TRYST OF FATE - by G.M. Zagurski A text adventure on disk 1158 and on this issue's disk Review by Bev Truter Described by the author as "an interactive horse opera", I'd have to say that Tryst was one of the most entertaining games I played last year. Oozing with humour and charm, it has been stylishly written using the Inform gamewriting system. Tryst is a large and fairly complex adventure, rambling over about 70 locations and divided into three chapters. The author, G.M. Zagurski, is male, but surprise, surprise - you play the part of a female in Tryst. This came as a (very pleasant) shock, as I'd assumed my character was a snag househusband. The first few locations are set in your own home, and the game begins with you tripping over a carelessly discarded toy, banging your head on the bannister and passing out for a while. It's only when you type "score" for the first time that comprehension dawns - the initial ranking is `Bewildered Housewife' - and you realize that you are female. Yippeee! It was an added bonus to be playing a character of my own gender for a change. If you still have any worries about playing the role of a suburban housewife, fear not! There is not a scrap of romance or slushiness in the story, despite the tongue-in-cheek title, and "tryst' actually turns out to be "trystanium" - a kind of metal very necessary to win this game. Do I still detect a few manly shudders from those of you who remember "Plundered Hearts" with horror? Come, come, where's your sense of humour? But in any case Tryst is nothing at all like Plundered Hearts, in fact it's difficult to remember you are a female in this game; whereas Plundered Hearts positively revelled in reminding you of your gender. Chapter 1 (Who Was That Masked Man?) is the introductory segment of the game, where you have to solve a few novel puzzles to escape the confines of your cosy suburban home, and get whisked away to another landscape entirely. While you are lying on the floor of your upstairs hallway, still woozy from your fall, a strange character wanders in dressed like a cowboy from the old Wild West. He steals your gold wristwatch, and disappears. Shortly after this a second gnome-like "cowboy" appears, and by chatting to him and following him northwards you'll soon discover that something very strange seems to be happening in your house. Hmmm. Perhaps you should try following him further? But unless you've done something about cleaning up that revolting lump of chewing gum on your son's carpet, you won't get very far. This might sound all very mundane and housewifely so far, but wait just a minute...you'll soon be transported to vastly different surroundings in Chapter 2 (The Land Down Under). No, this is NOT Australia, but the old Wild West of yesteryear, and this chapter forms the bulk of the game. You'll meet up again with George, the gnomish cowboy who left you with that strange bag; and also bump into a few other characters who inhabit Deadeye Gulch and the surrounding area. Can you help George to defeat his arch-enemies the Biscuit Brothers? Who (or what) is Beetlebaum? Visit the Hole-in-the-Wall, Beaver Dam and Clear Creek; get thrown into jail by the amazing sheriff; figure out how to play the gambling machine in the Saloon on Main Street, and much, much more! Sprinkled throughout this Western spoof are many intriguing puzzles to solve and fascinating places to visit; and naturally, The Bad Guy to get rid of. Oh Dear. Gulp. This black-hearted villain, Black Thad McGee, is a truly nasty piece of work; but then you're a resourceful little gal, and you should be able to deal with him...surely?? Chapter 3, like chapter 1, is fairly short in comparison to the large middle segment. In this endgame chapter you finally meet up with the dreaded Biscuit Brothers in person, and you realize that one of them, Frank, was the cowboy who materialized in your upstairs hallway back home and snitched your wristwatch. Huh! Hell hath no fury like a woman robbed, so you'll have to deal with the brothers, and then ... but play this game for yourself, and find out. As in all games written with Inform EXAMINE is abbreviated to X, and location description, number of moves and score (maximum 350 points) are all displayed on the status line along the top of the screen. Typing SCORE displays your current score together with a ranking system - you progress from Bewildered Housewife through various categories to Trail Blazer, Prairie Princess, etc. Text is the standard easily-readable light grey on a blue background, and the SAVE and RESTORE commands work in a flash. I must confess I've become a great fan of Inform - it looks a marvellous programming system, and it's a delight playing (most) games written with Inform. (Saying/writing this is tempting fate, of course. I'll promptly discover oodles of ghastly turkeys written with Inform.) What I always enjoy about playing games written by competent authors is that you can usually interact with every object mentioned in a location, even the most minor bits of scenery. For a lovely example in Tryst, try drinking the water which is lying on the bathroom floor, or examining the towels lying around in the same location. In fact, I can't recall any of those annoying standard system responses to any action you attempt, which makes for much smoother and more realistic gameplay. There's nothing more maddening than trying to examine something, a tree for example, that's mentioned in a location, only to be greeted with the response "What tree? I see no tree here." (The worst example I came across recently was a scarecrow in a field. Me: X scarecrow. Computer: "There is no scarecrow here!!!" Oooeeerrr! Scream, gnash teeth.) Tryst is exactly my sort of game! I played it endlessly for a few weeks, with a smile on my face and a snort or chuckle here and there. It is sheer bliss to play, but along with amusing and entertaining it was also challenging, and at least one puzzle will have you muttering and cursing and rushing about asking friends and relatives with a mathematical bent for help. Tryst is not an easy game, but well worth playing for its huge entertainment factor, its lovely literary style, and its marvellous Western atmosphere. Not to mention the many and varied puzzles, and the assortment of memorable characters. If you only play one text adventure this year, make it this one. ENJOYMENT 8.5/10 ATMOSPHERE 8.5/10 DIFFICULTY 7.5/10 FINAL COMMENT Humorous, witty, charming, entertaining, delightful, rant, rave ... order yours now from Sue. @~No need! It's on this issue's disk ... Sue - o -