WEARING THE CLAW - by Paul O'Brian
        A text adventure on disk PCPD 1073, ST 1086

                    Review by Bev Truter

The Claw is another very short game (32 locations) written with
Inform as an entry in the 1996 IF Games Competition on the 'Net.
Some of the entries were outstanding, some real lemons, and Claw
leans more towards `outstanding' than `lemon'. There is a built-in
hint system which can be accessed by typing `help' at any stage
during the game, but Claw is an easy to moderate adventure, so the
help feature is not really necessary.

Although this game is very short, the lengthy introduction
provides you with a background story rich in detail, and you start
the game knowing exactly where you have to go and what you have to
do. You are a peasant lad living in the village of Bex. Over the
last few years the entire village has been affected by a spell
cast over it by the wicked wizard Marnian, according to your local
lord, Midel.  Every person in the village has been cursed with an
animal's appendage - your mother's left arm is a dove's wing, and
you yourself have a wolf's paw instead of your normal left hand.
Midel insists that to lift this spell you will have to travel to
the Isle of the Georgs and find the magic pendant of Elsinor. When
it is returned to the wizard Marnian, he will lift the curse from
the village. If you fail, this strange affliction will only
spread, eventually killing everyone in your village. You begin
your travels on the outskirts of a village close to the sea, your
only possessions a blue topaz, a gold coin, and an embroidered
handkerchief.

If you start by wandering off in the wrong direction you feel a
tingling sensation in your left hand, and you'll notice the wolf's
paw spreading further up your arm, towards your shoulder. Uh-oh.
Best to reverse quickly and hurry off to find a ship in the nearby
town, that might transport you to the island - if only the Captain
would let you board it.

Claw has a novel way of letting you know how you are faring in the
game. There is no scoring system, but each time you make some
progress towards your ultimate goal, one of the wolf's claws on
your hand changes back into a human digit. So towards the end of
the game you'll discover that four fingers have been restored,
back to their original pink state, and now it's only that final
thumb that's still all furry and wolfish. After finding the magic
pendant, you will have to listen carefully to the Queen of the
Georgs and do as she suggests. Unless you experiment a bit with
the pendant, you might not discover the final neat twist in the
plot until it's too late.

The game is easily finishable in about two hours, even without
resorting to the help facility, but short and easy does NOT mean
quick and boring in this case. Location descriptions are detailed
and evocative without being overly long - the beach locations in
particular are beautifully described, giving the game depth and
atmosphere. I found myself surprisingly involved in Claw, getting
all worried in case I failed in my quest - horrors! I might be
stuck with that awful furry paw forever; and my poor mum with her
wing; and all the villagers with their assorted afflictions. Claw

had me scuttling around furiously, absolutely determined to save
my cursed village from this terrible fate.

There are a couple of problems to solve in the seaside village
before you are able to board the ship and sail off to the island.
Once on the island the scenery starts looking very forbidding, and
a creepy atmosphere is well-maintained with good room descriptions
and a few more interesting problems to overcome. Claw culminates
in a dramatic confrontation, and the endgame, or rather the
endscene, is a satisfying climax to an unpretentious but
thoroughly enjoyable game.

  ENJOYMENT        5.5/10
  ATMOSPHERE       6.5/10
  DIFFICULTY         3/10
  FINAL COMMENT    Short and sweet.



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