| Review: | In this game, you play the current owner of Meldrew Hall, a stately home of
England. You start innocently enough, searching the attic for a map of
Paris, but quickly start discovering occult gateways to other times and
places linked to your family's increasingly mysterious history. Needless to
say, there is a family curse, but just what is its nature? A very large
game, with atmosphere galore - Meldrew Hall has a rich history, given mostly
in the form of offhand comments in room and object descriptions.
Well-researched, well-crafted, and pervaded by dry wit. Locations vary from
the ordinary to the exotic to the bizarre. Puzzles are tough but logical.
Hints are available from characters in the game, but many of the harder
puzzles are covered inadequately. Contains tarot cards, a T. S. Eliot scene,
and a couple of small, benign mazes. One puzzle requires what I consider to
be an abuse of the command syntax, but this is arguable (and has, indeed,
been argued at great length.) In general, though, this is an excellent
showcase of Inform's capabilities, and a good example of what you get when a
whole lot of people sit down and discuss game design for several years while
one person listens and takes notes.
Rating: *****
Reviewed by Carl Muckenhoupt (30 Jun 2000)
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