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                    The Lost Spellmaker
                      Neil James Brown
    Review by Dorothy Millard (PC Version part of Disk 1216)
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The Lost Spellmaker is an entry in the 1998 Interactive
Competition.  You are Mattie, an agent of the Secret Service and
member of the dwarf village Sacromys Pamcangs.  The village relies
heavily on magic, which is formed by feeding spells into the
"magic weaver" devices.  While there are plenty of good magic
weavers around, new spells are in short supply, and the villagers
are getting restless.  Your task is to hunt down the last great
spellmaker to disappear - one Drew Tungshinach.  He couldn't have
just walked off without someone noticing, so what's happened to
him?

The game commences with you at Secret Service Headquarters in the
oak panelled main room, which is covered in photographs of
important people, waiting to speak to "T."  Sitting behind an
impressively large desk on a seat too large for him is your boss,
but he clearly hasn't seen you come in.  Say hello to him and he
will tell you how there is a shortage of new spells and
spellmakers.  If you wait he then goes on to tell you of your
mission to find Drew Tungshinach, the latest one to disappear.
You are told that Drew was responsible for the famed ornithopher
spell, and the much prized spell to create wild racing chariots.
You must discover what has happened to him and ensure his return
so that he may entertain once again with his joyful sparkly
spells.  With this "T" transfers the magic hint seeker to you so
that if you get stuck in the game later on you can just type HINT
and a magic door will appear.  All you need to do is open it and
enter to find yourself back at the secret service headquarters
where you can ask "T" for help.

Armed with this information you exit the secret service
headquarters to find yourself in Thurman Street which is bustling
with pale looking shoppers not used to seeing the sunshine.  They
have been forced to find alternative activities because of the
spell deficit.  Following the main cobbled street east to the
village centre you meet the first of a number of wacky characters,
The Reverend, who is arguing with Digga.  Further east in the Odds
'n' Ends Shop, you meet Old Edna, who has a "thing" about brooms
of different colours, sizes and materials - just try to take one!
Then there's Tilly the Librarian who is very important at the end
of the game, Barnie in the Sweetshop, The Salesman in the Magic
Weaver Showroom who will help you if you can produce a spell and
Mrs.  Wisher, the Reverend's housekeeper.  Oh and I mustn't forget
Daisy the cow!!

Visiting the well you can't help but notice the strange impression
which gives you the clue that maybe all is not as it first
appears.  Looking down the well you see water, but is it really
there?

I enjoyed the story in The Lost Spellmaker, but found nothing
really new in the way of puzzles.  All the usual adventuring
commands we have come to expect are available, ie. X for examine,
Z for wait, etc.  The Lost Spellmaker is a fun romp through the
countryside looking for Drew, which can be finished, as with most
competition entries, within a couple of hours.  I played Release 3
which has had some bug fixes and minor alterations made to it,
since it was entered in the competition.  In conclusion it is an
enjoyable but non-taxing short adventure.















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