A bizarre little game, where you rescue Fred from a sea serpent who is terrorizing a puzzle-filled forest and hotel, and who can be repelled with square roots. Expect a two-word parser, primitive graphics, several math-based puzzles, and sudden death. Fortunate, then, that the game knows about "save" and "restore".

But the most annoying feature is that many puzzles don't stay solved; they have their own screen apart from the gameworld and are used like doors between locations. This means that you might have to solve some puzzles multiple times, just to get around. On the plus side, there is a helpful map, so you at least know where the trouble spots are.

Rating: **

Reviewed by David Welbourn (04 Dec 2002)

FredsBackyard.zip (229.83 KB)

MS-DOS executable (version: 1.00)

Like its predecessor Aisle, I'll is a game where you have one turn to do something, and then the game ends. There's a reason for the game ending in one turn: it's the end of the world. It's an entertaining diversion, certainly, to find all the different endings. However, it's not as deep a game as Aisle. The range of handled actions is smaller, and every ending seems to belong to a different world; there's no sense of a shared reality between the divergences.

Rating: Not rated

Reviewed by David Welbourn (08 Dec 2002)

ill.z5 (71.50 KB)

Z-code 5 executable (version: 1)

Five stories in a fantasy city setting. You play five stock fantasy characters, each pursuing the same goal, but with different abilities and limitations and (most interestingly) different ways of perceiving the world. You'll have to see things from everyone's perspective to understand what has happened and what is about to happen, and even then, the details of the backstory can be confusing. Good design and puzzles. Each chapter can in theory be solved alone, but each contains information that makes other chapters easier; it's suggested that you switch between characters frequently.

Rating: ****

Reviewed by Carl Muckenhoupt (08 Dec 2002)

a.txt (805 bytes)

walkthrough for the Adventurer chapter

d.txt (377 bytes)

walkthrough for the Dragon chapter

e.txt (862 bytes)

walkthrough for the Enchanter chapter

heroes.txt (97 bytes)

documentation

heroes.z5 (195.50 KB)

Z-code 5 executable (version: 1, as entered in 2001 Competition)

r.txt (657 bytes)

walkthrough for the Royalty chapter

t.txt (412 bytes)

walkthrough for the Thief chapter

walkthru.txt (688 bytes)

comment on the walkthroughs

heroes.zip (112.93 KB)

Z-code 5 executable (version: 2), solution

A game so bad, so small, and so dull, it makes You Were Doomed From The Start look good. That this so-called game is the fifth part of a series boggles the mind. Almost no commands are understood at all, including basics like "examine" and "inventory". Even directions like "north" aren't understood if you can't travel in that direction, and you can just forget about abbreviating "north" to "n".

I'd wonder why the author bothered to write it at all if I hadn't read the far more interesting accompanying documentation: he wanted players to give $10 to zoos towards buying hippos. Sadly, I doubt this game would convince anyone to do anything other than delete it from their hard drive as soon as possible.

Rating: *

Reviewed by David Welbourn (11 Dec 2002)

wincow.zip (15.70 KB)

Windows executable

There's not much to this short game. You're working late at night on a computer project at the campus when you notice that everyone else is frozen in time, except you. Obviously, you must do something about it. On the plus side, it's not difficult: there are only a few puzzles, and only a handful of takeable objects. And there are multiple endings. On the minus side, nothing much gets explained. Apparently, it's up to the player to invent his or her own backstory for what happened.

Rating: ***

Reviewed by David Welbourn (18 Dec 2002)

frozen.z5 (62.00 KB)

Z-code 5 executable (version: 1)

frozen.sol (551 bytes)

solution

A short example of AIF (Adult IF) where you play a man who has sex with a virtual reality sim of your female co-worker. Apart from some initial puzzles (finding the program disk, getting into the VR room), it's just straightforward VR sex with no surprises. I was mildly disappointed (though not surprised) that although the female sim has a few erogenous zones of interest, the male PC has only one.

