[{"TitleName":"Adventure F: Eye of Bain","Publisher":"Artic Computing Ltd","Author":"Simon Wadsworth, Stuart Hughes","YearOfRelease":"1984","ZxDbId":"0005921","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 11, Dec 1984","Price":"£0.85","ReleaseDate":"1984-11-15","Editor":"Roger Kean","TotalPages":164,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Kean\r\nConsultant Editor: Franco Frey\r\nProduction Designer: David Western\r\nArt Editor: Oliver Frey\r\nAdventure Editor: Derek Brewster\r\nStaff Writer: Lloyd Mangram\r\nContributing Writers: Matthew Uffindel, Chris Passey\r\nClient Liaison: John Edwards\r\nSubscription Manager: Denise Roberts\r\nCirculation Manager: Tom Hamilton\r\nAll circulation enquiries should ring [redacted]\r\n\r\n©1984 Newsfield Limited.\r\nCrash Micro is published monthly by Newsfield Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\nGeneral correspondence to: [redacted]\r\n\r\nTelephone numbers\r\nGeneral office [redacted]\r\nEditorial/studio [redacted]\r\nAdvertising [redacted]\r\nHot Line [redacted]\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\n\r\nPhotosetting by SIOS [redacted]\r\nColour origination by Scan Studios, [redacted]\r\nPrinted in England by Carlisle Web Offset Ltd (Member of the BPCC Group), [redacted].\r\nDistribution by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: 12 issues £10.50 (UK Mainland post free)\r\nEurope: 12 issues £17.50 (post free).\r\n\r\nWe cannot undertake to return any written or photographic material sent to CRASH Magazine unless accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope.\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"THE EYE OF BAIN\r\n\r\nProducer: Artic Computing\r\nRetail Price: £6.95\r\nAuthor: Simon Wadsworth\r\n\r\nArtic Computing are the most experienced adventurers in the microcomputer business and produce some of the most popular adventure games. Eye of Bain is Adventure F in their famous series and it says much of their lasting appeal when adventure mailbags still contain a great proportion of queries solely concerned with their games. Eye of Bain breaks from the text-only tradition of the earlier members of the series with full screen, colourful graphics at every location. These are simple so as not to hold up the proceedings, and further, are only switched on when desired with L for LOOK and cancelled with ENTER. Artic adventures take so long to play there is little time left to actually write the review.\r\n\r\nYou find yourself in a hut with no obvious release from your predicament but plenty around to keep you thinking. This first problem strikes me as very Artic, either you solve the puzzle fairly quickly or you just give in - you don't even need the computer once you have digested the problem, as it is easily remembered, haunting you until it is solved. I suppose the idea is that one day you are sitting on the 25 bus and leap to your feet shouting, Eureka! I've got it! The annoying thing is - when you get home and load up - you haven't! You'll kick yourself when you do arrive at the solution as it requires no lateral thinking or intense brainstorming.\r\n\r\nThe vocabulary is verb/noun except for DRINK WATER which is not accepted while DRINK alone is. Strange. The input routine is as sure as it could possibly be and this programming competence adds tremendously to the slick professional feel of the game. Another feature which is indicative of Artic's vast experience is the invaluable GET ALL which smartly wraps up the first scene. GO or ENTER HOLE can be used to leave the hut but strangely GO HOLE won't take you back - GO HUT does. Shortly after, you enter the crossroads where it's best to be compassionate to the chap you find there. In return he says 'The blade and the hilt together do make, the downfall of the really big snake.' Utter gibberish presently, this will no doubt make some sense later on.\r\n\r\nHow to get free from your shackles is the first pressing problem after the hut. Very soon you run into the shapeless beast guarding a hole down a well, an ape up a tree whose usefulness is only realised later on, a pile of wood which, again, appears useless at first and, a very common problem in adventures, how to cross the desert without being fried to a fritter. One aspect that struck me as strange is the way in which the dense undergrowth at the well turned up nothing on examination. Is this a deliberate contrivance?\r\n\r\nThe Eye of Bain has a style and charm familiar to the thousands whose introductions to adventures was by playing the famous A-D Series. is latest addition, F, also displays fine graphics, making it a super adventure to play but, coming from Artic, difficult to play well.