IFReviewed by
Andrew Plotkin on 2006-06-25 08:09
A nifty little fantasy story (billed as "cross-genre", but I think one can legitimately talk about the genre of fantasy that includes goofy spaceships. :-) You're a wizard's apprentice, the wizard has disappeared, and a dragon is ravaging the town.
This game doesn't strain the boundaries of IF literature, but it's well-filled-out. There is a whole range of gradations of "An End", including more than one which might be considered fully ideal.
The writing is funny, albeit in a generic-silly-fantasy sort of way. Several minor NPCs that run and hide in uniform, unashamed cowardice. (Worth a chuckle.)
It's possible to get stuck, and there are also various ways you can lock yourself into satisfactory-but-not-perfect endings. There are some fairly restrictive time limits, particularly in the ending. (A temptation often succumbed to, one admits.)
The title conceit is worth mentioning -- your master's Almanac contains a huge array of useful game information, useless information, background, poetry, and bad jokes. Also the game's credits, instructions, and hints. It's a good plot device, or maybe I should say scenery device.
