Speed IF #2 Competition Games provided on this disk Reviewed by Richard Batey Sue sent me the following games that were entered into a Speed Interactive Fiction competition and asked me to review them (admittedly this was some time ago, sorry Sue). All I know about the speed competitions is that the authors have a set deadline to produce an adventure, which must include certain set items, places and themes. For example, in the following games the common threads seemed to be being lost in a foggy New York City, a Halloween party being held at the apartment of Neil deMause, a Jack O'Lantern and a severed hand. Having now played the games I have one question, why? I see no point in them to be brutally honest, the authors may enjoy the challenge but as games they leave a lot to be desired. They are short, lacking puzzles and are far too easy for a serious challenge, or any challenge at all. If you have a spare fifteen minutes it might be these games will occupy you for that amount of time but whether you will feel that that time was well spent I doubt it. Here be a short description of each game, but I must warn you that the descriptions will make the games seem more interesting than they really are: The Hand That Rocks The Pumpkin ------------------------------- By Christopher Huang 1998 The following is direct from the opening of the game: Katherine and you always did love Halloween parties. You used to be the life of them, back in your home town. Having just moved to New York city a month ago, however, you had not expected to get into one this year. Especially since Katherine had elected to stay behind, leaving you here on your own. Enter your old net-friend Miseri, with an introduction to a Mr deMause, a strange and eccentric fellow who would just love to have you over for his Halloween Masque this year. All you have to do now is figure out how to find your way to Mr deMause's apartment. No easy task, since Miseri had neglected to give you directions. Add to that the pea-soup fog rolling about outside... This is a 4 location game with one of the locations being Washington Square where no matter what direction you go you will always end up back at as you constantly get lost in the fog. You need help to navigate and this is where the help of a disembodied hand is vital. The only two puzzles in the game are getting the hand and making it help you, neither one very hard. In fact you can complete the game in exactly 13 moves. Even so, if you have five or ten minutes to spare try this game as it is well written. This is clearly the best of the four games. Speed IF #2 ----------- By J. Robinson Wheeler 1998 You're in New York, heading for Neil DeMause's apartment even though you've never been there. Someone put a Jack O'Lantern on your doorstep with a half-burned note inside. The note says something about your significant other that scares you to death. A cab drops you off outside the apartment and speeds off into the foggy night. No puzzles and the game can be completed in less than ten moves. The catch is the surprise ending, though it is not much of a surprise truth to tell. The Pumpkin ----------- By Andrew Schepler 1998 This is the address: Neil deMause's apartment, somewhere in this maze called New York City. What dreadful weather for your first visit to the place! But the door is locked, and no one seems to be home. You stand shivering in the fog until you notice a rather frightening jack-o-lantern here on the stoop. An evil jack-o-lantern holds both your wife and Neil captive, can you overcome it? Yes you can! Kids, don't eat your Halloween candy without having your parents inspect it first because there are SICKOS out there who will put RAZOR BLADES in it and you will CUT YOUR MOUTH and GET A POISONED INFECTION and DIE, all from eating your candy early. So don't do that. ----------------------------------------------------------------- By Dan Shiovitz 1998 That wacky Neil deMause! What will he think of next? Why, the last time you tried to visit him, you got stuck on Ellis Island for hours, and ended up years in the past talking to a goat. Boy, you were really "Lost in New York" that time (heh heh). And history seems to have repeated itself, because here it is Halloween, and here you are, wandering through the streets in the fog, looking for his apartment again. Sheesh. I don't understand this at all! The longest named `game' I know of and it bears no resemblance to the actual game itself, all you have to do is find your way to Neil's apartment and avoid the flying pumpkin head. No puzzles and the game leads you by the hand, can be completed in 13 moves. -=o0o=- That's all folks. I must stress again that even though these games may have been enjoyable to write for the authors (and there seems to be a lot of these speed IF competitions on the net so one can assume that somebody must enjoy these writing competitions) as games they leave a lot to be desired. It was interesting to see what the fuss was all about but I think I will pass on playing any more of them, just not satisfying I'm afraid. - o -