The author obviously hasn't seen any of the two Russian most popular CYOA IF development systems - URQ or QSP. Otherwise, he'd probably suffer a shock, since they cover practically the same functionality his Node-X system Trap Cave is written in only strives to reach.

The game itself isn't very impressive. It was conceived as a not-too-fancy cave crawl, but fails even as such. Before running into a dead-end I encountered one rather trivial puzzle and an instant death (that couldn't be revoked even though Node-X lets the player undo one turn). The game comes in two versions - the original German one and an English translation, but in the latter one, only the start room and a few menu options are actually translated. Thus, you won't be able to play it at all if you don't understand German.

Rating: *

Reviewed by Valentine Kopteltsev (06 Dec 2009)

trapcave_de.nx (21.03 KB)

Node-X executable in German (version: 1.0, German story file)

trapcave_en.nx (21.09 KB)

Node-X executable (version: 1.0, English story file)

The story and atmosphere are great (and that in spite of the fact there are some minor problems with the writing). The game uses a device I'm personally very fond of - gradually melting together two realities. The gameplay, however, probably isn't to everybody's taste, since it's pretty linear and includes long sequences where the player just has to press "z" turn after turn. Puzzles are rather easy and shouldn't be a problem. All in all, Condemned is a huge, incredible improvement in comparison with this author's previous games, and one of the most moving works of IF I've ever encountered altogether. I'm really disappointed it ended up so low in the Comp.

Rating: *****

Reviewed by Valentine Kopteltsev (06 Dec 2009)

condemned.z5 (251.00 KB)

Z-code 5 executable (version: 1)

walkthrough.txt (980 bytes)

Walkthrough by the author

A CYOA where you have to answer yes or no each turn. Unfortunately, some of the choices are based on information the player only gains later in the game, so that you need to use trial and error (or, more precise, saving and restoring) tactics to win. The plot is (deliberately) silly; on the other hand, the game is full of no less silly humour that I liked very much.

Rating: ***

Reviewed by Valentine Kopteltsev (06 Dec 2009)

ynk_walkthrough.txt (381 bytes)

Walkthrough by the author

YNKaboom.taf (23.92 KB)

Adrift 4 executable (version: 1)

The first part of the game is a ramble through a vast yet barren and monotonous maze. The few puzzles you need to solve on this stage require even more rambling, and often are of the "read the author's mind" type. It gets better (at least, somewhat more dynamic) in the second part; still, it left me with the feeling "why bother".

Rating: **

Reviewed by Valentine Kopteltsev (18 Dec 2009)

gatoron.scr (21.03 KB)

Transcript in text format by the author

gatoron.z5 (119.50 KB)

Z-code 5 executable (version: 1)

A totally underimplemented cave crawl with no plot (heck, one hardly can get what's going on at all). Most of the puzzles are, quite expectedly, barely solvable without the walkthrough. The Competition version seems not to be finishable due to a bug.

Rating: *

Reviewed by Valentine Kopteltsev (18 Dec 2009)

walkthrough.txt (836 bytes)

Walkthrough by the author

zork, buried chaos.zblorb (159.39 KB)

Z-code executable (version: 1)

Jokes about an incompetent company whose product you're testing got old I don't know how long ago. In addition, in this game, they are presented in a way that is most inconvenient and annoying for the player. There is little more than those jokes here, except maybe for a few bugs (due to one of them, you can make one of the NPCs strip... Not that it affects the story in any way). And yes - the game can't be beaten without the hints; at the same time, to use the hint system, you have to overcome the same dubious major game gimmick.

Rating: **

Reviewed by Valentine Kopteltsev (30 Dec 2009)

Beta Tester.z8 (382.00 KB)

Z-code 8 executable (version: 1)

Albeit unpretentious - regarding both story and puzzles - the game is solidly done and well tested. Your goal is to escape from an abandoned island. Winning hardly is going to take too much of your time, so you should give it a try.

Rating: ****

Reviewed by Valentine Kopteltsev (30 Dec 2009)

Eruption scroll.pdf (226.07 KB)

The "To a cruel goddess" feelie

eruption.z5 (111.00 KB)

Z-code 5 executable (version: 2)

This work tries (not without success) to reconstruct the atmosphere of classic Russian novels of the XIX-th century. On the other hand, it lacks character development and background somewhat. The story is quite linear. Lots of scenery is implemented, but it doesn't provide for any significant interaction, and seems to be there more to the effect of showing how absorbed in his thoughts and memories the PC is and how little he cares about the surrounding world. I found the central (and practically only) puzzle not sufficiently clued, although it can't be called unfair.

Rating: ***

Reviewed by Valentine Kopteltsev (30 Dec 2009)

duel.z8 (374.50 KB)

Z-code 8 executable (version: 1)

duelwalk.txt (1.24 KB)

Walkthrough by the author

A great game based almost entirely on puns and wordplay. This is the root of both the strong sides and the drawbacks of this work. On one hand, the unconventional interactions are implemented very carefully, and represent a refreshing experience; on the other hand, some of the perfectly legitimate word transformations that result from it don't work. At some occassions, it's not clear what to do to advance the story. Still, it's absolutely recommended, although you probably should keep the walkthrough at hand.

Rating: ****

Reviewed by Valentine Kopteltsev (30 Dec 2009)

earlgrey_walkthrough.txt (2.90 KB)

Walkthrough by the author

earlgrey.ulx (260.50 KB)

Glulx executable (version: 1)