Simon the Sorcerer 2 : The Lion, the Wizard and the Wardrobe -
            Adventuresoft - Street price about œ28.00
 (Graphic adventure on CD or floppy for the PC, floppy for Amiga,
                        also CD-32)

                      Reviewed by Sue

I must admit that I haven't played Simon 1, though I did make a
start on it. It was during the hiatus of swapping my floppy disk
version for the CD upgrade that I stopped playing (not much
choice, really) and never got back to it. Never mind, Simon 2 is
quite easy to follow even if you haven't played the first game.
Those who have played Simon 1 may be disappointed to hear that
Simon's voice is not provided by Chris 'Rimmer' Barrie this time,
but don't fear, his replacement, Brian Bowles, is excellent.

But first, the boring specs. Simon 2 needs at least a 386/40 for
the PC version, 256 colour VGA/MCGA, 4 meg RAM, hard disk (a few
files need to be installed), sound card and mouse. The enhanced
talkie version is CD only. Don't try to run it through Windows -
it doesn't like it. Nor does it like Windows 95, restart in DOS
mode to run it.

So, the storyline. Simon once again gets sucked into another
world, this time by entering a wardrobe.  His enemy Sordid has
returned and, aided by a fledgling magic-user called Runt, he's
planning evil once again. Runt has enabled Sordid to return and is
helping him to (a) live again and (b) conquer the world. In
exchange, Sordid will make him his apprentice. Sordid and Runt
build and move into the impressive Fortress of Doom (complete with
lava lakes etc, not a recommended place to visit) and summoning a
wardrobe (a.k.a.  magical transportation device) manage to lure
the unwitting Simon into their world. Sordid has b-i-g plans for
him!

The wardrobe goes off-course, however, and Simon arrives near
Calypso's shop. Calypso is a wizard, one of the characters in the
first story, but Simon doesn't really remember him for the benefit
of new 'readers' so that we can enjoy several 'sequel' jokes.
"What? You mean this is a ... (gasp) ... sequel?". Calypso
explains that, this time, he wasn't the one who brought Simon
here. If Simon wants to get back to his own world, the wardrobe
needs more fuel to be able to make the trip, and that fuel is ...
Mucosade. The only place THAT can be found is the castle treasury,
so Simon sets off to find some while Calypso begins to repair the
wardrobe.

The major part of the screen is taken up with your location,
colourfully drawn with a lot of detail. Several of the locations
scroll to cover a few screen widths. To travel from one main area
to another, Simon uses an overhead map which shows places of
interest. These are many and various - the castle, a tent where he
enters a competition for magic users, the town square complete
with Morris Dancers, the docks and so forth. Humour abounds, both
in the throwaway comments and the main storyline. Simon's
world-weary attitude is a joy to encounter because you just KNOW
that something is around the corner to surprise him.

As well as Calypso and Sordid, other characters will make a
reappearance in this sequel. Remember the woodworm? And who could
forget The Swampling whose culinary skills have (not) improved to
such an extent that he now owns a fast food chain, McSwamplings.
How Adventuresoft got away with some of the jokes directed at this
thinly-disguised, well known fast food firm is beyond me. I
laughed like a drain. Goldilocks also makes an appearance and very
different she is, too, from traditional fairy tales. Where there
is Goldilocks you will also encounter the Three Bears, again, not
how you will remember them. The Lady of the Lake also plays a part
- not dressed in diaphanous robes, she is a sturdy figure in a
wetsuit and snorkel, one of several Ladies who share the job and
work in shifts.

After exploring the town and its environs, Simon will travel a
long way, both by pirate ship and by lion (!) in an effort to
defeat Sordid.  Some of the problems are standard adventuring
fare. Others are decidedly illogical and would only be solved by
trying every item on every other item in desperation until
something happened. Or by looking at the solution (yes, I admit
it!)

Adventuresoft's brand of humour may not appeal to all; the
not-politically correct sequence featuring Um Bongo springs to
mind.  Some conversations are over-long too but the end credits
are hilarious; Simon 2 is another of those games (Freddy Pharkas
and Under a Killing Moon are others) where you should keep
watching until the credits end.

The end of the game leaves us in no doubt that there WILL be a
Simon 3. I can't wait! In the mean time, I will probably catch up
with the first game.









                              - o -