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nDifficulty: contains many ingenious and logical problems like all Artic games\r\nGraphics: full screen on every location and quite good too\r\nPresentation: average\r\nInput facility: instantaneous\r\nResponse: limited to verb/noun","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: Good value.","Page":"120","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Derek Brewster","Score":"8","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Atmosphere","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Vocabulary","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Logic","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Debugging","Score":"10/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall Value","Score":"8/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Spectrum Issue 10, Dec 1984","Price":"£0.85","ReleaseDate":"1984-11-15","Editor":"Roger Munford","TotalPages":106,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Munford\r\nDeputy Editor: Tina Boylan\r\nTechnical Editor: Peter Shaw\r\nEditorial Consultant: Andrew Pennell\r\nSoftware Consultant: Gavin Monk\r\nContributors: John Torofex, Tony Samuels, Trevor Merchant, Ross Holman, Dave Nicholls, Roger Willis, Ian Beardsmore, Martin Evans, Robert Stockton, Max Phillips, Terry Bulfib, Mike Leaman, Toni Baker\r\nArt Editor: Hazel Bennington\r\nArt Assistant: Steve Broadhurst\r\nGroup Advertising Manager: Jill Harris\r\nAdvertising: Dave Baskerville\r\nTypesetters: Carlinpoint\r\nGroup Art Director: Perry Neville\r\nPublisher: Stephen England\r\n\r\nPublished by Sportscene Specialist Press Ltd, [redacted] Company registered in England. Telephone (all departments): [redacted]\r\nReproduction: Graphic Ideas, London\r\nPrinters: Chase Web Offset [redacted]\r\nDistribution: Seymour Press [redacted]\r\n\r\nAll material in Your Spectrum ©1985 Felden productions, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of the publishers. Your Spectrum is a monthly publication."},"MainText":"EYE OF BAIN\r\nArtic\r\n£6.95\r\r\n\r\nRoss: The task set in Artic's Eye of Bain is to locate and hang on to a priceless emerald. You don't, however, start off in the easiest of circumstances. At first you seem to be in a hut, and typing 'Look' will instigate the drawing of a full screen picture of your surroundings. It's not until you start to try and move around that you're told a chain is clamped to your leg - which in turn is attached to a pole. To free yourself you have to type in two absolutely correct words. This problem of syntax and vocabulary is one that I find very annoying with adventures in general and Eye of Bain's no exception. For example, words that are used to describe objects at a location are not recognised if you try to use them yourself.\r\n\r\nAll the locations I visited had an associated picture and most had some useful objects, or tasks that needed to be performed. The top few lines of the screen are devoted to describing the location... its exits and objects. This is quite useful but my more hardened adventuring friends suggested that it detracted from the atmosphere of the game.\r\n\r\nA reasonable adventure, but I got stuck because I hadn't quite got the language right.","ReviewerComments":["Tarl the mighty warrior turned out to be a bit of a wimp thanks to my erratic, misspelt or incomplete commandments. Adventurers should have patience with the lame lexicon, though, because I haven't declared the sacred emerald on my tax return yet...\r\nRoger Willis\r\n3/5 HIT","It took me about ten minutes to get started and I'm nowhere near finished yet. The game is interesting enough for me to keep on trying.\r\nDave Nicholls\r\n3/5 HIT"],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"59","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Ross Holman","Score":"2","ScoreSuffix":"/5 MISS"},{"Name":"Roger Willis","Score":"3","ScoreSuffix":"/5 HIT"},{"Name":"Dave Nicholls","Score":"3","ScoreSuffix":"/5 HIT"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 33, Dec 1984","Price":"£0.85","ReleaseDate":"1984-11-15","Editor":"Bill Scolding","TotalPages":244,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Bill Scolding\r\nDeputy Editor: John Gilbert\r\nConsultant Editor: Mike Johnston\r\nStaff Writer: Chris Bourne\r\nIllustrator/Designer: Craig Kennedy\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Rob Cameron\r\nDeputy Advertisement Manager: Louise Fanthorpe\r\nProduction Assistant: James McClure\r\nAdvertisement Secretary: Claudia Viertel\r\nEditorial Assistant: Colette McDermott\r\nSubscriptions Manager: Carl Dunne\r\nAssistant Publisher: Neil Wood\r\nPublisher: Gerry Murray\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by EMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n\r\n96,271 Jan-June 1984\r\n\r\nTelephone\r\nEditorial and advertising departments\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nIf you would like to contribute to Sinclair User please send programs or articles:\r\nSinclair User\r\nEMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nOriginal programs should be on cassette and articles should be typed. We cannot undertake to return them unless a stamped-addressed envelope is included.