adventurers as I'm probably one of the few never to have played Dungeon Master. Now that I've finished Monkey Island I must make that my next purchase so I can see what all the fuss is about (it is a very old game, after all!). At the moment I'm feeling a bit left out in the world of RPG/adventure games; with just my trusty rusty old 520ST I feel like I'm being left behind while technology marches on. I can't play a lot of the good new games that are still coming out (or have come out) on the ST like Ultima 6, Ishar 2, Populous 2, Elite 2, Lemmings 2, Steetfighter 2, Wayne's World 2 (oops - sorry) (who said nobody does anything original these days?), and it seems to me the best games come out only on PC these days - Ultima Underworld 1 and 2, Worlds of Xeen, Monkey Island 2, DOTT, Sam and Max, Alone in the Dark 1 and 2, Syndicate, 7th Guest, and the Star Wars and Star Trek games. 'Cos of this I plan to upgrade my poor old ST to 1 Meg in the next month or so then, when funds allow, buy a good PC - tho' the new Jaguar looks promising, especially if Jaguar 2 will have a keyboard as rumoured. Atari owners please note (and Atari itself - I'm sure Darryl Still will read this) when I buy a new machine I don't intend to sell my ST: there's plenty of games and serious software available now at better prices than you'll find anywhere else, and good new games are still being produced, as well as good 'old' ones on budget at silly prices. I mean, where else can you buy a good new copy of Streetfighter 2 for a tenner? Also, the PC isn't anywhere near as good as the ST when it comes to arcade games, and there are a few good ones about (i.e Streetfighter 2, Xenon 2). I even had a PC user tell me that the ST was faster for flight sims, though I wouldn't know about that. There's life in the old dog yet! And the cat's already here! (That's the Jaguar - geddit? I probably will, too). Anyway, if anyone's still reading these ramblings, I hope my poignant tale of youth rediscovered has profoundly moved you in the deepest recesses of your innermost being, and if I can have in any way reached out and touched just one person, and encouraged them in their first trembling hesitant steps on the road to the wonderful world of adventure games, then it will all have been worth it (sob). Can I have my cheque now please? Donations please to: Lord Gregory (alias Greg Lord) xxxxCENSOREDxxxx xxxxCENSOREDxxxx xxxxCENSOREDxxxx ENGLAND - o -