Rating: ***

Reviewed by David Welbourn (18 Dec 2002)

eterna.zip (71.85 KB)

TADS executable

A game with many minimally described locations and surreal British hippy grunge. It's like an old Scott Adams adventure, twisted and writ large, but with the power of the TADS engine to make it bearable. Here is a typical room, with its staccato statements and capitalized compass directions:

hallway
You are in a short hallway with tatty wallpaper.
There is a small wicker table here.
The hallway leads South to the living room.
There are stairs here leading up.
There is a doorway to the North.

Rating: ***

Reviewed by David Welbourn (18 Dec 2002)

xarbo.zip (136.19 KB)

TADS executable, solution

An AIF camp classic and a naughty pleasure. You play a guy with an ever ready erection that knows what it wants: blow jobs and only blow jobs from a surprisingly large number of bimbos, er, I mean women whose names all end in "y". The game is intentionally rude, crude, campy, and silly. For example, several of the props are suggestively phallic. Puzzle lovers will be pleased to know that there are many puzzles to solve before the protagonist is finally "sated". And if the settings seem lightly described, and the conversation with the ladies seems a bit thin, be reassured that each and every blow job is described at considerable length, especially the final one.

Rating: ***

Reviewed by David Welbourn (19 Dec 2002)

bj.z5 (155.00 KB)

Z-code 5 executable (version: 5)

The English translation of the title is "Oskar and the Death". To play this game, you should have a working knowledge of German. However, here is a brief synopsis in English: As private eye T. Fink, you have to find out who is trying to poison your client in his own house.

Privatdetektiv T. Fink macht sich auf den Weg nach Dodeleben, um herauszufinden, wer seinem Klienten Oskar Lintzmeyer nach dem Leben trachtet, dessen Gesundheitszustand sich immer weiter verschlechtert. Im Hause seines Klienten sucht er nach Indizien, die zum Schuldigen führen könnten.
Die technischen Mängel sowie Rechtschreib- und Grammatikfehler trüben leider den Eindruck. Schade, denn eine ausgereiftere Version dieses Spiels wäre ein netter kleiner Zeitvertreib für zwischendurch.

Rating: **

Reviewed by Matthias Oborski (19 Dec 2002)

oskar.zip (24.59 KB)

Alan 2.6(2) executable in German (version: 1.1)

Oskar.gmp (1.50 KB)

Map (in GUEmap format)

The English translation of the title is "Dad is missing". To play this game, you should have a working knowledge of German. However, here is a brief synopsis in English: In this little game by a 11-year-old girl, your father has been kidnapped on the day before his birthday by the "birthday haters". You'll have to find and free him, of course.

Papa ist am Vortag seines Geburtstages von den Geburtstagshassern entführt worden. In diesem Spiel für Kinder muss man ihn natürlich wiederfinden und retten. Dieses kleine Abenteuer wäre zumindest für jüngere Spieler unterhaltsam, wenn nicht die vielen Fehler in der Raumgeometrie wären, die eine normale Wohnung in ein Labyrinth mit verdrehten Himmelsrichtungen verwandeln und an bestimmten Stellen eine Rückkehr unmöglich machen.

Rating: **

Reviewed by Matthias Oborski (19 Dec 2002)

dad.zip (21.00 KB)

Alan source code in German, Alan 2.7(5) executable in German

The English translation of the title is "Hermetically Sealed". To play this game, you should have a working knowledge of German. However, here is a brief synopsis in English: You're private eye Fink and have to find out what happened to a Jens Dornhauer, who seems to have locked himself in his appartment.

Dies ist der zweite Fall von Privatdetektiv Fink nach Oskar und der Tod. Diesmal wird er gebeten, das Schicksal eines gewissen Jens Dornhauer zu ergründen, der sich anscheinend in seiner Plattenbauwohnung verbarrikadiert hat und auch nicht mehr auf Telefon oder Türklingel reagiert. Die erste Schwierigkeit besteht darin, überhaupt in die karge Wohnung zu gelangen. Danach beginnt die Spurensuche. Diese zeigt bald, dass Dornhauer in einen Erpressungsfall verwickelt sein musste, der ihm nicht gut bekommen hat...
Leider schmälern wiederkehrende Rechtschreib- und Parserfehler sowie generische Raumnamen den Spielspaß dieser ansonsten durchschnittlichen Suche nach Indizien und Beweisen.