\r\n\r\nWe pay £10 for the copyright of each program published and £50 per 1,000 words for each article used.\r\n\r\nAll subscription enquiries to\r\nMagazine Services,\r\nEMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1984\r\nSinclair User\r\nISSN NO. 0262-5458\r\n\r\nPrinted and typeset by Cradley Print PLC, [redacted]\r\n\r\nDistributed by EMAP Publications Ltd."},"MainText":"NOW GET OUT OF THAT\r\n\r\nMemory: 48K\r\nPrice: £6.95\r\n\r\nRight from the beginning you realise you are up against it in Eye of Bain, the new Artic text adventure.\r\n\r\nThere you are, tied to a pole in some stinking hovel, praying to every god you have ever heard of in the hope you will escape before the natives decide to have a snack between meals.\r\n\r\nBeing a fairly mighty warrior you have travelled to this awful place in search of a fabulously huge sacred emerald. The gem is called the Eye of Bain and lies hidden in the temple, somewhere near that loathsome village.\r\n\r\nLife is not going to be easy. Once you have escaped you will have to avoid endless perils and solve numerous tricky puzzles to reach the holy precincts. Crooked pirates, nasty nomads and killer bees are merely a few of the problems you will encounter - and have you ever tried to persuade an ape to give you a spot of help?\r\n\r\nThe adventure follows the usual Artic format though if you 'Look' you will be shown a picture of your location. That is a sensible approach to graphics as no time need be wasted unless you feel like it.\r\n\r\nInput is in the standard verb/noun combination but multiple entries can be made by putting a full stop between each instruction. That can save time but the interpreter responds very quickly anyway.\r\n\r\nArtic seems to adopt a no-frills approach to their adventures. You may not get animated graphics or the chance to enter full sentences but you can be fairly sure of facing constant challenges and original problems. Eye of Bain continues this tradition and should provide many hours of solid entertainment. Great value.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"39","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Richard Price","Score":"7","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Gilbert Factor","Score":"7/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"C&VG (Computer & Video Games) Issue 39, Jan 1985","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1984-12-16","Editor":"Tim Metcalfe","TotalPages":164,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Tim Metcalfe\r\nDeputy Editor: Wendie Pearson\r\nEditorial Assistant: Lesley Walker\r\nStaff Writers/Reader Services: Robert Schifreen, Seamus St. John\r\nArt Editor: Linda Freeman\r\nProduction Editor: Mary Morton\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Louise Matthews\r\nAdvertising Executives: Bernard Dugdale, Sean Brennan, Phil Godsell\r\nProduction Assistant: Melanie Paulo\r\nPublisher: Rita Lewis\r\n\r\nEditorial and Advertisement Offices: [redacted]\r\n\r\nCOMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES POSTAL SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE. By using the special Postal Subscription Service, copies of COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES can be mailed direct from our offices each month to any address throughout the world. All subscription applications should be sent for processing to COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES (Subscription Department), [redacted]. All orders should include the appropriate remittance made payable to COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES. Annual subscription rates (12 issues): UK and Eire: £15. Additional service information including individual overseas airmail rates available upon request. Circulation Department: EMAP National Publications. Published and distributed by EMAP National Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\nPrinted by Severn Valley Press. Typeset by In-Step Ltd.\r\n\r\nCover: John Richardson"},"MainText":"KEN'S EYE!