IFReviewed by
Tom Zuchowski on 2006-05-13 08:10
MAIN PGM Version: 6.0
Extra Commands: None
Deleted Commands: None
Special Features: None
Playing Time: 2-3 hours
Reviewer Rating: 5.0
Description: (Paraphrase of a typically lengthy Ruby introduction): You and a good friend spy a sign: 'Adventurers! This Is Your Big Chance! Need two good warriors not afraid to face danger. Organizing expedition to the Valley of Death. Untold riches await!'
Inquiry reveals that only one man has ever survived a trip to that place, and he can't explain how he got out alive. You decline to sign on, but your friend goes ahead and signs up. And now he is missing.
You resolve to visit the valley and find your friend, and return alive!
Comment: This is a quite uncharacteristic Sam Ruby Eamon adventure. It is primarily a "kill 'n' loot" scenario; there are just a couple of gate keys for puzzles, and they aren't very deeply hidden if you look for them.
It has nothing at all to do with the Lord of the Rings stories, as all of Sam's other early Eamons do. The Valley of Death borrows more from King Kong than anything else, though there are no huge apes to be found. But there are plenty of dinosaurs, and a village outside a massive wall. The village is just loaded with people who want to kill you; in fact you'll find that you have to FLEE several times to get the number of enemies down to something survivable.
Lots of combat, with more than 50 enemies to battle. Hack'n'slashers will love this one. Just remember to examine likely-looking items in the descriptions to find out if they are real artifacts, and those keys will show up OK.
One hint: that firewood is really dry; it will burn in a place where you wouldn't expect it to.
I'm modifying my original ratings slightly, raising my rating to (5) and the difficulty to (7), because of two "gotcha!" death traps plus all the bad guys. (Don't forget that FLEE command, though!) Also, I should mention that it does have a Quest, to find your friend, though that is not very clear from the introduction text.
Used with Matthew Clark's kind permition.
Original review available at Eamon Adventurer's Guild Online website.