Rating: **

Reviewed by Matthias Oborski (19 Dec 2002)

hermet.zip (140.16 KB)

Alan 2.7(5) executable in German (version: 1.1.1)

This game is a much shortened German remake of Melbourne House's The Hobbit. It was first published in a special edition of the German computer magazine 64'er. While the main theme stays the same, the plot and writing are much simplified and not very faithful to the original game.

Dieses Spiel ist eine stark gekürzte Adaption von Melbourne Houses The Hobbit und wurde zuerst in einem 64'er Sonderheft veröffentlicht. Mit dem Original kann es in keiner Beziehung mithalten, da die Geschichte und die Texte sehr vereinfacht wurden.

Rating: **

Reviewed by Matthias Oborski (20 Dec 2002)

klhobbit (24.48 KB)

Commodore executable in German

klhobbit.txt (685 bytes)

Description

Yet another variant on Pick Up the Phone Booth and Die. Extremely short, one room, and easy.

Rating: Not rated

Reviewed by David Welbourn (21 Dec 2002)

boothdye.inf (5.33 KB)

Inform source code (version: 2)

boothdye.z5 (50.50 KB)

Z-code 5 executable (version: 2)

A simple one-room joke game where, to be a hero, you must help a Damsel turn off her Dragon computer. Feel free to look around and try the non-obvious; for a joke game, it may surprise you with its depth.

Rating: ***

Reviewed by David Welbourn (21 Dec 2002)

DragonComp.zip (307.92 KB)

Z-code 5 executable (version: 1)

A bizarre and frustrating game experience where you try to infiltrate the Silli Productions building in order to play, then destroy, the game known as Amissville. Amongst the misspellings, illogic, poorly described rooms, missing implied objects, insufficient number of synonyms, and a notable lack of player direction, there lurks a cunning puzzle or two -- and several ways to die. To succeed, try anything and everything. Knowing how to deal with usenet trolls will help, too.

Rating: **

Reviewed by David Welbourn (21 Dec 2002)

silli.inf (21.47 KB)

Inform source code (version: 1)

silli.z5 (58.00 KB)

Z-code 5 executable (version: 1)

silli.step (1.35 KB)

solution

You are a young dragon, eager to increase your draconic stature. He's a knight, foe of the cute and trite. Together, this odd couple has an adventure. There's humour, most of it from the man's anachronistic reactions to everything. (He tries so hard not to break mimesis, it's funny.) The game also features an adaptive hint menu, red herrings, sub-optimal endings, and some guess-the-verb puzzles.

Rating: ****

Reviewed by David Welbourn (21 Dec 2002)

DragonComp.zip (307.92 KB)

Z-code 5 executable (version: 1)

Extremely short joke game. You are a dragon confronting your nemesis. One room. No puzzles.

Rating: Not rated

Reviewed by David Welbourn (22 Dec 2002)

DragonComp.zip (307.92 KB)

Z-code 5 executable (version: 1)

The English translation of the Latin title is "Small (Herbal) Garden". It is also the title of a poem by Walahfrid Strabo, a medieval abbot. To play this game, you should have a working knowledge of German. A brief synopsis in English: On Reichenau Island in Lake Constance, Brother Thomas has to find a cure for the illness of his abbot. Unfortunately, Thomas is only a cook, and the regular medicus Brother Martin is currently absent.

Im mittelalterlichen Kloster auf der Insel Reichenau im Bodensee ist der Abt erkrankt. Da der Heiler des Klosters, Bruder Martin, gerade verreist ist, übernimmt Bruder Thomas dessen Rolle. Als Koch hat schließlich auch er mit Kräutern zu tun. Leider kennt Thomas die Heilwirkungen der einzelnen Pflanzen nicht so genau, sodass Walahfrid Strabos kräuterkundliches Gedicht "Hortulus" zum wichtigsten Hilfsmittel wird.
Die Klosteranlage ist überschaubar, schnell erkundet und weist keine schwierigen Rätsel auf. So können auch Einsteiger nach kurzer Spielzeit eins der mehreren möglichen Enden erreichen. Lediglich das sich wiederholende Nachschlagen der Pflanzenarten sowie die Befragung der anwesenden Personen ob desselben Themas wird mit der Zeit etwas mühsam.

