IFReviewed by
Tom Zuchowski on 2006-04-29 01:39
MAIN PGM Version: 4
Extra Commands: OPEN, DRINK, READ, THROW
Deleted Commands: None
Special Features: None
Playing Time: 1 hour
Reviewer Rating: 8.0
Average Rating: 7.4/5
Description: 'You are summoned to the king, who says: The evil Mondamen, an evil deposed king from the South, has been amassing an army with which to attack our kingdom. This would be bad enough, but now he has acquired the services of an evil wizard.
'The wizard is going to attempt to call forth the evil Vaprak. If he succeeds his forces will be almost unstoppable. Vaprak is an evil demigod worshipped by ogres and trolls. By getting his help, Mondamen will have all the trolls and ogres in the land on his side.
'But Mondamen is leaving nothing to chance. To be doubly sure of his success, the evil lord has captured the only daughter of king Kahn of Nexdor, a neighboring kingdom. Mondamen is blackmailing Kahn into financing and aiding him.
'We need a brave warrior to enter his stronghold, kill the evil wizard before he can call up the demon Vaprak, and to bring back the daughter of Kahn. Also, if the evil wizard succeeds in calling forth his demon, you will have to find a magic spell that will return the demon to his own plane.'
Comment: This is typical Nelson fare, which is to say, pretty good. It has the feel and flavor of a hack'n'slash foray, yet there are definite puzzling elements that add an extra dimension to the play. The puzzles aren't deep and are mainly solved by finding the clues that are strewn about on scraps of paper, etc.
John has added a few of his trademark humorous touches that makes his work more fun to play. When I stumbled onto Mondamen's army, I quickly hunted for a magical way to escape; when I found it, I about fell off my chair with laughter.
It says a lot that this adventure is so highly rated even though it is very old and has none of the refinements of later versions. You must type in complete commands and objects. Screen pauses are almost nonexistent.
The difficulty rings in at about (8); many of the bad guys are pretty tough, and though the clues are easily put together, some are hidden by obscure secret doors. And if you find a need for a puzzle solution before you have stumbled across the clues, you are dead meat. Yet it's a relaxing play and I had fun. Just be sure to save early and often, and you'll enjoy it more.
Used with Matthew Clark's kind permition.
Original review available at Eamon Adventurer's Guild Online website.