\r\n\r\nI have never really thought much of the Artic Adventure series, especially the first four, which tend to have very tortuous verb/noun combinations, like SWITCH SWITCH, POINT SONIC and PUT BRANCH.\r\n\r\nThere is no doubt, however, that A-D have proved very popular, perhaps because they were among the first Adventures available for the massively popular Spectrum. It has always struck me as strange that E, which is probably the best, seems to have proved the least popular. That could be explained by the far greater competition that it has had to face.\r\n\r\nWay back in the March 1983 issue, I reviewed A-D and said I thought they got progressively better. After Golden Apple comes - The Eye of Bain and this continues the trend. The scenario is written by regular C&VG reader Ken Gosling who has been writing to Helpline since the year 0001 CVG!\r\n\r\nNot only is Ken's plot excellent, Bain performs well both in program and execution and in the implementation of the plot. It has a split screen, instantaneous display, its own character set that fits more than 32 characters across the screen AND no bugs or spelling/typing errors that I have yet detected!\r\n\r\nI was about to describe Bain as a text Adventure until I typed LOOK AROUND, when - lo and behold - I got a picture! There's one for every location, but they just sit there modestly, waiting to be called up!\r\n\r\nIt took me quite a while to escape the first location and even longer to escape it safely. The latter was because I hadn't used my eyes and the experience alerted my sense as I continued to play.\r\n\r\nThe setting is Alvania, a desert and, where as the mighty warrior Tarl you must escape with the emerald Bain. You start off shackled to a pole in a grass but with no HELP command worth mentioning. Once on your way, you may well meet up with a nasty nomad (shades of Pyramid of Doom!) and must survive the desert heat and various other hazards.\r\n\r\nWell done, Artic - you've produced a first class Adventure at last. Well done, Ken, for the plot and don't let success stop you writing to the Helpline! Well done, Simon Wadsworth, some excellent programming!\r\n\r\nEye of the Bain is from Artic Computing for 48k Spectrum and Commodore 64, priced £6.95. I played the Spectrum version.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"103","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Keith Campbell","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Personal Computer Games Issue 11, Oct 1984","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1984-09-20","Editor":"Chris Anderson","TotalPages":140,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Chris Anderson\r\nDeputy Editor: Steve Cooke\r\nProduction Editor: Roderick George\r\nArt Editor: Ian Findlay\r\nStaff Writers: Peter Connor, Bob Wade\r\nEditorial Assistant: Samantha Hemens\r\nSoftware Consultant: Tony Takoushi\r\nCartoons: Kipper Williams\r\nScreenshots: Chris Bell\r\nGame-of-the-month poster: Jeff Riddle\r\nArt Director: Jim Dansie\r\nGroup Publisher: John Cade\r\nPublisher: James Scoular\r\nAssistant Publishing Manager: Jenny Dunne\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Mark Satchell\r\nAssistant Advertisement Manager: Jan Martin\r\nAdvertisement Assistant: Susie Cooper\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Peter Goldstein\r\nAdvertisement Production: Noel O'Sullivan\r\nSales Executives: Ian Cross, Marion O'Neill\r\n\r\nPublished by VNU Business Publications, [redacted]. Typesetting by Spectrum Typesetting, [redacted] Origination by Fourmost Colour [redacted]. Printed and bound by Chase Web Offset [redacted]. © VNU Business Publications 1984."},"MainText":"MACHINE: Spectrum 48K\r\nPRICE: £6.95\r\n\r\nA JEWEL FROM ARTIC\r\n\r\nArtic, famed for their long line of text-only games, have finally broken with tradition and released a graphics adventure for the Spectrum. Eye of Bain throws you right in at the deep end. You're inside a native hut and about to have your ribs tickled by the sacrificial knife as a punishment for offending the local god. There are no obvious exits and you soon discover that you're chained to a pole...\r\n\r\nFrom that moment on it's Artic at their best as you set about trying to escape. There's plenty of locations to be explored and you'll have to think very carefully indeed it you're to avoid dying of thirst in the desert, plunging into ravines, or simply being cut to mouth-size pieces by the local inhabitants.\r\n\r\nATMOSPHERE\r\n\r\nArtic haven't exactly thrust the graphics upon you. In fact you can play the entire game without seeing a single picture. However, enter 'Look' and you get a full-screen display of your current location.