Rating: ***

Reviewed by Matthias Oborski (23 Dec 2002)

Hortulus.zip (131.78 KB)

T.A.G. executable in German (version: 1.00, bundled with MS-DOS runtime)

To play this game, you should have a working knowledge of German. A brief synopsis in English: You wake up in a strange land and have to defeat an evil wizard by solving various puzzles in a Zorkish tradition.

Der Spieler wacht in einer fremden Umgebung auf und erfährt durch einen Brief, dass der Magier Galdor mit Hilfe eines Amulett besiegt werden muss. Außer dieser zugegeben sehr simplen Story bietet Das Amulett eine große Landkarte, ein paar nette Knobeleien und einen relativ guten Parser. Die große Spielumgebung mit weit verstreuten Gegenstände zwingt allerdings zu einigem Umherwandern und beinhaltet ein (sehr kleines) Labyrinth. Außerdem weiß ein Eremit zu allen wichtigen Fragen eine Antwort.

Rating: ***

Reviewed by Matthias Oborski (23 Dec 2002)

amulett.zip (69.14 KB)

MS-DOS executable in German (version: 2.0)

Amulett.gmp (3.47 KB)

Map (in GUEmap format)

The English translation of the title is "Anally frustrated". To play this game, you should have a working knowledge of German. (On the other hand, you really shouldn't learn German just to play this game.) A brief synopsis in English: You managed to lock yourself into your bathroom and must find your way out. Through the toilet, that is...

Nachdem du dich selbst auf der Toilette eingeschlossen hast, entkommst du durch selbige, begegnest in den Katakomben einem Guru, den Autonomen Alkoholikern (sic!) und suchst u.a. nach einem Urinstein. Zwei-Wort-Parser und Textqualität entsprechen dem völlig bescheuerten und kindischen Handlungsverlauf, der den Schreiber dieser Zeilen nicht motivieren konnte, sich das Spiel bis zum Finale anzutun. Immerhin: für sechs- bis achtjährige vielleicht amüsant.

Rating: *

Reviewed by Matthias Oborski (23 Dec 2002)

anal_frustriert.exe (562.37 KB)

MS-DOS executable in German (version: 1.00, self-extracting Windows (!) archive), solution

In this small game, a freak accident with plant growth chemicals has trapped you at a substandard campground, now surrounded by 50 feet high grass, and you must escape. Written by two 14-year old boys, this game is somewhat into gross-out humour, and supports a few verbs for various bodily emissions, should you like to experiment. However, if you'd rather not play a game where the protagonist vomits uncontrollably every so often, I'll certainly understand.

Rating: **

Reviewed by David Welbourn (26 Dec 2002)

dampcamp.gam (85.79 KB)

TADS executable (version: 1.2)

As the young pilgrim Jarod, you visit various cities, and encounter a number of situations, each of them llustrating a postulate/commandment of Christianity. Since this game has got neither puzzles nor atmosphere, and only a rudimentary plot, I doubt it can be an enjoyable experience for anyone. For me, its most amusing feature is the HELP command, which, if entered several times, shows the ultimate in getting as close to telling the player "you're a complete moron if you need help for *THAT*" as possible, without actually saying it (in order to avoid offending people).

Rating: **

Reviewed by Valentine Kopteltsev (27 Dec 2002)

jarod.gam (253.69 KB)

TADS executable (version: Release 1.0)

jarod.rs0 (102.73 KB)

Multimedia file

jarod.rs1 (397.30 KB)

Multimedia file

Find out the height of a building in as many ways as possible. The only limitation: you've got to use a barometer. Being a parody on Andrew Plokin's classic, Spider and Web, this game tries to adopt, in somewhat caricatured form, as many unusual features of the original as possible (including even such details as, say, the name of the game file not matching the actual game name). Naturally, players familiar with the work of Plotkin will encounter additional moments of fun; however, Spyder and Jeb is perfectly enjoyable on its own, too. The game contains a bug that even can make it crash, but since one needs to do really weird things to run into it, 99% of the players probably won't notice.

