The New Venue - authors Frank Fridd and Jon Scott
       Available from www.richmond62.freeserve.co.uk

Extended graphic version available through Barbara Gibb, Adventure
Probe, 52 Burford Road, Liverpool L16 6AQ, Tel.  0151 280 5616
(Afternoon & Evening only), Email gibb2@blueyonder.co.uk

                      Reviewed by Sue

When I went to the Adventure Convention in October I was thrilled
to get my first chance to enter the megapoints competition. I was
very worried that I might not score anything but luckily I got 5
points fairly quickly and relaxed to enjoy the game.

The idea behind the megapoints game is that for a small payment of
œ1 to enter, you can spend 20 minutes playing a game that no-one
there has previously seen, attempting be the one who scores the
most points. The game for 2000 was The New Venue, and it was set
in the hotel where the previous year's convention had been held
for the first time, the Coventry Hill Hotel.

At the start of the game you park your car at the hotel, full of
enthusiasm for the day ahead. You're looking forward to seeing all
your fellow adventurers and you've got a brilliant new game to
show them. You slam the car door shut, locking it with the door
button. Your computer is in the boot and you want to make sure
it's safe while you're in the hotel.

Though it wasn't spelt out at this point, I immediately decided
that one aim was going to be open my car again. Examining it, I
saw it was securely locked but the driver's window was slightly
open. Remembering my Crimewatch training, I decided I'd need a bit
of wire to open the door, and in the next location was very
pleased to find a hanging basket with a piece of wire. Ah-ha, I
thought. But the wire was fixed to the pole and when I tried to
take the basket, someone shouted at me to leave it alone.
Obviously things weren't going to be as easy as I'd thought!

I headed into the hotel to get my bearings and was pleased to see
a lot of people I know in there. You can talk to Bob Adams, Karen
Tyers, Jenny Perry, Larry Horsfield and other well known
adventurers. The Kenilworth Suite is set up ready for the
convention with long tables for the computers and plenty of power
points. Naturally there's also a bar. Sadly it's closed.  Well,
what use is THAT to a group of adventurers?

This isn't the only way the hotel isn't five star. There's a
broken pane of glass at the entrance of the hotel, making a draft
which is more like a gale. As for the food, forget it. The cook
has collapsed in the ladies' toilet and, yes, he's drunk. It's no
wonder the receptionist has a frosty expression.

You wonder where your room is ... then, having found it, how do
you get in? It's locked of course. But once you're inside you make
a discovery - it's got a safe. That wasn't mentioned in the
brochure ... I wonder if a previous occupant put anything in it?
Outside the hotel is a coach from Germany - can you get on board?
There's a fruit machine in the Windmill Bar and a drinks machine
near the lift. All you need is some money.

In 20 minutes at the convention I scored 45 points, I think. I
started making a map, but gave that up as it was taking too long
to map the game properly so I just wandered about, getting
thoroughly lost. Replaying it this time, I remembered one thing
which Jenny had told me she'd found and I hadn't, but I had
problems remembering some of the things I'd done. Luckily it
gradually came back. Mapping isn't totally logical with a couple
of places having something like, for instance, an exit east which
needs a west, rather than a straight west, to come back.

At the moment I'm stuck on 180 points and very close to getting my
piece of wire. I don't know what the full score is - 200 or 250
maybe? I've enjoyed the game but found it a bit user-unfriendly in
places. There are a few illogical solutions to puzzles where the
command used was either unexpected or picky. I won't say what they 
are here but I'll put in a small hint file which covers those 
areas. The conversation routine isn't very flexible either.

At the moment I know what I want to do but can't see how. Ain't
that always the way?! I haven't given up hope yet. The New Venue
is written using Philip Richmond's CAT utility and is the first
game I've seen which uses it. It creates a nice looking game,
though maybe a bit slow if you input commands too quickly
and I'd say it takes considerably more disk space than a TADS game
of equivalent complexity which is why, at 1.2meg, I haven't
included the game on this disk. I'd be interested to see what
other authors have achieved with it. As stated at the beginning,
there is an extended version with graphics too.











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