Where Evil Dwells - part of Disk 1289
              (By Paul Johnson & Steve Owens)

              Reviewed by Karen Tyers on a PC

This is one of this year's IF-competition entries which I
downloaded from the famous (or should that be infamous) GMD site.
Requirements needed are a copy of Frotz or WinFrotz plus the game
file.

The scenario is thus:  A few short hours ago you were in your
private investigator's office sleeping - err... - concentrating
hard on your work, when a frightened young girl named Elizabeth
came to you with a sinister tale.  Leaving her in the custody of
your trusted landlady, Mrs Pennyworth, you hopped in your none too
comfortable circa 1970 sedan, gunned the gas guzzling engine, and
raced to where Elizabeth had directed you.  The young girl's story
has brought you here, to the house Where Evil Dwells.

I started off sitting in the sedan outside the house, and a good
look around the car, and outside it, found several useful items,
including your casebook, which details the girl's story.  From the
driveway beside the car, I was able to wander all round the
outside of the house and grounds, where I came across a seemingly
innocuous well and beyond the garden, a forest where I promptly
got either lost, or killed, so back round the front of the house,
and in through the front door.  From there I was able to explore
several rooms, one of which had a pile of bones and a doggie flap
in one door.  Scouting around this only rewarded me with horrible
noises and growls, so decided to leave that for the moment and go
upstairs where I found several bedrooms, a bathroom, and eventually
an attic where I could hear moaning noises.  Back downstairs I then
found a secret room which contained a locked desk.  When I
eventually opened said desk, I found a journal which provided some
very useful information about what the Professor (I can't remember
if he was the girl's father or uncle, but no matter) had been up
to.  Apparently he had succeeded (with some help) in summoning a
horrible demon, which was now on the rampage, and guess who had to
stop it?  Right first time.

More exploring found an odd assortment of items and places,
including a bottle of drink, an old cat collar, and a very
sneakily hidden trapdoor which proved a right **** to get open.
However, getting it open provided yet another small set of rooms
and some very useful items, including a magic word of power, which
I was sure would come in useful.  Eventually getting into the
attic itself, I found the Professor all tied up in chains, but
fortunately had already found the means to free him.  After
getting some useful information out of him, he gave me a gift,
then abandoned me to my fate, and swanned off into the distance in
my car!  However, armed with a map of the forest, and the rest of
the necessary, I finally managed to defeat the said demon, and
everyone lived happily ever after.

This is not a huge game, but it was quite fun to play, and there
were one or two quite tricky puzzles.  None of the IF-competition
games are particularly large, since one of the competition rules
is that they should (note the word should) be solvable in two
hours.  I got a fair way in this one in the allotted two hours,
but it certainly took longer than that to finish it!  I do have a
few things to say about the game overall.  Firstly there were
quite a few spelling mistakes, and in places some appalling
grammar.  Mind you, these games are aimed mostly at the American
market, so you have to make allowances for the difference in
language.  There were one or two glaring bugs, none of which
stopped the game being finished, but did spoil the effect
somewhat.  One in particular revolved round the Professor in the
attic.  After you have freed him and he has gone off, you can
still hear him moaning while you are at the bottom of the attic
stairs, and if you return to the attic, there he is as bold as
brass, even though you have seen him drive off in your car!  I
feel this is just sloppy playtesting.  I'm prepared to admit that
things may have been rushed to get it finished in time for the
competition, and small errors could have slipped through, but that
one is a major bug and should have been picked up by the testers.

Gripes aside, this was quite fun to play, especially while I was
carrying an imp around with me!
                              - o -