Rating: ****

Reviewed by Valentine Kopteltsev (27 Dec 2002)

barometer.gam (88.53 KB)

TADS executable (version: 1.0)

Welcome to the final scene of Shakespeare's Hamlet. As Hamlet, you are already locked in fatal swordplay versus Laertes, while the rest of the Danish court makes comments in iambic pentameter. If you're unfamiliar with the details of the play, you won't understand who anyone is or why you're fighting, and the game makes little attempt to clarify things (this is a speed-if game, remember). Most of the game is just the bard's verse, echoed verbatim, but punctuated with textual speed-bumps to give you a chance to read it all.

Even if you are familiar with the play, that won't help you, since your aim is to survive the duel. Unfortunately, almost every action has no effect, and the useful actions are nigh impossible to guess. If you can't read the author's mind, use a disassembler, or read my walkthrough for the game.

Rating: *

Reviewed by David Welbourn (27 Dec 2002)

SpeedIF_EXTREME.zip (165.96 KB)

Z-code 5 executable (version: 1)

speedIF_extr.html (6.88 KB)

solution

A rather traditional text adventure set in the Zorkian universe. Well, it's not *entirely* traditional - for the author tries to inject RPG-elements into it - in form of quests the NPCs entrust the player character with; however, since these quests were trivial, they didn't add much (at least, for me). The game has got a branching story with two different "winning" endings, but since entering one of the plot branches depends on a pretty unmotivated and obscure action somewhere in the middle of the story, it's not very likely for the player to find it on his/her own. The setting is rich and detailed, though an assortment of randomly scattered minor bugs spoil the impression a bit. I think my main complaint about this work was, the puzzles just were too easy. On the other hand, going through familiar rooms of the Zork trilogy, the descriptions of which received a new interpretation, was a great feeling, so that a certain amount of nostalgic value surely was present.

Rating: ***

Reviewed by Valentine Kopteltsev (27 Dec 2002)

rtzas.z8 (271.00 KB)

Z-code 8 executable (version: Release 0)

Back.htm (8.95 KB)

Background material

flame.class (8.51 KB)

Graphics file (for background material)

Index.htm (5.00 KB)

Main page for background material

1.JPG (20.12 KB)

Graphics file (for background material)

2.JPG (18.73 KB)

Graphics file (for background material)

3.JPG (14.65 KB)

Graphics file (for background material)

4.JPG (5.53 KB)

Graphics file (for background material)

5.JPG (13.10 KB)

Graphics file (for background material)

6.JPG (15.78 KB)

Graphics file (for background material)

Barfull.gif (2.39 KB)

Graphics file (for background material)

Bull014.gif (979 bytes)

Graphics file (for background material)

CHURCH.JPG (14.23 KB)

Graphics file (for background material)

Emu_blue.gif (267 bytes)

Graphics file (for background material)

Endless.jpg (6.54 KB)

Graphics file (for background material)

Envelope.jpg (110.52 KB)

Graphics file (for background material)

INDEX2.GIF (9.29 KB)

Graphics file (for background material)

Maintit1.gif (9.32 KB)

Graphics file (for background material)

Mount16.gif (12.70 KB)

Graphics file (for background material)

PLAZA.JPG (12.98 KB)

Graphics file (for background material)

Under16.gif (8.13 KB)

Graphics file (for background material)

WestS16.gif (9.91 KB)

Graphics file (for background material)

XYZZY.JPG (8.64 KB)

Graphics file (for background material)

Maps.htm (2.93 KB)

Background material

Next.htm (4.38 KB)

Background material

Photos.htm (2.79 KB)

Background material

readme.txt (4.37 KB)

Author's notes

Secrets.htm (10.13 KB)

Background material

Solution.htm (27.76 KB)

Walkthrough

solution.txt (14.61 KB)

Walkthrough

Times.htm (11.27 KB)

Background material

A one-puzzle game. Your goal is to get through a labyrinth laid within a Rubik's cube-like structure. It's done with great care (I didn't encounter any bugs at all, though implementing such a structure surely must have been a complicated task), and the humorous descriptions give the whole thing a nice joky touch. This game certainly isn't for everyone, but if you feel like spending a couple of hours solving a logical problem you should give it a try.

