IFReviewed by
Tom Zuchowski on 2006-05-13 08:12
MAIN PGM Version: 6
Extra Commands: DESTROY, HELP
Deleted Commands: None
Special Features: Voices spoken though speaker
Playing Time: 30-60 min.
Reviewer Rating: 5.0
Description: "Something is wrong with Hokas. You watch him as he walks across the Main Hall toward you with his eyes looking at the floor.
"Hokas starts to speak, 'My brother Pokas has been captured by the Wizard of the Spheres and none of the Adventurers here are willing to risk saving him. Will you help?'
"After thinking about the possible reward you say yes. 'Good,' says Hokas as he begins to smile. 'The Wizard of the Spheres is very powerful and has never been defeated. All the spells I have taught you will be useless against him.'
"You wonder what you have gotten yourself into. Hokas continues, 'The Wizard's power is contained in the many spheres which are stored in his lair. Destroy the correct ones and he will be helpless.'
Comment: This Eamon adventure has a feature that no other Eamon has: the various spheres and the wizard actually speak out loud to you! To be sure, the sound quality is quite poor because of the limitations of the Apple II speaker, but it's a very nifty effect.
While all of the standard commands are in place, you will quickly discover that the spells are indeed nullified by the wizard's powers. But it's not difficult to stay healthy, as the evil spheres aren't all that strong and healing is provided in a couple of spots.
This is a very simple adventure, with an elementary 50-room map, no puzzles, and short descriptions. Yet I was intrigued by the mental picture conveyed by the descriptions and greatly enjoyed the voice-related special effects.
This is probably an excellent choice for the young Eamonaut. It has a difficulty rating of about (4). The (5) rating that I gave it could have been a (6), except for two no-warning death traps that can only be avoided if you happen to have found and picked up the right artifacts before you reach them. But the adventure is simple enough that an occasional save will make these traps a minor annoyance. Be sure to get the latest version, dated 7/2/93, which has several playability enhancements. If you already own the older version, the bug fixes in this issue will help a lot.
Used with Matthew Clark's kind permition.
Original review available at Eamon Adventurer's Guild Online website.
