IFReviewed by
Tom Zuchowski on 2006-05-06 02:08
MAIN PGM Version: 6
Extra Commands: EAT, REFORGE
Deleted Commands: SAVE
Special Features: None
Playing Time: 1-2 hours
Reviewer Rating: 5.0
Description: "Ages ago, in times few remembered, the Dark Lord, Sauron, fashioned Rings of Power in his Land of Mordor. One he made for himself, and it was the mightiest, for it could control the others.
In all, twenty rings were made. The Elves were not tricked by Sauron's false friendship, so they hid their Rings. Sauron has taken back the Seven of the Dwarves. The Nine are used by the Black Riders, the Nazgul, who are Sauron's most powerful servants. But the One was lost.
Lost that is, until now. The One has been found, by the 'good guys', fortunately, for if Sauron recovers it he will be invincible!
Being a mighty warrior and hero of the land, you are summoned to a council of the Wise, and the leaders of the free peoples. A debate occurs over the question of what to do with the Ring.
The council's leader says, after long debate, "We must destroy it. Doing that will destroy Sauron. It must be thrown into the Mountain of Fire, Orodruin, called Mount Doom. However, Mount Doom lies in the land of Mordor, where Sauron dwells."
You volunteer to be the ringbearer. You must go through a mountain pass called Cirith Ungol and into Mordor. There you will throw the Ring into the fire of the mountain. You are given some Elvish waybread, shards of a once-mighty sword, and a flask of a magical liquid.
Comment: This adventure is classic Ruby from his "Middle-Earth period". It is a reasonably accurate rendition of Frodo's portion of The Return of the King, beginning at the Rangers' hideout and continuing on to the Cracks of Doom.
This is a very tough adventure, with very dense combat, and often harsh consequences for wrong decisions. To enhance the danger, Sam deleted the SAVE command from the adventure. Get it right, or die. Because of the very intense combat, I give it a (9) for difficulty. Bring your strongest character and heaviest weapons!
The puzzles are pretty easy, if you have read Tolkein's Lord of the Rings books. If you haven't read them, then some of the necessary actions may be pretty obscure. If you've read the books, it's a Hack'n'Slasher's delight.
Here are a few hints to lighten the difficulty: the reforged sword is a 5D5 weapon; if that's a big gun for you, then be sure to watch for the opportunity to reforge it. You can complete the Quest even if you do not have Frodo, Sam, or Gollum with you. Look for the Rangers at the beginning, they will be invaluable in combat.
Sam did a pretty nice job with special text. There are many secret passages, and every one has its own special text announcement. Overall, a nice job. It would easily have garnered a higher rating if not for the high difficulty.
Used with Matthew Clark's kind permition.
Original review available at Eamon Adventurer's Guild Online website.