Rating: ****

Reviewed by Valentine Kopteltsev (27 Dec 2002)

A game with no plot and only one puzzle - but what a puzzle! Basically, it's a 3-D maze embedded in a Rubik's Cube.

Rating: Not rated

Reviewed by Carl Muckenhoupt (30 Jun 2000)

cube.gam (38.09 KB)

TADS executable (version: 1.1)

This very short game was probably just a coding exercise. Generic you has received an anonymous threat, and so you are trying to escape from wherever you are to get to somewhere else. Apart from one optional puzzle, this isn't very interesting.

Rating: **

Reviewed by David Welbourn (27 Dec 2002)

choice.gam (81.89 KB)

TADS executable (version: 1)

Another speed-if game. This time, you're a stowaway on an oil tanker, not entirely by choice, and there's one wee little problem. Very short, very easy, and features the word "agapantha".

Rating: **

Reviewed by David Welbourn (29 Dec 2002)

SpeedIF07.zip (181.20 KB)

TADS executable (version: -3.1415)

speedIF_7.html (7.04 KB)

solution

A very small and very easy speed-if game in the little used genre of archaeology. You're at a yurt (think 'hut') to investigate and study, not loot for treasure. There's not much to this game, but what there is is rather nice.

Rating: **

Reviewed by David Welbourn (29 Dec 2002)

SpeedIF05.5.zip (270.43 KB)

TADS executable (version: 3)

speedIF_5_5.html (7.30 KB)

solution

A nice, short and small speed-if game in the espionage genre. Your task is to stop a courier from meeting her contact. Two different winning endings.

Rating: ***

Reviewed by David Welbourn (29 Dec 2002)

SpeedIF05.zip (235.79 KB)

Z-code 5 executable (version: 1)

speedIF_5.html (7.66 KB)

solution

A game about preparing a family pet's funeral from a first-time author, and unfortunately, it shows. One major problem is the complete lack of compass directions in any room description. Another problem is that there are a multitude of objects in the game, few of which are useful or relevant. And almost none of the objects are described at any length, or with any emotional colour. It all adds up to mind-numbing tedium, as you hunt through this urban wasteland of empty containers for something useful. And when you do find them, you may be frustrated by name collisions, lack of synonyms, lack of alternate ways to phrase a command, or outright bugs in the code. The game's puzzles themselves aren't that hard, but between the tedium and the interface problems, what should be a two hour game will take considerably longer to play through.

Also note: There's some Brit-speak in the game, eg: a "plaster" is a bandage, and "secateurs" are pruning shears. It is possible to die or get trapped into an unwinnable situation. There is in-game help.

Rating: **

Reviewed by David Welbourn (29 Dec 2002)

Biscuit.z5 (134.50 KB)

Z-code 5 executable (version: 1)

A brief, minimally-implemented hunt for escaped poultry in the vicinity of Harvard. Five minutes of your time gets you one nice bit of irony.

Rating: **

Reviewed by Carl Muckenhoupt (29 Dec 2002)

chicken.zip (639.50 KB)

Z-code 5 executable (version: 1)

There is a toaster. There is no bread. Or anything else. It's more fun than watching paint dry, but not by much.

Rating: Not rated

Reviewed by David Welbourn (30 Dec 2002)

ToasterCompNosrc.zip (489.83 KB)

Alan executable

ToasterCompWithSrc.zip (658.53 KB)

Alan executable, Alan source code

A minimalist (and wacky) approach to world travel. Short and simple.

Rating: **

Reviewed by David Welbourn (30 Dec 2002)

SpeedIF_CrinkleCut.zip (215.38 KB)

Z-code 5 executable (version: 1)

speedIF_crin.html (5.70 KB)

solution