A MATTER OF TIME - author Michael Zerbo (A 3-disk adventure on SynTax Disks Ref 1037a/c) Reviewed by Bill Hoggett on an Amiga 1200 This 1994 game is a multiple choice romp through a strange time travel saga. It's described as an introductory level game and contains some digitised graphics by the author as well as selected artwork by Vivian McAlexander. You take the part of Jonathan Stone, a research physicist, working as an assistant to Dr. Joseph Adams. Dr. Adams and his bitter rival, Dr. Karl Evers, were each working on their version of a machine capable of travelling through time, with the prize being full government funding. However, this morning Dr. Evers was found dead in his laboratory, with two bullet holes in his head. When the police attempted to question Dr. Adams they failed to find him and, as a result, made him the prime suspect. Now, as you search through his laboratory, you realise that the time machine is missing, and a note you find confirms that Professor Adams has journeyed back to the beginning of time in an attempt to find proof of the existence of God. As you discuss your find with Clarisse, the Professor's daughter, the time machine reappears in the laboratory, empty! It seems to have been returned by a safety device, set to bring the machine to the present day in case of trouble. In an attempt to stop Clarisse from going after her father, you leap into the machine and activate it... The adventure proper starts as you are transported back to a small clearing from where you can start your search for Dr. Adams. The mechanics of the game are a little strange: After each turn you get a summary of shortened commands (N)orth, (G)ive, (L)ook at, etc. A summary of commands directly available from the function keys F1 to F10 is also shown at this time and after a few turns, this gets quite irritating. At selected points in the story you get a multiple choice menu with a list of 2 or more courses of action you can embark upon. This system takes much away from the freedom of a traditional text adventure, and makes the player feel that he is simply being herded into the strict direction the author intended. A wrong move almost inevitably leads to death, usually sudden and without warning, a "feature" which will undoubtedly make most adventurers give up and pack it in after a few attempts. The story line, though imaginative, is spoiled by a poor writing style. Here's an example, from the clearing to which the time machine takes you: "There appears to be a trail leading to the North and to the East. Towards the North it seems to be rocky and to the East you think you hear some type of river. You can see large tracks to the East. Other than this trail there seems to be no other exits. You are surrounded by forests." This style was just about acceptable in the early eighties, when space was restricted and text was almost invariably terse, but 1994 (not to mention 1996) expects much, much more. The graphics consist of small ray-traced pictures, which are pretty irrelevant to the story, and a few examples of hand drawn artwork. Neither truly enhance the story, and the sound effects that accompany some of them are just as ineffective. After about a dozen sudden deaths, I confess to having put this game to the back of my collection, never to be played again. The verdict: A potentially interesting plot spoilt by abysmal implementation. - o -