TO CATCH A RAINBOW
                       Written by Lyn

               Reviewed by Bev Truter on a PC

RAINBOW is the first enjoyable text game I've played that has a
typically 'Aussie' flavour to it. A few years ago I attempted
DINKUM, by another author whose name escapes me, and was bitterly
disappointed by its puerile humour, bad spelling, and aggressively
Australian mood. However, RAINBOW is a different kettle of fish
(or billy of tea, to stay with the Australian themes), and is a
delightful, interesting and informative game to play, containing
none of that "G'Day, mate!" cringe-inducing over-the-top type of
Australian content. It has been programmed using AGTBIG, and might
require "Slow-DOS" or something similar to run it on a Pentium;
but it worked fine on my old 386 and 486 PCs without needing any
of the 'slowing' programmes to reduce the speed of the processor.

RAINBOW is a fantasy/adventure quest, and takes place in the
scenic environment of one of Australia's National Parks. There are
56 locations in RAINBOW, all interesting and well-described, which
gives the player a real 'feel' for the territory you ramble
through in the game.

You play the role of young Gillian, out for a day's bushwalking on
a sunny day in Victoria, Australia. Adventure soon merges into
fantasy when you stumble across a strange little man, who requires
your help to find all the various colours of the rainbow, which
have been scattered far and wide by the angry Rainbow Bunyip.
Unless you find the colours, and put them back in the Great
Crystal Prism before the next shower of rain, the rainbow will
never be seen again. Of course you agree to help, and in your
quest for the various colours you'll meet a wide variety of
wildlife, one human, and eventually the Bunyip himself - who is
not at all as you would imagine a Bunyip to be!

Throughout the course of your adventure you'll have to deal with
several animals in various ways - the 'green thing' up the tree, a
lovely satin bowerbird, an old swagman, a bandicoot, some
kangaroos and wallabies, and even a Tasmanian tiger - and there
was I, thinking it was extinct! Some animals are understandably
unobliging until you find out what they require; others merely add
to the scenery, and one or two could prove downright dangerous if
you behave foolishly.

Most of the puzzles are well thought-out and logical, although
overall I wouldn't describe RAINBOW as an easy game to complete.
It took me a couple of weeks, a basic help-sheet from Lyn, and
several desperate phone calls when I became truly stuck in the old
mine shafts section of RAINBOW. There is no killing or violence
either, another plus factor for me, as I find 'kill ABC with XYZ'
games incredibly boring to play, especially in text adventures.
There's one notable exception to this non-violence though, which I
personally found a tad politically incorrect; but you play RAINBOW
and be the judge...

As well as collecting all the colours to reassemble the rainbow
there's also a series of questions (four, I think, if memory
serves) that are asked near the end of the game. So you should pay
attention to all signs, notices, and anything else that looks
readable, for information regarding names of people. If you are
puzzled by any possibly unfamiliar terms or plant and animal
names, there is a comprehensive information fact-sheet which is
accessible when you reach the end of RAINBOW. However, most of the
plants, trees, objects and animals are fully described during the
game when you EXAMINE them.

Overall I'd give RAINBOW a definite thumbs-up. Playing a game with
such a novel plot, startlingly different scenery and unfamiliar
puzzles to work my way through was a lovely change from the usual
run-of-the-mill 'treasure hunt' type of text adventure. Have an
'Australian' experience! Buy a copy of RAINBOW today!







                              - o -