\r\n\r\nThe graphics aren't, sadly, much to write home about and they're a tiny bit slow on the draw, but they all add to the atmosphere of a game that should give a real test to all but the most skilled adventurers.\r\n\r\nThe object of the game is to find the Eye of Bain, a fabulous jewel guarded by the bad-tempered Alvanians. Entry is in the simple verb-noun format but the program is meticulously careful in telling you exactly which words it doesn't understand. The vocabulary isn't exactly huge but the mechanics of the game are for the most part well thought out and you don't find yourself cursing the program for being unfriendly.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"99","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Steve Cooke","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Complexity","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Atmosphere","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Interaction","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value","Score":"6/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Micro Adventurer Issue 14, Dec 1984","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1984-11-15","Editor":"Brendon Gore","TotalPages":60,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Brendon Gore\r\nAssistant Editor: Martin Croft\r\nSoftware Editor: Graham Taylor\r\nMaster Adventurers: Tony Bridge, Mike Grace, Ken Matthews\r\nEditorial Secretary: Geraldine Smyth\r\nAdvertisement Manager: David Lake\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Simon Langston\r\nAdministration: Theresa Lacy\r\nManaging Editor: Brendon Gore\r\nPublishing Director: Jenny Ireland\r\nTelephone number (all departments): [redacted]\r\nUK Address: [redacted]\r\nUS Address: [redacted]\r\nSubscriptions: UK £10.00 for 12 issues, overseas surface (excluding US and Canada) £16 for 12 issues, US and Canada air-lifted US$33.95 for 12 issues.\r\n\r\nMicro Adventurer is published monthly by Sunshine Books, Scot Press Ltd. Typesetting by In-Step Ltd, [redacted]. Printed by Eden Fisher (Southend) Ltd, [redacted]. Distributed by SM Distribution, [redacted].\r\n\r\nISSN 0265-4156. Registered at the Post Office as a newspaper.\r\n\r\n© Sunshine Books 1984"},"MainText":"EYE OF BAIN\r\n\r\nMICRO: Spectrum 48K\r\nPRICE: £6.95\r\nFORMAT: Cassette\r\nSUPPLIER: Artic Computing\r\n\r\nThis game loads with a dazzling 'front page', making full use of the Spectrum's limited range of colours, and suggesting an interesting game ahead. After pressing several keys, and just as I had decided the program had failed to load properly, I noticed \"Press Enter\" tucked away in the middle of the screen (in a speech bubble!) and off I went.\r\n\r\nYou assume the identity of Tani, a mighty warrior (what else) seeking the legendary Eye of Bain, a priceless treasure hidden in a temple and guarded by a nasty tribe of Alvanians. You have already had one attempt at nicking the jewel, but you tried to enter the temple without the permission of the great god Bain (you're clearly not that mighty!) and the angry villagers tied you up in a hut and left you to rot.\r\n\r\nThe temple is close to the hut (just through the grass door, in fact) but you are unable to go straight back there because of the fact that the villagers won't let you! Never mind, it would have spoilt the game if they hadn't objected! You therefore have to find some other way out of the hut.\r\n\r\nGraphics are optional - to obtain them (there is one for every location) you type DRAW or LOOK, and ENTER to return to the text. It is easy to forget to 'call up' the pictures, or even to purposely avoid doing so to save time, which would be a pity because the graphics are stunning, and easily comparable to games costing over twice as much. They are quickly drawn and painted too, and just as colourful as the loader.\r\n\r\nOFF-BEAT\r\n\r\nMany companies seem to take an almost sadistic pleasure in deliberately (it seems) ignoring the obvious, commonly-used adventure game terminology and including off-beat, unusual commands of their own. Artic are clearly no exception - on typing OPEN DOOR I was told that this couldn't be done; eventually I realised that I had to input GO DOOR or ENTER DOOR.\r\n\r\nHowever, full marks to Artic for including LIST and INVENTORY. When one is constantly flitting from game to game it is easy to keep typing the wrong command.\r\n\r\nThe script in the game is different and pleasing to the eye, and the sound effects as you type in your commands are rather nice for once. Another rarely-used feature, which adds to the sense of realism, is the way the objects visible in each location disappear from the text as you TAKE or GET them (again, both commands are accepted).