IFReviewed by
Tom Zuchowski on 2006-05-06 08:05
MAIN PGM Version: 4.0
Extra Commands: BUY, READ, DIG, OPEN, UNLOCK Deleted Commands: None
Special Features: None
Playing Time: 1 hour Reviewer Rating: 4.0
Average Rating: 5.5/3
Description: "Past and Present often meet in the old historic streets of London. However, people still stare at you strangely. You clank as you walk and the weapons you carry are centuries out of date!
"Because you've heard rumours of an impending attempt to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London, you decide to go there...
"To prevent the theft? "Or to steal them for yourself!!"
Comment: This is decidedly what you would call an "educational" Eamon. It is a tour of the Tower of London. And I do mean "tour". I had the strong feeling that it closely paralleled an actual trip that the Smiths had taken.
It's well written, with lots of detail. I found it easy to visualize the things they described. So why the poor rating? First, it is loaded with other tourists and ghosts who decide to tag along with you. By the time you've explored 50 rooms, you literally have a screenful of companions. This being a very old Eamon with no screen pauses, it was a pain to catch the room descriptions before they scrolled off the top.
Second, it is aimless. There was no plot to steal jewels that I saw anywhere. Nobody cared who I attacked or what I took. The READ and DIG commands don't do anything at all.
Still, it was a pretty good play, and I must point out that the other people who rated it gave it a (6) or better. I just wasn't very entertained. I give it (3) for difficulty.
Be sure to check the Bug Fixes in this issue for an important playability enhancer for this game!
Used with Matthew Clark's kind permition.
Original review available at Eamon Adventurer's Guild Online website.
