Hampton Manor - part of SynTax disk PD 600
     (A Text Adventure for the PC, author: Art LaFrana)

                    Review by Bev Truter

Oh Goodie! I've found another well-written, absorbing adventure to
review. But first, the boring techie stuff. Hampton Manor was
programmed by the author, and uses all the usual commands common to
most text adventures. Examine and Look are not understood by the
parser, which avoids a lot of unnecessary typing, and all the
information you need is contained in the location descriptions.
Commands can be entered using a two-word verb/noun input (eg unlock
door), or four-word commands (unlock door with key). Score, Quit,
Save and Restore are self-explanatory, and the text colour is white
on black. There is no status line with room descriptions, score, or
move counter, but all locations are well-described, and a score
(out of 100) and rank can be obtained by entering "Score".  Hampton
Manor comes complete with a separate hint file, but this provides
pointers in the right direction, rather than sledgehammer clues.

The author rates this game as having a difficulty level of
Intermediate, and I would agree with that. It has over a hundred
locations, and a series of connected problems to solve in order to
complete the game. There is a fascinating storyline with a definite
horror/adventure thread running through it, and nail-biting tension
is maintained all the way - my poor fingers will never be the same
after all that furious gnawing.

The Intro. to Hampton Manor tells of its dark history. Murder,
suicide and mysterious disappearances have continued for almost 100
years. Even as an author of horror stories (read the manuscript you
are carrying to get an idea of your literary capabilities in that
field) you feel a bit uneasy at the thought of living here for the
next month, trying to finish your latest book on time. The last
family living here disappeared about 7 years ago, and since then
the Manor has remained empty. Your publicist, Charle, was the last
person to visit the Manor to check it prior to your arrival, and
the doctors are still trying to help him.... The first thing to do
on arrival is to get inside the manor, and try to discover what has
been going on, but where did Charle leave the front door key?

After finding the key and entering the manor, you will discover
there is something decidedly nasty down in the cellar, and you'll
need determination (and a strong set of fingernails) to finally rid
the manor of the evil that seems to be everywhere.
Treasure-seekers are also catered for, as there are 5 gemstones to
be found, which have a functional as well as monetary value. The
only slight criticism I have is about the two "maps" in the game -
which show how to get through the two sections of a shortish maze.
Both maps are unnecessary, but both can be ignored if you want to
do your own maze-mapping thing. On the spelling and grammar front
all seemed well, but I was so absorbed in the game that perhaps I
didn't notice anything amiss.

The strong plot, interesting locations and a vague feeling of
impending disaster lifted this game out of the ordinary for me.
Hampton Manor is a good example of just how entertaining and
absorbing a shareware product can be. Play and enjoy!

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