\r\n\r\nThe program doesn't have a HELP facility, which is irritating (although the word is recognised), neither can you obtain a SCORE. However, none of the problems I have encountered so far are exceptionally complex - the pattern is the usual one of visiting the right places in the right order to obtain certain items to give to certain characters to enable you to receive more items to visit more places (phew!).\r\n\r\nNevertheless, it isn't always easy to work out who wants what - for instance, the ape obviously needs to be given the bunch of bananas, but I have no ideas as yet what the desert nomad with a penchant for slave ladies is after. I was certain it was whatever was hidden in the beehive (would you believe honey?), but after spending some time working out how to stop the bees stinging me to death, and finally crossing the desert with my precious load without dying yet again of dehydration. I was most peeved to discover that this particular nomad at any rate doesn't have a sweet tooth. If he hadn't killed me immediately I would have eaten the infernal stuff myself.\r\n\r\nSHAPELESS\r\n\r\nI think maybe the black shapeless beast at the bottom of the well probably has whatever it is that the bloodthirsty nomad wants, but I haven't so far discovered what the beast wants either - perhaps the beast wants what the nomad has, or then again, maybe they both want the pile of wood I can't seem to get my hands on then there's the captain of the pirate ship who keeps clasping me in irons and forcing me to remain a galley-slave for evermore...\r\n\r\nIn the meantime, the black shapeless beast keeps erupting into grey flame and refusing to let me examine his hidey-hole, and the desert nomad continues to lunge at me in a most uncivilised manner with his deadly scimitar perhaps I should introduce them to each other.\r\n\r\nIn conclusion, a familiar story-line, but with enough interesting variations-on-atheme to make it a worthwhile buy, not least of which for the graphics.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"40","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Julie Lewis","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Personal Computer News Issue 98, Feb 1985","Price":"","ReleaseDate":"1985-02-09","Editor":"Peter Worlock","TotalPages":46,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editorial\r\nEditor: Peter Worlock\r\nDeputy Editor: David Guest\r\nProduction Editor: Lauraine Turner\r\nDeputy Production Editor: Harriet Arnold\r\nEditor's Assistant: Karen Isaac\r\nNews Writer: Ralph Bancroft, Sandra Grandison\r\nFeatures Editor: John Lettice\r\nSoftware Editor: Bryan Skinner\r\nPeripherals Editor: Kenn Garroch\r\nHardware Editor: Stuart Cooke\r\nPrograms Editor: Nickie Robinson\r\nArt Editor: Dave Alexander\r\nAssistant Art Editor: Bruce Preston\r\nPublisher: Cyndy Miles\r\nPublishing Assistant: Tobe Bendeth\r\n\r\nAdvertising\r\nGroup Advertising Manager: Peter Goldstein\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Sarah Barron\r\nAssistant Advertisement Manager: Laura Cade\r\nSales Executives: Phil Benson, Mike Blackman, Jacqui Edmiston, Andrew Flint, Sarah Musgrave, Tony O'Reilly\r\nProduction: Richard Gaffrey\r\nAdvertisement Assistant: Andrea Laurence\r\nSubscription Enquiries: Gill Stevens\r\nSubscription Address: [redacted]\r\nEditorial Address: [redacted]\r\nAdvertising Address: [redacted]\r\n\r\nPublished by VNU Business Publications, [redacted]\r\n© VNU 1983. No material maybe reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\nPhotoset by Quickset, [redacted]\r\nPrinted by Chase Web Offset, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by Seymour Press, [redacted]\r\nRegistered at the PO as a newspaper"},"MainText":"ARTIC TROLL\r\n\r\nOne of Artic's new adventures, Eye of Bain, it is first with graphics. Bob Chappell compares it with a text-only release, Curse of Seven Faces.\r\n\r\nArtic has long been respected for its text adventures. Its earlier games Espionage Island, Planet of Death, Inca Curse, Ship of Doom and the highly challenging Golden Apple, have long posed challenges for adventure aficionados.\r\n\r\nNow it seems to have bowed to the inevitable - adventures with graphics. Perhaps bowed is not quite the right word - nodded might be more apt. For Artic has brought out two new adventures, one with graphics and (hooray) one without.\r\n\r\nWORD PERFECT\r\n\r\nFirst, the text only adventure, Curse Of The Seven Faces (Spectrum and Amstrad), written by Alan McDonald. Like any text adventure worthy of the name, Curse has detailed and literate location descriptions, generating an atmosphere that quickly enthralls.