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Unlike
its predecessor Phantasie, this game is a single
player RPG. Set in the world of Questron, your mission
is to recover the Book of Evil Magic which has been
stolen by an evil Wizard, called Mantor, in an attempt
to gain power over the land. As a direct result of the
book failing into his possession, the land is now scourged
by evil creatures from the depths of hell, brought into
creation by Mantor. The King's armies too, have been
decimated by the hordes of demons and other creatures
under Mantor's command.
You
play a lowly serf who has received the dubious honour
of being selected for the mission by the King himself.
The only hope lies in the legend that a poor peasant
may save the land in its direst hour. Should the myth
turn out to be false then the land has a dubious future
ahead of it.
Packaging
is up to SSI's usual high standards, with brief notes,
a well-printed instruction book complete with potted
history of the events leading up to the present circumstances
provided in the well illustrated box. The program itself
begins with a menu allowing you to preview different
sections of the game, ask for more instructions or load
a saved game.
The
Wild country -- part of the
fascinating world of Questron.
Unlike
Phantasie, where characters are created at the
start of the game replete with necessary characteristics,
the computer seems to have only one standard character
which the player is intended to use, and there is no
way to modify this. The character is displayed on screen
as a single colour User Defined Graphic inside the action
window, while a menu appears down the left hand side
of the screen. Messages appear at the base of the screen.
Commands are of the single letter type, but a good selection
of these is available. A joystick may be used in conjunction
with, or instead of, the keyboard, so interaction with
the game is very fast indeed.
You
know little about the world of Questron, never having
travelled far before, so no map or detailed information
about the world is provided. You wander blindly therefore,
from settlement to settlement, in the hope of earning
sufficient to stay fit and purchase equipment, whilst
simultaneously trying to acquire information about what's
going on around you. The countryside is displayed with
different terrain types and scrolls as your character
travels across it. Some terrain remains impassable without
the proper equipment (mountains, for instance). Inevitably,
wandering monsters are encountered during your travels
across the land. Sometimes a message warns you of their
approach, others set upon you before any notice is given.
When they are within sight, they are displayed on the
map.
Vampire
bats -- just one of the many horrors to
face you in the dungeons of the Land of Evil.
The monsters are well detailed in the book and they
exist in such numbers and variety that graphics are
understandably simplified. Many of the descriptions
are evidently tongue in cheek (one reference to the
deadly Acid Peanut Butter springs to mind), but others
would grace many a serious D&D campaign. Some
creatures are terrain or locale bound, whilst others
are nomadic (like the Na-Ga Pilgrim, who often cuts
himself in battle). Most of the creatures are deadly,
some requiring special weaponry or fleetness of foot
in order to escape from them.
Settlements
can be visited and explored, as can the Cathedrals of
the Magician Priests. Much is to be learned when exploring
these places and various activities are available for
those who wish to take advantage of the social aspects
of the game (such as gambling, for example). Despite
the humour that runs throughout the game, Questron
has a serious side to it as well. Socialising is one
way of gaining information of vital importance to the
game.
Eventually,
your quest should lead to the unimaginatively named
Land of Evil. From there, the monsters start becoming
really vicious, and most of the people you meet are
literally after your blood. Should you make it to the
dread dungeons at the heart of the quest, the game takes
on a totally new aspect which should please most dungeoneers.
The display now shows the view ahead in static fashion.
If you imagine a simplified version of The Eidolon
without the animation, that would be a good guide. Searching
these dungeons requires the utmost wit and speedy response
to every event. The traps and monsters prepared to take
your insignificant life don't provide you with a moment's
rest. You have been warned.
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