THE SUITCASE
(Amiga text/graphic adventure, 2 disk set, on SynTax Disks 848a/b)

                 Reviewed by Steve Clay on a A600

There is a problem loading this game on the A600 and possibly on
all 1 Meg machines.  Try to autoboot this and you get a message
'Sorry you need 1 meg!' and that's your lot. There is, however, a
way around the problem. Remove all external drives and load
Workbench. Insert disk 1 and open the icon. Select the show all
files option and double click on the icon 'tas'. When you see the
requester click on OK and the game will load. There is only one
disk swap and you are on your way.

You are on a camping holiday and you are getting just a bit fed up
of the rain. It has rained solidly for four days and the inside of
your tent is becoming just a tad boring.  At last your patience
snaps and you decide to venture forth into the rainy night and
explore. Whatever you encounter it has to be better than a tent.

The Suitcase, once the loading problem has been sorted, is a wee
bit special.  It is a text and graphic game with the emphasis on
graphics. Each location has a large location graphic and to the
right a small cameo graphic with arrows sprouting off it, the
arrows indicating the available exits. Many of the pictures are
animated and there is the constant sound of rain falling. Some
nice touches include an animated shower in the shower room and a
lemming makes an appearance near a high Fiord and occasionally you
hear it shout "Let's go!!".

The location text suffers somewhat in comparison to the graphics,
yet the help option informs you that all that you need to complete
the game is held within the text and any extras that appear in
the pictures and not mentioned in the text can be ignored. The
parser is strictly Verb-Noun and there is no 'Get All'
facility.  By typing V you get a list of all the verbs the game
understands, very helpful! By typing 'Picture' you can toggle the
graphics on and off. This speeds things up when you know your way
around.

The game is easily mapped and the author claims you don't need to
make a map but I found it useful to have one at hand. The campsite
has just short of twenty locations and despite the gate being
locked you can find something useful beyond it.  The early puzzles
include getting new batteries for your torch but first you need
two Krona. You also need to be careful with a piece of sharp glass
and picking up the leaflet might not be a good move.

There are one or two points in the game unsuitable for younger
players although the 'naughty' bits are more humorous than
anything.  You save your position onto disk 2 and you have a
limited number of save positions (five I think!) and you use the
format Save One or Save Three etc. Try typing in Score and see the
author's sense of humour at work.

Now it has to be said that the graphics in this game are of an
exceptionally high standard and would certainly grace a commercial
release. The author has not only a good technique, but also a
skill at using colour. The graphics create a better atmosphere
than the text and that is a rare thing indeed. Take a look at the
muddy campsite or the sparsely lit gateway, it is as good as being
there only not nearly as wet.

The Suitcase is an excellent piece of software and you would be a
fool to miss it .














                              - o -