\r\n\r\nThere are a lot of places to explore, (over 140), with plenty of objects and puzzles to stretch your inventiveness.\r\n\r\nThe plot concerns tracking down an evil wizard and takes you through caverns, mountains and forests. While accomplishing your mission, you'll pass through a trolls' lair, the inevitable maze, a castle, the domain of the elves, a mansion and the wizard's realm.\r\n\r\nMost of the puzzles are not too difficult and, to be honest, are hardly original either, though there are a few really novel twists which should test your mettle.\r\n\r\nSome of the objects don't sit very easily with the general theme of the adventure - I'd rather not see guns and Microdrive cartridges in an adventure that features magic wands and spell books.\r\n\r\nWhatever the shortcomings, the presentation and the atmospheric text compensate. You'll certainly get good value for money if you buy it.\r\n\r\nART IT ISN'T\r\n\r\nNow the Eye of Bain (48K Spectrum, £6.95), the one with pics. Mind you, you might not realise it had any graphics, as the adventure kicks off in text mode. Only by typing LOOK or DRAW will the screen clear and a picture of the current location slowly appear. A touch of the Enter key and the text reappears. And a good job too.\r\n\r\nThe pictures are very simple and do absolutely nothing to enhance the game. Although the textual descriptions are fairly spartan, if your own imagination cannot conjure up better images than those provided by the graphics in Bain then you must either be under three or a cabbage leaf.\r\n\r\nSetting aside that grumble, the adventure itself is pretty good. The eye of the title, if you hadn't already guessed, turns out to be a priceless treasure. It is hidden in a temple and jealously guarded by a somewhat vicious tribe of Alvanians, so beware.\r\n\r\nPOLE POSITION\r\n\r\nI had arrived at the tribe's camp. My Alvanian, clearly being a trifle rusty, must have said something like 'May mildew strike your grass skirts', instead of saying 'Greetings from the Great White Mother across the water'. I deduced that I must have committed some such minor breach of diplomacy by the fact that I was in a native hut, shackled by one leg to pole.\r\n\r\nHaving parted myself from the pole without having to saw my leg off, I rejoined my hosts, expecting them to be overawed by my Houdini-like escape.\r\n\r\nI was somewhat taken aback to be executed on the spot. Still smarting, I restarted, tried a different tack and was soon clear of the Alvanian mafia.\r\n\r\nI later passed a poor wretch tied to a whipping post and also had a fairly traumatic experience with a shapeless black beast down a well. I didn't find a way to get the chain off my leg, but that didn't matter - I died of thirst in the desert.\r\n\r\nThe text is neatly presented and response to the usual two-word input is immediate. When the program cannot understand a word, it tells you whether it's the verb or noun that's the problem. A good adventure with a decent assortment of puzzles. The text descriptions could have been beefed up if the graphics had been given the elbow.\r\n\r\nBOOK LOOK\r\n\r\nRoom for just a brief mention of two useful books published by Datamost, a division of Prentice-Hall, entitled A Shortcut Through Adventureland, volume one provides detailed solutions to 14 adventures that are probably better known to Atari and Apple owners. The solutions include Sierra OnLine's Ulysses and the Golden Fleece and The Dark Crystal and Sirius' Blade of Blackpool. Volume two is likely to be of greater interest to UK adventurers, as it covers all but the latest Infocom adventures. The books are priced at $9.95 each.\r\n\r\nDUNGEONADE\r\n\r\nFor all those suffering souls who are bewitched, bothered and bewildered by Scott Adams' superb Sorcerer of Claymorgue Castle. The Dungeon Master takes pity on lesser mortals who do not possess a brilliant enough mind (not to mention Adventure International's detailed crib book) to enable them to complete this excellent adventure. The answers are not written in Alvanian, but merely backwards:\r\n\r\nCan't find the secret of the Plain Room?\r\nSNOITCER IDTN EREF FIDN IGNI HSUP DNAG NILL UPYR T\r\n\r\nCan't open the Stone Door?\r\nLLEP SDEE SESU NEHT ELTS ACOT NIYA WREH TONA DNIF\r\n\r\nMore help with Stone Door?\r\nTSAE NEHT ECIW TNWO DMIW SHTA ERBD LOHT AOMN I","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"28","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Bob Chappell","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]